Lets say HRC has problems with emails, or doesn’t make the cut. And Bernie gets the nomination. Can he pull it off? Win the crown?
When he first entered, people said he couldn’t win because of the “s” word. But, a black person became president. Maybe it is time for a socialist?
Sure, he wants health care, higher education for everyone. And the richest country in the world should have these things. And, if he has a real plan to finance these goals, give him the chance.
I’m liking the guy. A lot of his campaign money comes from the common folk.
So, what would he have to do, say, to win the states necessary and win the electoral college vote?
We would have a Republican in the White House if that were to happen.
Frankly I don’t care where his money comes from. This idea that our candidates have to run shoestring budgeted runs for the Presidency is lunacy. I want my candidate to spend money, I want them to fight to get my vote. I want a snake like Hillary- if that’s what people want to characterize her as- sitting at the table when it comes to foreign policy. If it were to come down to Bernie, which it wont, he would get left in the dust by whatever Republican the GOP throws up there. In my opinion, he cannot defeat any of the Republican contenders, unless maybe it was Bush.
I like Bernie too, much better than Hillary to be frank, but yeah, I think you’re dreaming. I think Hillary has the best shot of beating the trog, whoever the trog may be, in the general election.
I regretfully agree, and refuse to remember that its pretty much what I thought about Obama, that I really liked him but the risk was too great. The upside of pessimism is that surprises are a treat.
I think you’re dreaming, unfortunately, unless Bernie undergoes a fairly drastic makeover after the nomination. I would be delighted to be proven wrong because I really like Bernie, but the fact is that Sanders is a significant threat to the 1%, and the 1% will spend whatever it takes to persuade a majority of everyone else that he’s a threat to them, too, and will do it with the kind of vigor and aggressiveness such as perhaps has never been seen in American politics.
I’m not just talking about TV ads telling people not to vote for Bernie. I’m talking about vast networks of fake astroturf organizations suddenly “uncovering facts” about Bernie’s allegedly scary past and scary plans and exploiting every avenue of communication to make them known – social media, books, videos, blogs, anything and everything. All well funded by dark money and well coordinated by the kinds of PR organizations that specialize in covert disinformation campaigns.
Anyone who thinks I’m exaggerating should think about what happens whenever serious discussions come up about meaningful health care reform, especially if single payer is mentioned. Suddenly we have “death panels”, and stories about people in the UK going blind from lack of health care and dying in the streets in Canada because they’re on wait lists. Sure the ACA was passed, but the ACA isn’t true reform, and much of it was practically written by the insurance lobby. The same strategy is being used against climate science, and was also successfully used for a long time against tobacco opponents. But with Bernie as a viable presidential prospect, health care reform is just one of many different threats to the 1%, and the attacks would be unleashed on an unprecedented scale.
The only way I can see Bernie being elected is if he drastically and persuasively moderated his platform and moved his agenda massively to the center, but this would effectively negate much of what he stands for. But he’d still probably be way better than Hillary.
Call me a dreamer (and for the sake of disclosure, I freely admit to being one of those “heart says Bernie, head says Hillary” Democrats) but conventional wisdom has taken an extended vacation this election cycle. I don’t think it’s the impossibility I might have thought four years ago.
Yeah, you’re dreaming. I love Bernie - more than Hillary for that matter - and I’m thrilled that he’s giving HRC a run for her money. But he hasn’t a shot in Hell of winning a general election; at this point in time, the US will just not elect a socialist president.
Come back to me in 25 years when my generation (read: the millenials) make up a majority of the electorate, and then somebody like Bernie could probably win.
Anyone who gets either of the major party nominations could become President, if things break right for them. And this year is certainly weirder than most.
Because, remember, the people you’re talking about . . . the ubberich who have that kind of money to spend on politics and also have access to hidden networks of power and influence . . . they’re mostly people like the Bush clan. Old- or at least middle-aged-money. Social Register material. And people like that, I am sure, might find Sanders scary, but they find Trump . . . distasteful, which is worse. No, no, sniff it won’t do. Even the socialist Jew is easier to stomach. We voted to let Jimmy Goldberg into the country club last year, didn’t we? Even though he sometimes talks like a bit of a Bolshie? But I’ll resign before we ever let The Donald in here!
Being nominated means nothing. Remember the last “socialist” to get the Democratic nomination? George McGovern. 1972. He won one state. Got 17 electoral votes to Nixon’s 520.
First of all Trump won’t be the nominee. Secondly, regardless of who is, the 1% will always look after their interests.
The Republican attack machine would destroy Bernie Sanders in about 90 seconds. That is why Hillary keeps harping that she has endured all the Republican attacks for almost three decades now.
Coincidentally enough, I have just been sitting here the last half hour composing an attack ad the RNC could run in my head. The RNC must be salivating at the thought of a Sanders nomination.
Bernie might stand a chance against Cruz- a Sanders-Cruz match up would be a great contrast at opposite ends of the spectrum. But Rubio or any other of the establishment candidates would mop the floor with Bernie.
Tonight in the debate, after Clinton gave a detailed explanation of what her strategy would be to combat ISIS, Bernie interjected. He wanted to distinguish his plans from hers, he said. He went on to explain that we should help defeat them, but that “Moose slim troops” should lead the fight.
What a brilliant tactical insight! Why wait for his inauguration? We should implement this battle plan right away, someone get the Pentagon on the line. We could get with a big group of Iraqis and give them a bunch of Humvees, maybe some artillery.
It could easily have gone the other way. Fortunately McCain, in a desperate bid for the female vote, declared “Get me a woman!”. And they brought him the Screeching Horror from Wasilla.
I was waffling between Hillary (head) and Bernie (heart) for a long time. Then I watched her eat those Bengazi Congressional hearings for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I’m with her. That’s who I want leading my nation.
Sanders can win, but it requires the Republican to completely fail to take the center. Another path to defeat for a Republican against Sanders is to lose the authenticity and/or likeability part of the race. Sanders may not be the guy you’d like to have a beer with, but he is authentic, and right now Marco Rubio is the most protected candidate by his staff in either party. Christie is going nuclear on him over his total unreadiness to even answer questions that are unscripted.
So Trump, Cruz, and Rubio have their weaknesses against Sanders. Kasich, Bush, or Christie would probably dominate him though.
