Why Bernie Sanders Can't Win—and Can't Govern

[SecularMotion]

Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz have something in common. Both have an electoral strategy predicated on the ability of a purist candidate to revolutionize the electorate—bringing droves of chronic non-voters to the polls because at last they have a choice, not an echo—and along the way transforming the political system. Sanders can point to his large crowds and impressive, even astonishing, success at tapping into a small-donor base that exceeds, in breadth and depth, the remarkable one built in 2008 by Barack Obama. Cruz points to his extraordinarily sophisticated voter-identification operation, one that certainly seemed to do the trick in Iowa.

But is there any real evidence that there is a hidden “sleeper cell” of potential voters who are waiting for the signal to emerge and transform the electorate? No. Small-donor contributions are meaningful and a sign of underlying enthusiasm among a slice of the electorate, but they represent a tiny sliver even of that slice; Ron Paul’s success at fundraising (and his big crowds at rallies) mislead many analysts into believing that he would make a strong showing in Republican primaries when he ran for president. He flopped.

Is there a huge core of committed ideological conservatives who have not voted before because they had only “moderates” on the ballot? Other than the fact that no objective person could look at the policy positions of John McCain and Mitt Romney as moderate, there is no evidence; the only real parallel to draw on for the theory is Barry Goldwater in 1964. Important as voter identification and get-out-the-vote efforts are, they do not convince chronic non-voters to vote. And, of course, a truly purist ideological campaign would stir a clear counter-reaction on the other side, diluting its impact.

The more important question, in many ways, that flows from this theory is about governing. It is here that the Bernie Sanders approach needs more dissection. Let’s say Sanders is accurate enough that his nomination would lead to his election via a bump in turnout from young voters and other populists disgusted by inequality, the billionaire class privilege and the distorted campaign-money system. Let’s say that he survives the billion dollars that might be spent by the Koch brothers’ alliance, the business community, the Republican candidate, and the Republican Party to destroy him as an unreconstructed socialist who will raise everybody’s taxes.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/why-bernie-sanders-cant-win-and-cant-govern/460182/

[Armstead]

1. More drivel from a conservative peddler of conventional wisdom

Author:
Norm Ornstein is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, a contributing editor and columnist for National Journal, and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

[thereismore]

2. This analysis falls flat because

it lumps Bernie with Trump as if they were the same thing. Such intellectual laziness!

[m-lekktor]

3. Norm Ornstein from the American Enterprise Institute. enough said. nt

[beam me up scottie]

4. You're peddling a hit piece from a guy who writes for AMI? From Right Wing Watch:

American Enterprise Institute

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is one of the oldest and most influential of the pro-business right-wing think tanks. It promotes the advancement of free enterprise capitalism, and has been extremely successful in placing its people in influential governmental positions, particularly in the Bush Administration. AEI has been described as one of the country's main bastions of neoconservatism.

Background and History

Most of AEI's Board of Directors are CEOs of major companies, including ExxonMobil, Motorola, American Express, State Farm Insurance, and Dow Chemicals.
Big donors include the top conservative foundations, including Smith-Richardson Foundation, the Olin Foundation, the Scaife Foundation, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.
Corporate supporters have included: General Electric Foundation, Amoco, Kraft Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, General Motors Foundation, Eastman Kodak Foundation, Metropolitan Life Foundation, Proctor & Gamble Fund, Shell Companies Foundation, Chrysler Corporation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, General Mills Foundation, Pillsbury Company Foundation, Prudential Foundation, American Express Foundation, AT&T Foundation, Corning Glass Works Foundation, Morgan Guarantee Trust, Smith-Richardson Foundation, Alcoa Foundation, and PPG Industries.

Kenneth Lay, CEO of Enron, was until recently on the board of trustees of American Enterprise Institute. Other famous former trustees include Vice President Dick Cheney.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/american-enterprise-institute#sthash.42r24cFE.dpuf

[GreatGazoo]

10. The desperate panic of declining poll numbers is setting in.

It is 2008 all over again.

Her campaign's failure to read the signs left her cast as a creature of the status quo, said Ken Goldstein, an expert in campaign advertising at the University of Wisconsin. "Hillary Clinton could have been portrayed as a change candidate," he said. "If you look at the way women candidates typically run, they typically run as change candidates because by definition they are not old white guys."

Instead, Clinton stuck to a blandly centrist message that was calibrated to voters in a presidential election rather than the Democratic party activists who dominate the primary process.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/04/hillaryclinton.uselections20084

[beam me up scottie]

13. This is true, I do love the smell of their desperation.

Today's batch of bullshit memes is exceptionally pathetic.

They ran out of material months ago.

[cali]

5. Maybe, but that doesn't make Hillary any more electable

As for her governance, if she did get elected, it would entail war or military action if you prefer. And endless investigations and yes, we we would get revelations and scandals.

[ladjf]

6. Just another classic "hit piece". nt

[PowerToThePeople]

7. Seriously?

When are we going to start seeing the ban hammer against right wing shit? Or should we petition Skinner to have references to no right wing removed from the terms of service?

[Maedhros]

8. Wishful thinking. [n/t]

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. Ornstein?

[Trajan]

11. NO WE CAN'T! .... NO WE CAN'T!

The LAST and final post I will see of yours .. Your cynical, pessimistic, hopeless imagery is stark and ugly ...

Not a glimmer of sunlight to be seen - it doesn't exist in the mind of Hillary, nor her supporters here in DU ..

Why would ANYBODY choose to steep their human souls in this morass of ugly pessimism?

Not a winning strategy for me, nor for anybody else looking for a way out and a way up ...

Black kids, for instance ... What of THEIR hopes and dreams? ... Do they not have them? ...shall they STOP thinking they have a path to success? ...

To paraphrase a great American icon;

"Stark pessimism for regular working folks, and joy and wealth beyond measure for the haughty friends of the mighty 1%"

Hillary = hopelessness ... We got your message ...

NO WE CAN'T !

Goodbye ... Enough is enough ...

[Goblinmonger]

12. Norm Ornstein and the AEI

[GreatGazoo]

14. Looks like they have focus-grouped the word "purist"

When will Team Clinton realize that these new attacks are just highlighting her flaws and the challenge SHE would face as President?

I suppose when you can't get your own numbers up then the only possible way to win is to drag the other guy's numbers down.

Americans, at least the ones who don't work on Wall St, love the underdog and they hate it when establishment people justify their duplicity by saying "everyone does it."

[AZ Progressive]

15. "Americans, accept your fate. You must accept that the 1% own America and you must be subservient!"

"And I have the power of prophecy to know that Bernie won't win in November!"

[Old Codger]

16. Pure

Bovine excrement and methane..

[jillan]

17. Another "journalist" missing the whole point of what millions of people are saying.

Enough is enough! Stop telling us what we can't do and why we can't do it.

As far as the Koch bros - all it took was a guy with a cell phone to bring down Mitt inspite of the billions that were poured into his campaign.

For that matter, all it took was a cell phone for Americans to wake up to the atrocities that black men and women face on a daily basis from the police.

We are not afraid to take on the establishment. And we finally found that leader that is willing to be at the helm for us.

(edit for posting while on cold medicine - lol)

[CajunBlazer]

18. It's a conspiracy, It's a conspiracy!!!

When anyone posts anything critical of Bernie Sanders what do Sanders's support's do?

Do they counter rational arguments in the message with valid rational arguments of their own? No! The immediately attack the messenger and shout: It's a conspiracy, It's a conspiracy!!!

When anyone posts anything complementary of Hillary Clinton, what do Sanders's support's do?

Do they counter rational arguments in the message with valid rational arguments of their own? No! The immediately attack the messenger and shout: It's a conspiracy, It's a conspiracy!!!

I have seen this reaction time and time again. Is it because Sanders' supporters have no rational arguments to counter points made by those who are critical of Sanders or complementary of Clinton, or is it because they are too lazy indulge in actual debate so they take the easy way out?

Oh yea, I can hear the response to this post now - the guy who wrote this piece is a right wing nut job! Then it should be easy for you to counter his points with your superior socialist talking points. What are you going to in the general election when all of he attacks are coming from the right wing? Do you think that yelling It's a conspiracy, It's a conspiracy!!! will you convince undecided voters?

It is the for Sanders supporters to realize that this is not a place here to act like high school cheerleaders, it is a place to discuss serious discussions.