What do the Ricketts expect from Hillary

[INdemo]

For them to spend $600,000.on attack ads against Bernie? Or have the Ricketts already received their payback?

[Kip Humphrey]

1. 1%ers must stick together on their Titanic. As the band plays on...

[Gothmog]

4. You do realize that this is an ad designed to help Sanders

This ad is yet another example of the GOP wanting to help Sanders because the GOP knows that Sanders is the weaker candidate

[INdemo]

13. No it is an ad to "bash" Bernie"

And talks about Bernie is too Liberal.
Or maybe they are say saying Hillary is to far right..Check it out
This is a first..A Republican Tea Bagger runs an for a Corporatist Democrat?

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/25/bernie-sanders-a-target-of-ads-by-republican-donor/

[Gothmog]

15. You are wrong

So the ad that Clare McCaskill ran against Todd Akin was really to attack Akin and not to help him become the GOP nominee.

Karl Rove is also running ads for the benefit of Sanders because Rove like the Ricketts know that Sanders is the weakest possible Democratic nominee http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-karl-rove-attack

The Hillary Clinton campaign on Tuesday said that recent attacks from conservatives show that Republicans are hoping Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will win the Democratic nomination because they believe he would be easier to beat in the general election.

In a Tuesday evening statement, the Clinton campaign's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, mentioned an ad from the Rove-aligned super PAC American Crossroads, which accused Clinton of being in Wall Street's pocket. Palmieri said the ad suggests that Republicans want to face Sanders in the general election.

"While Senator Sanders tries to make a case on electability based on meaningless polls, Republicans and their super PACs have made clear the candidate they’re actually afraid to face. The Sanders argument falls apart when the GOP spokesman is trying to help him and the Republicans run ads trying to stop Hillary Clinton in the primary," she said in the statement.

Clearly Karl Rove wants the weaker candidate to be the nominee as do the people running the ad mentioned in the OP

[INdemo]

18. Apparently you didn't read the link I provided but then Hillary fans never do

refer to the links they are just trained to attack.

[Gothmog]

20. Your link is wrong-Read the material posted

[Gothmog]

21. Rachel Maddow Show January 26 2016 Full Podcast

Maddow does a great job of explaining why this was an ad supporting Sanders

[Gothmog]

29. Republicans Take Their Sanders Advocacy to the Next Level

This ad was designed to support Sanders just as McCaskill's ads against Todd Akin were designed to do http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-28/republicans-take-their-sanders-advocacy-to-the-next-level

Add Republican operatives to the list of strong Bernie Sanders supporters in the Democratic primary, along with progressive activists and young voters.

A super-PAC founded by Republican billionaire Joe Ricketts is making its first foray into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, spending $600,000 on a television ad in Iowa calling Sanders "too liberal," according to The New York Times.

The ad then spotlights two of the policies that have helped fuel his rise in the Democratic primary—his calls for "completely free" college education and more taxes on Wall Street and the "super-rich."

"It's exactly the same thing we did with Todd Akin," said Caitlin Legacki, who served as communications director to Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill's during her successful campaign in 2012. "They're clearly trying to use the exact same playbook."

Four years ago, McCaskill spent nearly $1 million in TV ads calling Akin "too conservative" in an effort to promote him, rather than his two opponents. He won the primary, then McCaskill trounced him on Election Day.

"More than anything that should be a concern for Democrats, because you don't make those kinds of investments in support of a candidate from another party unless you believe there's a good reason for it," Legacki added.

[Skwmom]

25. People aren't stupid. It hurts Bernie and supports the lie pushed by the Corporate Media

including Cuomo, the stupid hack.

[Gothmog]

30. So McCaskill was stupid when she ran the same ad in 2012 to get Todd Akin as her opponent?

[draa]

2. That's how the system works.

The Corporate Party controls this country and the Democrats and Republicans are just factions within that Party. This is to protect the status quo that makes them rich.

It's the same reason people like Rupert Murdoch contributes to Clinton. The 1% will protect their interests. Always.

[Gothmog]

3. Anti-Sanders attack ad isn’t quite what it seems to be

This so-called attack ad is really an ad designed to help Sanders. The fact that the Sanders supporters think that this is an attack ad and do not realize that the purpose of this ad is to help Sanders is amusing http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/anti-sanders-attack-ad-isnt-quite-what-it-seems-be

Republicans have made no secret of the fact that they’d prefer to run against Bernie Sanders in the general election. Whether or not their assumptions are correct is a separate question, but GOP officials, convinced that the senator would be easy to defeat, have gone out of their way to help Sanders in the Democratic race.....

At first blush, the move may seem encouraging to Sanders supporters. After all, if Republicans have gone from defending Sanders to attacking him, maybe it means GOP insiders are getting scared of the Vermont independent?

It’s a nice idea, but that’s not what’s going on here. In fact, far from an attack ad, this commercial, backed by a prominent Republican mega-donor, is the latest evidence of the GOP trying to help Sanders, not hurt him.

Indeed, in this case, it’s hardly even subtle. This commercial touts Sanders’ support for tuition-free college, single-payer health care, and higher taxes on the “super-rich.” It concludes that the senator is “too liberal,” which isn’t much of an insult in an ad directed towards liberal voters in Iowa.

In other words, we’re talking about a Republican mega-donor investing in a faux attack ad to help Sanders win because he sees Sanders as easy to beat in November.

It’s the mirror image of the tactic Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) used in the 2012 U.S. Senate race in Missouri, when she invested in ads intended to boost then-Rep. Todd Akin (R) in his primary race, with commercials touting his far-right positions and calling him “too conservative.” The point was to make Akin look better in the eyes of Missouri Republicans so he’d win the primary, making it easier for the incumbent Democrat to defeat him on Election Day.

This ad is just another example of the GOP trying to help Sanders become the nominee because the GOP knows that Sanders is the weaker candidate.

[MeNMyVolt]

9. Great post. It seemed quite obvious.

[Gothmog]

11. I loved the way that Claire McCaskill got the GOP to nominate Akin

The GOP is full of idiots and fell for her trick. I really hope that Democratic voters are smarter than the GOP voters who nominated Akin

[Skwmom]

26. It is obvious that it hurts Bernie. Iowa is an OPEN primary.

It helps Clintons and the Republicans.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Just like Goldman Sachs. They expect a return on their investment.

[Gothmog]

6. Do you remember how Claire McCaskill got Todd Akin to be her opponent?

She ran the exact same type of ad to help Tom Akin to help make Akin the GOP nominee. McCaskill got to pick the weakest possible opponent in 2012 which is what the people running this ad are trying to do

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. I hope they succeed if it will get Bernie the nomination.

[Gothmog]

10. Why do you want the Democrats to nominate the weakest possible candidate?

Karl Rove and the GOP want to nominate Sanders because he would be a very weak general election candidate

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Because, I want the Democrats to nominate a Leftist rather than another centrist.

I don't base my vote on what the GOP wants.

[INdemo]

16. No not according to polls

Bernie Sanders is more electable than Hillary. So you must be referring to O'malley

[Gothmog]

17. Bernie Sanders says he polls better against GOP candidates than Hillary Clinton

While I still think that these polls are worthless, I am amused to see that Sanders was found to be misrepresenting these polls and that in fact his claim is not true http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/26/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-says-he-polls-better-against-gop-ca/

In the runup to the Iowa caucus, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has repeatedly said he has a better chance of beating the eventual Republican nominee in the Nov. 8 general election than fellow Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

"Almost all of the polls that -- and polls are polls, they go up, they go down -- but almost all of the polls that have come out suggest that I am a much stronger candidate against the Republicans than is Hillary Clinton," he told voters during a Jan. 19 town hall meeting in Underwood, Iowa.

We took a look at the various national surveys, as compiled by RealClearPolitics and PollingReport.com to see how that assertion stacks up against the data.....

Our ruling

Sanders said, "Almost all of the polls that have come out suggest that I am a much stronger candidate against the Republicans than is Hillary Clinton."

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll released before Sanders' statement supports his claim for Trump, but it has no data against Cruz or Rubio. Earlier polls say he doesn't outperform Clinton at all against Cruz, Rubio or Bush, and the narrow races combined with the margins of error make his contention even more dubious.

Beating Clinton in only two of eight hypothetical matchups is far from "almost all."

The statement is not accurate, so we rate it False.

[Gothmog]

19. Hypothetical match up polls are worthless and should not be relied for anything

Here is a good thread talking about these polls http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511038010

The reliance on these polls by Sanders supporters amuse me. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/harrys-guide-to-2016-election-polls/

Ignore hypothetical matchups in primary season – they also measure nothing. General election polls before and during the primary season have a very wide margin of error. That’s especially the case for candidates who aren’t even in the race and therefore haven’t been treated to the onslaught of skeptical media coverage usually associated with being the candidate.

Sanders supporters have to rely on these worthless polls because it is clear that Sanders is not viable in a general election where the Kochs will be spending $887 million and the RNC candidate may spend an additional billion dollars.

No one should rely on hypo match up type polls in selecting a nominee at this stage of the race.

[frylock]

33. Oooga-booga Karl Rove!!1

[INdemo]

14. I dont know why Hillary, in all fairness to voters,

didnt just run on the Republican ticket. Hell she would have the same corporate donors and many of her campaign advisors are
Republicans. So no need to even change her staff.

[NCTraveler]

7. What does Rove expect from Sanders for him to run attack ads against Clinton? nt.

[Gothmog]

22. Good question

Inquiring minds want to know

[DanTex]

23. They're hoping to run against Bernie. Same thing that McCaskill did with Todd Akin.

[Skwmom]

24. And the LIARS try to spin it that it helps Bernie. It does NOT.

It will send votes to Clinton and the Republicans.

Iowa is an open primary.

[Gothmog]

27. McCaskill used this trick to get the weakest possible opponent

Rove and others in the GOP are trying to help Sanders for a reason which is that they believe that Sanders would be a weak general election candidate. McCaskill's trick worked in 2012 and the GOP is hoping that the same trick will work now

[Gothmog]

28. Hillary Clinton attacks Todd Ricketts' super PAC over Sanders ad

This is an ad designed to help Sanders. Conservatives and the GOP do not fear sanders and want him to be the nominee and these same conservatives are scared of Clinton http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1283025/hillary-clinton-attacks-todd-ricketts-super-pac-sanders-ad

“And then just the other day, another billionaire, called Joe Ricketts puts up an ad to try to really muddy the waters to confuse Democrats about who has the toughest, most comprehensive plan,” Clinton said, referring to her Wall Street reform plans.

“I got to tell you. I do find this perversely flattering. But I also find it very instructive. Because if they weren’t afraid of me, they would be just sitting back just hoping I would get nominated. … They know me. They know I say what I mean. I mean to do what I say.”

“And I will never let them do what they did to us before. So they are trying to stop me before I get too far. Well, a lot of folks have tried to take me out before. And I am still standing.”

A Clinton spokesman, Nick Merrill, said after the event the Sanders assault was “sleight of hand” and its real intent was to “fire up his base.”

I am amused that Sanders supporters think that the conservatives are worried about Sanders being the nominee

[dsc]

31. The Ricketts are attacking Bernie just like McCaskell was attacking Aiken

if Sanders wins our nomination they will have gotten what they want. BTW using the same standard as you, what does Rove expect from Sanders?

[AtomicKitten]

32. I love the gnashing of teeth over this ad.

[Gothmog]

34. Another GOP group is trying the same trick again

Karl Rove is running the standard attack ads against Clinton but other GOP types are trying to help Sanders also. The ad mentioned in the OP is really designed to help Sanders and not hurt him. http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gops-anti-sanders-attack-ad-intended-help-not-hurt-sanders

About a month ago, a Republican super PAC launched a $600,000 ad buy that, on the surface, might have looked like an attack ad targeting Bernie Sanders. A closer look, however, made clear it was the opposite – the commercial, backed by a prominent Republican mega-donor, was actually trying to boost Sanders, not hurt him.

The ad called Sanders a “liberal” who supports tuition-free college, single-payer health care, and higher taxes on the “super-rich.” The intention was to boost Sanders in the Iowa caucuses, since Republicans see the Vermont senator as an easy target in the general election.

This week, it’s happening again. A group called Future 45 is running ads that, at first blush, seem critical. But the spots actually tout some of Sanders’ ideas that are popular with Democratic primary voters: an increase in the minimum wage, higher taxes on banks and corporations, tuition-free college, and universal health care.

And who’s Future 45? The Intercept reported yesterday:

Future 45 is [a super PAC] run by Brian O. Walsh, a longtime Republican operative who has in the past served as political director for the National Republican Congressional Committee. Most recently, he was president of the American Action Network, a dark money group that was the second-largest outside spender in 2010.

Over the last year, Future 45 has been funded primarily by hedge fund managers. Two billionaire Rubio-backers – Paul Singer, who runs Elliott Management, and Ken Griffin, who runs Citadel – have each contributed $250,000.

The overarching point is effectively the same as it was a month ago: Republicans are running anti-Sanders “attack” ads that are actually intended to help him, not hurt him.

As we discussed in the first go-around, this is part of a larger strategy in which Republican mega-donors try to manipulate Democratic voters because they see Sanders as a sure loser in November.

Karl Rove and the GOP mega donors know that Sanders is the weakest possible general election candidate and are running ads to help Sanders. The fact that some think that these ads are to hurt Sanders is sad but funny.