# In the Face of the Blue Wall, The 2016 Presidential Election IS the Democratic Primary **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 29, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446 "2014-12-29T15:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/61 "2014-12-31T00:33:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s only as big a show as the celebrity headlining it. True. The Dems could certainly fail. I just think it’s unwarranted to assume that the GOP win in the last election is indicative of anything but a good map and meh Dems. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/62 "2014-12-31T00:46:05Z")
I agree completely with that. However, much as with 2014, the President’s popularity will be a big factor in 2016. Voters always consider whether they want more of the same when selecting a successor to an unpopular President. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/63 "2014-12-31T01:23:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I agree completely with that. However, much as with 2014, the President’s popularity will be a big factor in 2016. Voters always consider whether they want more of the same when selecting a successor to an unpopular President. We agree on something! Do you feel that? I’m feeling a hug coming on. (づ￣ ³￣)づ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/64 "2014-12-31T01:36:38Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > I find it fairly likely that Massachusetts will vote for the Democratic nominee. But Wisconsin? Ohio? Michigan? All three of those states have conservative Republican governors who have cut taxes, cut regulations, battled unions, and produced strong economic growth. The voters in those states seem to like economic growth and prosperity, and demonstrated it by returning the Republican governors to office a few weeks ago. > > Do we really think that the same body of voters would go strongly for Hillary Clinton’s diet of higher taxes and more regulations, much less Elizabeth Warren’s diet of even higher taxes and even more regulations? Can you name higher taxes that Hillary proposes? Or that Obama imposed? Can you name one single tax that Obama raised that affected you personally? What specific Democratic-proposed regulations do you object to? Can you name one? Didn’t think so. What Obama regulations have your knickers in a twist? Can you name one, other than the ACA? Here’s why you can get a red governor in a blue state- have your gubernatorial elections in midterm years. Republicans have had two extraordinarily lucky midterms. In one, it was two years of fanning the flames of latent racism and unrelenting demonization of the ACA that got their side all fired up and their reddies voted in droves. In the other it was Democratic candidates who mistakenly distanced themselves from Obama and cost themselves their best advocate. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/65 "2014-12-31T01:46:12Z")
> [@](#): > > "We are the stealthy Green Toupees > Skulking nights and snoozing days, A team of silent, nasty men, > Who all think Sorhed’s numbah ten. > > Draw their fire > Flank on right > Narcs retire > Fight-team-fight! > > Using every grungy trick > From booby trap to pungee stick > We hardly need the strength of thirty > When we can win by playing dirty. > > Two-four-six-eight > Tiptoe, sneak > And infiltrate > Cha-cha-cha."… Victory **can** come to the Republicans. **If** they **cheat.** . . They **will cheat.** ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/66 "2014-12-31T02:00:41Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > “Most” isn’t enough. And the average Democrat is less intense about voting Dem than the average Republican is about voting Republican. “voter intensity” … is that a flavor of the “special sauce” pundits use when they interpret polls? > [@](#): > > In short, I would do everything I could to avoid putting your theory to the test. It’s not really a theory, just an observation of the numbers. > [@](#): > > Yeah, I’m a real sweet guy. And believe me, I’m not doing it for you and your kind, people who are casual with other people’s lives and well-being because of their ideology. It’s bad enough that conservatives are like that. Not sure what you mean by that, but OK. > [@](#): > > Yeah, and it’s often true. How much ground did we lose during the Bush Administration that we haven’t yet regained, on any number of fronts? Well if we had Dems that WANTED to regain that ground … especially in the White House … we might have regained a bit more, eh? > [@](#): > > But damned if there ain’t no such thing as Peak Wingnut. While Bush wasn’t willing to gut Social Security without Democratic cover, despite having GOP majorities in both houses of Congress, today’s GOP doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks. And it’s a damned sight easier to tear stuff down than build it back up again. The Pubbies know as well as the Dems that ACTUALLY taking down Social Security would get them bounced out of both houses of Congress and the White House so fast and hard it would make their heads spin. That’s an issue that old people care about. And old people vote. > [@](#): > > How about getting progressive input the old-fashioned way - by building a progressive movement from the ground up? An excellent and worthy idea, but that’s a LONG TERM strategy … and there’s no reason you can’t have both long-term and short-term plans. > [@](#): > > So, she’s way to the left of Americans, and way to their right, too? That was my mistake. I meant to say she was to the right of Americans on many issues. > [@](#): > > So, what are these issues (that people give two hoots about) that Hillary’s way to the left of Americans on? Wealth inequality, restoring the middle class, taxing the rich instead of said middle class, restoring the social safety net, and she’s a LOT more interested in war in the Mideast than most Americans are. I mentioned all this upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/67 "2014-12-31T02:10:10Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Hi, **Evil Captor**. > > This is just a duplicate of a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741491) you put in this same forum a month ago. No it’s not. The previous thread was to discuss the Blue Wall theory. This thread, as I tried to make clear in the OP, but possibly did not, was to discuss the notion that the Democratic primary was the true Presidential election in the absence of a credible chance of the Republicans winning. And therefore that the Democratic primary was where Democrats who are progressives should focus their energies. > [@](#): > > In that thread, as I’m sure you’ll recall, your claims about the “blue wall” were completely debunked with a wealth of facts, logic, and data. It was also pointed out that the guy who wrote the article that’s your one and only source in both OPs, Chris Ladd, has no particularly strong qualifications when it comes to statistics, and that there are many other, better sources out there. Given all that, I’m not sure why you would once again post claims that you know are false. Do you simply enjoy being proved wrong over and over again? I don’t think I was proven wrong, nor that Chris Ladd was. The numbers are still the same. There were a lot of objections to it, but none that I found particularly convincing. Your mileage clearly varies. Enjoy your mileage! Of course, there has been much discussion of the Blue Wall theory rather than the Democratic primaries in this thread, but I know better than to try to herd cats. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/68 "2014-12-31T02:49:29Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > We’ll see how things play out, should be an interesting Presidential election … for Democrats. For Repubicans, ah … not so much. Boo hoo. If there’s one the TEA Party can do, it’s put on a show and drag everything to the right of crazy. In a year, this board is going to be debating some incredibly regressive proposal and settled question, because those boys can make some noise, and their bankrollers will buy them lots of megaphones. Nope, sorry, son, the USA is owned by the right wing of the right wing now, and serves as a power base to conquer/buy the rest of the planet. It’s cute that you think there is hope. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/69 "2014-12-31T02:57:23Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > I find it fairly likely that Massachusetts will vote for the Democratic nominee. But Wisconsin? Ohio? Michigan? It would be especially wrong to put Ohio in the “blue wall.” (I don’t know if anybody actually is, but it would be a bad idea.) The whole point of the “wall” idea is that Democrats do better than average in enough states to put them over 270 electoral votes. But Democratic presidential candidates consistently do worse in Ohio than they do nationwide. I believe 2012 was the 10th straight election in which the Republican presidential candidate had an advantage in Ohio. (It’s just a small advantage, and not usually decisive.) ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/70 "2014-12-31T03:37:03Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Can you name higher taxes that Hillary proposes? Or that Obama imposed? I can certainly name taxes that Obama imposed. With the ACA, he raised capital gains taxes and put a tax on medical devices. He has raised the federal income tax on the top bracket. Hillary may not have proposed any specific taxes at the moment. (Heck, if she’s taken a clear stance on anything whatsoever, I’m not aware of it.) But throughout her career, she’s shown happiness to go along with her party’s tax hikes, and little enthusiasm for allowing the American people to keep any more of the money that they’ve earned. It’s perfectly reasonable to predict that she’ll be proposing more tax raises. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/71 "2014-12-31T03:50:42Z")
> [@](#): > > I can certainly name taxes that Obama imposed. With the ACA, he raised capital gains taxes and put a tax on medical devices. He has raised the federal income tax on the top bracket. Let’s see… [Capital gains.](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/1/increase-the-capital-gains-and-dividends-taxes-for/) > [@](#): > > The fiscal cliff bill, passed by the House and Senate on Jan. 1, 2013, did raise taxes to 20 percent, but only for taxpayers earning $400,000 (for individuals) or $450,000 (for couples). Taxing capital gains at 20 percent returns taxation to the level under President Bill Clinton. Let me ask you this- did this affect you? Do you think having people who earn more than $400K are going to have their lives adversely affected by paying 5% more in capital gains tax? With regard to the highest tax bracket decrease, he merely declined to extend the Bush cuts for the very highest earners. He did not raise taxes, he merely did not breathe life into a useless tax cut. If Republicans wanted it to be permanent, they should have written it that way. Or else read it before they passed it. Seriously- you’re worried about a 2.3% tax on medical devices? That brings in a paltry $29 billion in a decade? Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/72 "2014-12-31T03:52:47Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I don’t buy this “Obama is a centrist” stuff. But he is black and the black community voted heavily for him while in other elections they sometimes just stay home. > > I contend that a white Democratic President, with the same record as Obama, would have had their ass handed to them in 2012. How does this theory explain that more people voted for Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and Gore in 2000? The Democratic Presidential candidate has gotten the majority of the votes in five of the last six elections. And the last time the Republicans won the majority of votes in a Presidential election without a Republican incumbent was thirty-four years ago. I’m not saying the Democrats have the 2016 election in the bag. But they do have objective reasons to feel confident about it. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/73 "2014-12-31T04:01:04Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > What specific Democratic-proposed regulations do you object to? Can you name one? Sure, I’d be happy to name a large number. [FDA regulations](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/11/21/246386290/organic-farmers-bash-fda-restrictions-on-manure-use) on organic farms. The Obama Administration’s[lawsuit](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323407104579037020495325310) aiming to deny poor children in Louisiana a decent education The Administration’s [meddling in how colleges and universities handle sexual assault allegations.](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323407104579037020495325310) [Intrusive regulations for truck drivers](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalreview.com%2Farticle%2F370895%2Fpilot-shortage-made-congress-jillian-kay-melchior&ei=IHCjVNbfMIqbyQSx54GgAw&usg=AFQjCNHXCCkfewwjimStfMYZg9pZkpVdLQ&sig2=iiz-OIhm11MyVul-IZDrsQ&bvm=bv.82001339,d.aWw). Increasing mandated training hours for airline pilots by 500%. Those are not the only regulations that I object to. There’s so many that no one human being could keep track of all the ways that liberal Democrats are attacking our freedoms. Just a few days ago, Obama[released](http://dailycaller.com/2014/11/24/white-house-quietly-releases-plans-for-3415-regulations-ahead-of-thanksgiving-holiday/) 3,415 new regulations. All told, regulations [cost](http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/30/the-united-states-of-regulation-complian) Americans 1.8 trillion dollars each year. That’s almost $6,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. > [@](#): > > Didn’t think so. Okay, so you didn’t think that I’d be able to name any regulations that I opposed. I easily named five. Looks like you were wrong. Utterly, totally, completely, entirely, and fully wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/74 "2014-12-31T04:09:19Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > He has raised the federal income tax on the top bracket. Let me get this straight. Bush advocated for and signed a bill that included a tax hike after he left office. Obama signed a bill _delaying_ the Bush tax hike for all brackets for two years, and then signed another one permanently canceling the Bush tax hike for all brackets but one. Somehow, this turns into Obama raising taxes. What? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/75 "2014-12-31T04:58:56Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Sure, I’d be happy to name a large number. > > [FDA regulations](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/11/21/246386290/organic-farmers-bash-fda-restrictions-on-manure-use) on organic farms. > > The Obama Administration’s[lawsuit](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323407104579037020495325310) aiming to deny poor children in Louisiana a decent education > > The Administration’s [meddling in how colleges and universities handle sexual assault allegations.](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323407104579037020495325310) > > [Intrusive regulations for truck drivers](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalreview.com%2Farticle%2F370895%2Fpilot-shortage-made-congress-jillian-kay-melchior&ei=IHCjVNbfMIqbyQSx54GgAw&usg=AFQjCNHXCCkfewwjimStfMYZg9pZkpVdLQ&sig2=iiz-OIhm11MyVul-IZDrsQ&bvm=bv.82001339,d.aWw). > > Increasing mandated training hours for airline pilots by 500%. > > Those are not the only regulations that I object to. There’s so many that no one human being could keep track of all the ways that liberal Democrats are attacking our freedoms. Just a few days ago, Obama[released](http://dailycaller.com/2014/11/24/white-house-quietly-releases-plans-for-3415-regulations-ahead-of-thanksgiving-holiday/) 3,415 new regulations. All told, regulations [cost](http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/30/the-united-states-of-regulation-complian) Americans 1.8 trillion dollars each year. That’s almost $6,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. > Okay, so you didn’t think that I’d be able to name any regulations that I opposed. I easily named five. Looks like you were wrong. Utterly, totally, completely, entirely, and fully wrong. What about the “freedoms” of all those who would die without regulated air travel, trucking, clean water etc etc. Your idea of freedom is how much much money can be made off the misery of others. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/76 "2014-12-31T05:16:07Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Let’s see… [Capital gains.](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/1/increase-the-capital-gains-and-dividends-taxes-for/) > Let me ask you this- did this affect you? Do you think having people who earn more than $400K are going to have their lives adversely affected by paying 5% more in capital gains tax? > > With regard to the highest tax bracket decrease, he merely declined to extend the Bush cuts for the very highest earners. He did not raise taxes, he merely did not breathe life into a useless tax cut. If Republicans wanted it to be permanent, they should have written it that way. Or else read it before they passed it. > Seriously- you’re worried about a 2.3% tax on medical devices? That brings in a paltry $29 billion in a decade? Seriously? Okay, so we’re in agreement that Obama did increase taxes. > [@Blank Slate](#): > > What about the “freedoms” of all those who would die without regulated air travel, trucking, clean water etc etc. What about them? > [@](#): > > Your idea of freedom is how much much money can be made off the misery of others. No, it isn’t. Can you provide a cite to justify your statement? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/77 "2014-12-31T06:25:45Z")
The 1.8 trillion dollar figure is so absurd it isn’t even worth commenting on. > [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Those are not the only regulations that I object to. There’s so many that no one human being could keep track of all the ways that liberal Democrats are attacking our freedoms. So all regulations were created by and made into law only by liberal democrats? What freedoms, exactly, are being attacked? The freedom to manipulate financial markets? The freedom to pollute our air and water? The freedom to build commercial airliners out of spit and toilet paper? Where does your “freedom” to harm others supersede another’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? I’m sure there are plenty of regulations that need to be removed. Making some blanket statement about precious freedoms being abused by those evil liberals is specious. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/78 "2014-12-31T06:42:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > How does this theory explain that more people voted for Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and Gore in 2000? The Democratic Presidential candidate has gotten the majority of the votes in five of the last six elections. And the last time the Republicans won the majority of votes in a Presidential election without a Republican incumbent was thirty-four years ago. This post makes no sense to what I posted. Really, it doesn’t. Clinton was not the incumbent in 1992 so how could he be judge on his record as POTUS? That part of your post alone invalidates it as opposed to what I posted. Clinton received less than 50% of the vote in '96. I’d hammer this point except I’m certain had Perot not ran Dole still would have lost. But by '96 the Republican congress had fixed the economy well enough that Clinton got the credit for it and was reelected. God I’m going to luv the response to that! 😃 The economy (i.e. unemployment) was different in '96 than in '12. Had a white POTUS, of ANY party ran for re-election in '12 with the unemployment rate what it was, I contend they would not have been reelected. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/79 "2014-12-31T07:39:55Z")
Good God. The soft bigotry of low expectations? You can’t possibly be serious. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446/80 "2014-12-31T11:00:30Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > “voter intensity” … is that a flavor of the “special sauce” pundits use when they interpret polls? Maybe you noticed who showed up and who didn’t, several weeks back? I’d also refer you to [this rather insightful piece by Ed Kilgore](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_12/the_white_evangelical_model_fo053392.php#comments) on white evangelical turnout. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-face-of-the-blue-wall-the-2016-presidential-election-is-the-democratic-primary/708446.md?page=5)