March 8, 2016

Some cynical reasons to support Bernie Sanders

Sam Smith – If you are practical, tough minded and just want to win, you support Hillary Clinton, right?

Well, like a lot that one hears about her, it doesn’t all add up like that.  Here are some hard nosed, cynical reasons for supporting Bernie Sanders:·  

-- Sanders has a higher favorability rating among Democrats. As recently as February, Gallup found 53% of Democrats viewing Sanders favorably, but only 49% feeling that way about Clinton. Overall, as Nate Silver notes, Bernie Sanders is the only candidate in either party with a net-positive favorability rating

-- Sanders’ favorability rating is 75% high than Trump’s. Clinton’s is only 36% better.

-- In states where there are comparable polls Sanders leads by 135 points over Clinton against major GOP competitors with double digit margins in Illinois, Michigan Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia and Wisconsin. The only state in which Clinton is ahead of Sanders by double digits is Pennsylvania.

-- The Hill wrote recently, “In a word list of what comes to mind about Clinton, 21 percent of respondents described the former secretary of State as ‘dishonest/liar/don't trust her/poor character’ The next closest word associations are "dislike her" (9 percent), "like her" (8 percent), "capable of being president/qualified" (7 percent) and "criminal/crooked/thief/belongs in jail" (7 percent)… For Sanders, 12 percent listed ‘socialist’ as the word to describe him. Another 6 percent said ‘older/aged,’ while ‘favorable’ and "fresh face/new ideas/change for the better" both received 5 percent.

-- Back in 2012 Clinton had a favorability rating of 66%. Now it’s at 43%. During this same period Sanders climbed from 29% to 46%.

-- Even Clintonites report greater enthusiasm in the Sanders crowd at places like caucuses than you find for their candidate. Sanders evokes something new in the works, something that is happening. Clinton something that is past its prime.

-- While both candidates often express anger, Sanders makes correcting the problems responsible for it as a common cause. Clinton uses the word “I” perhaps more than any of the candidates.

-- Sanders has fewer personal problems to worry about. He didn’t almost get indicted, didn’t co-own a real estate project that left many ripped off, and didn’t have three of his closest associates go to prison. And it doesn’t help to have the Justice Department investigating you while you’re running for president.

In the end, these may not be the decisive factors, but a fair media would take greater note of them that it has so far.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't plan to vote for either Clinton or Sanders. I will probably vote for the person who is most hated by the globalist corporados and banksters and that appears to be Donald Trump. However, between Hillary and Bernie, Bernie is by far the most honest. He would probably be my second choice. As an aside (and it would obviously never happen), a Trump/Sanders ticket would be an interesting prospect. Think about it. The Right/Left establishment would, of course, never let this happen.

Anonymous said...

I will probably vote for the person who is most hated by the globalist corporados and banksters and that appears to be Donald Trump

"Oh pleeease don' throw me in the briar patch, Brer Bear!"

Some claims of "hated" are not to be trusted.