# Hillary's lead over Sanders "nearly vanishes". **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 11, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833 "2016-01-11T17:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/121 "2016-01-15T04:16:31Z")
Senile might be taking it a bit far, but a Bernhead on my Facebook feed shared a video of Bernie going after Alan Greenspan at a hearing, and it didn’t have the effect she intended. I distinctly noticed that he was a lot sharper then (2003). ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/122 "2016-01-15T04:20:30Z")
I don’t really care much about age. Sanders does not seem to me to be losing it. As long as Bob Dole is still alive and functional, it really shouldn’t be an issue for any candidate young enough to be his son. ---
**Author:** ![nethken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@nethken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nethken)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/123 "2016-01-15T07:56:10Z")
> [@CGav8r](#): > > Because it’s a woman we are talking about, physical appearance, her laugh, the way she dresses-it’s all on the table. Funny, I’ve read many posts making fun of Trump’s hair. People also mock his style of speaking. _I_ cringe when people assume that criticism of a woman must be misogyny. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/124 "2016-01-15T09:04:01Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > It’s funny how many people on both sides will vote Bernie or Trump, but not Hillary. People want a radical solution. The current status quo is killing everyone except the 1%, or is perceived to be. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/125 "2016-01-15T09:06:26Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Senile might be taking it a bit far, but a Bernhead on my Facebook feed shared a video of Bernie going after Alan Greenspan at a hearing, and it didn’t have the effect she intended. I distinctly noticed that he was a lot sharper then (2003). Would he be less sharper in policy direction or just in presentation. GWB pretty much withdrew from all unscripted public engagement once elected, for obvious cognitive reasons. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/126 "2016-01-15T09:22:27Z")
Not really. The Daily Show got tons of great material from him working without a script. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/127 "2016-01-15T12:25:39Z")
Here’s the video, see what you think: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WJaW32ZTyKE/maxresdefault.jpg "Bernie Sanders Confronts Alan Greenspan") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaW32ZTyKE) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/128 "2016-01-15T14:12:35Z")
I have to again say, that I am Hillary supporter but would be not at all displeased to see Bernie win both Iowa and New Hampshire. I could very much support Sanders as our nominee and feel that in any case a bit of a battle would make for a better candidate Clinton as well. I don’t think it will happen. I still think odds are he will win NH only and no other state. But having a real race between two candidates either of which I could strongly get behind … that would be just fine. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/129 "2016-01-15T15:22:35Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Here’s the video, see what you think: > > [http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaW32ZTyKE](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaW32ZTyKE) Holy shit! I think Greenspan looks odious and slimy. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/130 "2016-01-15T17:08:32Z")
> [@nethken](#): > > Funny, I’ve read many posts making fun of Trump’s hair. People also mock his style of speaking. > > _I_ cringe when people assume that criticism of a woman must be misogyny. An action conveys different meanings in different contexts. Criticizing a woman’s clothes or physical attributes is different than criticizing a man’s clothes because of the context of hundreds of years of minimizing women and women’s’ interests to unimportant matters like clothing and hair. Talking about a woman’s outfits has, historically, been a way of dismissing a woman in the public sphere. Talking about a man’s outfit does not have that same hundred year history. The context is different. Therefore, the meaning is not the same even if the action is similar. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/131 "2016-01-15T18:07:05Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > An action conveys different meanings in different contexts. > > Criticizing a woman’s clothes or physical attributes is different than criticizing a man’s clothes because of the context of hundreds of years of minimizing women and women’s’ interests to unimportant matters like clothing and hair. Talking about a woman’s outfits has, historically, been a way of dismissing a woman in the public sphere. > > Talking about a man’s outfit does not have that same hundred year history. The context is different. Therefore, the meaning is not the same even if the action is similar. This is exactly it. When a person mocks Trump’s hair, or Carson’s narcolepsy, they don’t intend it as an attack on their gender. We don’t say, “Trump has bad hair, just like all men, so we don’t have to listen to them”. When people attack Clinton, its to diminish her as a person because of her gender. “She’s a woman, she’ll get mood swings, like all women, so we can’t have her as president” or “She’s not attractive (or for other women “she’s too attractive”) therefore we can’t take her seriously.” For the same reason why people can say GWB looks like a stupid chimp but cannot say that Obama does without being racist, there are layers of connotations which exist. Language doesn’t exist in a vacuum and pretending it does is either ignorant or purposeful maliciousness. Attacking Clinton for her looks or her voice or mood is sexist. Just don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/132 "2016-01-15T18:29:24Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Holy shit! I think Greenspan looks odious and slimy. Agreed, but doesn’t the 62-63yo Sanders seem noticeably sharper? He will of course continue to age further over the next nine years. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/133 "2016-01-15T18:41:19Z")
Tony Bennett can’t quite hit all the notes that he used to but still has great singing chops. I’ll take a Sanders at this age and for the next 8 ears just fine even \*if \*he was even more energetic a few years back. Still support HRC though … ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/134 "2016-01-15T18:51:52Z")
Nitpick: it’s _nine_ years and four days until the end of a putative second Sanders term. Having a president and commander in chief in his mid-eighties is not something we have ever done before, and it strikes me as risky. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/135 "2016-01-15T18:55:57Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > When people attack Clinton, its to diminish her as a person because of her gender. “She’s a woman, she’ll get mood swings, like all women, so we can’t have her as president” or “She’s not attractive (or for other women “she’s too attractive”) therefore we can’t take her seriously.” I’m curious - who is making these types of statements? Casual accusations of sexism weaken claims of actual incidents of sexim. If criticizing the sound of Hillary’s laugh is sexist then the charge has no meaning. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/136 "2016-01-15T19:37:40Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Nitpick: it’s _nine_ years and four days until the end of a putative second Sanders term. Having a president and commander in chief in his mid-eighties is not something we have ever done before, and it strikes me as risky. Of course, Americans in general are living longer and keeping their wits longer than ever before. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/137 "2016-01-15T19:39:35Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Nitpick: it’s _nine_ years and four days until the end of a putative second Sanders term. Having a president and commander in chief in his mid-eighties is not something we have ever done before, and it strikes me as risky. Do you really think that a mere 5 years older automatically makes a huge risky difference? Trump btw will be over 70 when taking office if elected as well, older than Reagan was … also if re-elected would become older in office than any other previous holder of the office. Clinton would be a few months younger than Reagan was though. Presidents 38, 39, 40, and 41, all lived (or are living) into their 90s. Not saying that it might not be an issue at re-election time, and yeah I’d want to be comfortable that a vice president is someone who can do the job. But no my reason to prefer Hillary is not that she is 6 years younger than Sanders is, and Cruz’s or Rubio’s potentially being one of the youngest Presidents ever (only beat by Teddy Roosevelt and JFK) is not what disqualifies them in my mind either. Fun trivia btw - Carter has lived the longest after leaving office of any President to date. Hoover next. ---
**Author:** ![nethken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@nethken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nethken)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/138 "2016-01-15T19:58:23Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I’m curious - who is making these types of statements? That’s what you’re supposed to imagine is meant when someone remarks that they don’t like Hillary’s [cackle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zwRfXxi5s). I think it’s one of those microaggression things. Joking about Trump’s male pattern baldness, on the other hand, is fine. I’d like to remind people that this is all about one guy’s post on a message board, not a news article. He doesn’t like her. He’s talking about not liking her style. Maybe people shouldn’t do it, but people do that all the time. “_Attacking Clinton for her looks or her voice or mood is sexist. Just don’t do it_” - everyone should be told to make a conscious effort to treat women differently until it’s determined they have a perfectly equal standing in politics? Even then it won’t end because _think of the history_. Not the way to go about it, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/139 "2016-01-15T20:25:57Z")
I seriously wonder if Bernie has the gravitas which Americans expect of their commander in chief. He reminds me of Michael Foot a disastrous Labour leader in the early 80’s who was dogged by serious image problems for example during [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFQDPXqf-80&feature=youtu.be&t=68)Remembrance Day ceremony in 1981. I could see something similar happening to Bernie though admittedly the likes of Trump and Cruz hardly cut an impressive figure themselves. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833/140 "2016-01-15T20:32:30Z")
Actually it isn’t Trump’s baldness that is fodder for jokes … it is the pathetic attempt to cover it up. This is where he could listen to some [15 year old advice from Hillary](http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/21/nyregion/commencements-at-yale-mrs-clinton-ponders-hair-and-politics.html): > [@Hillary Clinton 2001 Yale Commencement speech](#): > > The most important thing I have to say to you today is that hair matters. This is a life lesson my family did not teach me, Wellesley and Yale Law School failed to instill: Your hair will send significant messages to those around you. What hopes and dreams you have for the world, but more, what hopes and dreams you have for your hair. Pay attention to your hair, because everyone else will. (A serious side to every joke. This was based on years of media hubbub over every little change in her hairstyle.) Sander’s loosely negotiated settlement with his hair says something too … I think there has historically been quite a large double standard in which women’s appearances in public life has been of more interest to the public than have men’s … but we are approaching a point where we are just as superficial about males too, so all’s good! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillarys-lead-over-sanders-nearly-vanishes/742833.md?page=8)