Bernie Sanders Isn’t Electable, and Here’s Why

[Fla Dem]

MICHAEL TOMASKY
REVOLUTION ON HOLD 01.27.16 12:01 AM ET

It’s not really that he’s too lefty. It’s that once he does come under attack, most Democrats won’t go to the mat for him.

The blunt truth: I just can’t see Bernie Sanders winning a general election. Three months ago, I thought it might be possible, maybe. But watching the campaign unfold as it has, and given some time to ponder how circumstances might play themselves out, I’ve become less convinced that he could beat any of the Republicans. He’d probably have the best shot against Ted Cruz. But in that case, as we now know, Mike Bloomberg would get in, and I think he’d be formidable, but I don’t want to get into why here. That’s another column, if indeed it ever needs to be written.

This column is about Sanders’s chances, which I think are virtually nil for two reasons.
Reason one: He’s not an enrolled Democrat. Understand that I say this not as a judgment on him, but as a description of what would surely become, were he the nominee, a deep, practical liability. Let me explain.

That he’s not an enrolled Democrat doesn’t matter, obviously, to his fans. I’m sure it doesn’t matter to most rank-and-file Democrats. It doesn’t matter to me. But you’d better believe it matters to Democratic office holders and party officials—members of Congress, state legislators, governors, mayors, national committee members, and state committee members across the country. These people are Democrats, and they’re Democrats for a reason. It’s important to them.

A party’s nominee, to these people, needs to lead the party—he or she needs to be the country’s No. 1 Democrat. Sanders has never been a Democrat, which is fine, it’s served him well. But even as he made the decision to seek the presidency as a Democrat, he doesn’t seem to have made any effort to act like he cares about the party he wants to lead.

Politico in early January published an interesting news story comparing Clinton’s and Sanders’s fundraising operations. Clinton raised more than $100 million in 2015, and Sanders $73 million. But here was the key thing: In addition to that $100 million Clinton bagged for herself, she raised an additional $18 million for Democrats around the country.

The Sanders figure? Zero.

>>>>>>>snip<<<<<<<

Partly as a result of this, and for other reasons, Sanders has very little Democratic support. He has one Democratic member of Congress, Keith Ellison of Minnesota (out of 232); and, according to the relevant Wikipedia page, just 115 Democratic state legislators across the country. Actually, that’s not across 50 states; it’s across only 14 states. Of the 115, 94 are from New England: Maine 37, Vermont 29, New Hampshire 19, Connecticut five, Massachusetts four. The Vermont number of 29 is particularly interesting, because the Vermont General Assembly (which includes both houses) has 103 Democrats, meaning that Sanders doesn’t have even one-third of the Democrats in his own state.

Read More>>>>
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/27/bernie-sanders-isn-t-electable-and-here-s-why.html

[Cassiopeia]

1. In the GE it's not the base of the party that wins it

It's the independents. Bernie cleans house with Indy voters, many of whom are actually changing party affiliation just to vote for him in the primary.

[litlbilly]

3. Total bullshit. stage 7 is now upon us

[Bjornsdotter]

2. I'm not a Democrat either

.....does that mean that my vote won't be welcome in November?

Edit: I'm an independent

[litlbilly]

7. I am independent too, i reg as a dem so i can vote for Bernie in the primary

[orpupilofnature57]

28. + 1000000000000 !!!!!!!!!!!

It's a tool to be used, not abused like a fraternal organization or a football team , I salute You .

[thereismore]

9. It means somebody will alert on you.

[uponit7771]

4. He's going to run on raising taxes 2.2% and then have to explain the rest...

... the explain the rest is why he'll get trounced

[thereismore]

12. Then go with someone who will lie to you. Simple.

[uponit7771]

15. Then I would have to vote for Sanders seeing he's lied during this campaign too but I'll

... stick with Hillary cause pixy dust isn't what I'd like in my econ plans

[VMA131Marine]

5. Arguably, none of the Repub candidates are electable either,

Certainly not any of the front runners. So in an election with two unelectables running, who wins? Bloomberg?

[thereismore]

6. Is this the onion? Jesus Christ, it's not about the Democratic party, it's about people!! nt

[litlbilly]

10. they are in full panic mode now, it sure looks like the Onion doesnt it?

[kristopher]

26. I know what the OP is all about!

[artislife]

8. So... all the Democrats will not back him in the GE

Well, that is good to know.

Maybe all the independents and progressives will mull that over. Why would we vote for h if they think so little of our stand on issues or our votes?

[litlbilly]

11. All the monkey wrenches they are throwing now seem to be made of feathers:)

[artislife]

14. Yes, they do seem to be lightweight. nt

[Jarqui]

13. If he's not electable, why is he clobbering Hillary in New Hampshire

and got them panicking in Iowa?

Bloomberg: Campaigner-in-Chief Bill Clinton Is Worried
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-21/campaigner-in-chief-bill-clinton-is-worried

If Bernie beats Hillary, convince me that none of the Democrats are not going to ride on his coattails back to Washington? A heck of a lot of them will be lining up - particularly in the blue states. Because he will have found a message that gets votes.

In terms of endorsements, how many switched sides yesterday from Hillary to Bernie? 4? Something like that.

[NurseJackie]

16. Ouch!

Nicely written!

[polly7]

17. He reminds me a lot of Tommy Douglas.

There was a lot of hatred for him too.

Despite that, he accomplished more than any other in a time when the Depression had caused the most extreme suffering right here, where I live.

He was a brave man whose sole purpose was to help those around him, but he was hated by many in gov't and doctors themselves ... right here in Saskatchewan. He and his family were subject to horrible ridicule in the newspapers, and even a few death threats. He believed in every word of the speeches he gave - just like Sanders. He especially believed in the right of all Canadians "to live with dignity during times of illness and injury".

http://www.weyburnreview.com/community/tommy-douglas


Remaking Saskatchewan

As the Great Depression tightened its grip on the country, communities like Weyburn suffered tremendously. Tommy Douglas knew that his relief efforts – while important – couldn’t provide a lasting answer to the difficulties families were facing. He buried two young men who died because they couldn’t afford medical care, which only strengthened his belief that he could do more as a politician than from the pulpit.

On June 15, 1944, the CCF – which had never held power in the province – swept to victory under Tommy’s leadership, winning 47 of 53 seats. Saskatchewan had just elected the first social democratic government in North America – and Tommy Douglas began the first of five terms as the province’s Premier.

He faced powerful, wealthy opposition, yet Tommy’s government passed more than 100 bills during that first term. Just two years into their mandate, the CCF had eliminated the sales tax on food and meals and reduced the provincial debt by $20 million. While his opponents tried to tar him as a Communist and radical, the CCF under Tommy Douglas paved roads and brought electrical power (and the modern age) to the family farms of Saskatchewan. They improved health care, increased education spending and expanded the University of Saskatchewan to include a medical college.

Pensioners gained free medical, hospital and dental services; everyone gained free treatment for diseases like cancer, tuberculosis and mental illness. In 1947, Saskatchewan introduced universal access to hospitals for an annual fee of five dollars per person.

The CCF created new government departments such as Labour, Social Welfare and Co-operatives. The cabinet took a 28-per-cent pay cut to help pay the costs. A Crown Corporation Act allowed the creation of provincial air and bus lines; marketing boards for natural resources helped those industries grow and benefit rural communities. And SaskTel offered affordable phone service across Saskatchewan.

But it was Saskatchewan Power that had the biggest impact. In 20 years, the Crown corporation increased the number of rural homes hooked up to electrical power from only 300 to 65,000.

Meanwhile, the CCF improved working conditions, raised the minimum wage, established mandatory holidays, set workers’ compensation standards and set the stage for collective bargaining with the Trade Union Act and the creation of a labour relations board. Over four years, union membership more than doubled.

In just over a decade, the CCF administration – by encouraging economic diversification such as potash mining, steel production and petroleum exploration – oversaw the transformation of the province’s economy. Only one out of every five dollars of wealth created in Saskatchewan in 1944 came from somewhere other than agriculture; that proportion more than tripled by 1957.

But Tommy Douglas and his CCF team were also cautious financial managers. While Tommy wanted passionately to make medical care available to all, it wasn’t until 1959 that he decided Saskatchewan’s finances were healthy enough to sustain it.

He announced a plan that would cover every person in Saskatchewan, offering pre-paid, publicly-administered, high-quality health care. At the time, many doctors and their allies decried his medicare plan as dictatorial and vowed never to accept it; by the mid-1960s, it was such a success that Canada adopted it nationwide.

But by the time medicare was enacted in Saskatchewan in 1962, Tommy Douglas had stepped down as Premier. He wanted to take the success he’d had leading the province to a whole new level.

https://sites.google.com/site/tommydouglaswebpage/about-tommy-douglas


T.C. Douglas the 'Greatest Canadian'

By KEVIN BERGER of the Weyburn Review / Weyburn Review
May 5, 2014 02:00 AM

For those who knew the former premier, Douglas was clearly deserving of the title.

"He was here in the years of the dust bowl, the Dirty Thirties, and the people were really down and out. Saskatchewan was hurt the worst in the Depression. And Tommy gave them hope," said Glen Rasmussen, who campaigned for Douglas during two elections.

"He could talk to any man and anyone," said Rasmussen. "He had a great sense of humour. He could warm his crowd up with his jokes and he was a terrific storyteller."

Actor and writer John Nolan, who recently portrayed Douglas in the play "Arrows of Desire," was the host of the party in Weyburn.

Nolan chose Douglas as the inspiration for his play after setting out to find a "great Canadian." After researching many Canadian figures, he subjected them to a list of criteria and found that Douglas met them all, in areas such as legacy and determination in the face of opposition. - See more at: http://www.weyburnreview.com/community/tommy-douglas/t-c-douglas-the-greatest-canadian-1.1457605#sthash.0Q504pAj.dpuf

Some great accomplishments all begun by a single man who saw how badly people needed change. That took bravery by him and those who supported him. I know Bernie Sanders is a brave, committed man and so are his supporters. The propaganda machine against him coming from all directions though is pretty horrific - especially by those who are making out very well with the status quo and beyond, monetarily.

[ornotna]

21. Thanks for your informative and inspiring response

this could be an OP on it's own.

[polly7]

22. You're welcome, I hope it is inspiring.

I have family and friends living in the U.S. and I worry about them all the time, actually I worry about everyone there ... and around the world. The thought that so many great changes could be made with your election gives me hope for this world. I'm deathly afraid that without it, the suffering there, in the ME and NA, etc. will be so much worse than it already is. I see him as an honest man who's willing to give up those years most use to relax after a lifetime of hard work to help all those there he obviously cares about so much. That money is the main obstruction to a chance for real change just saddens me, it really does.

[Maedhros]

18. Sounds like a problem with Democrats, not Bernie.

Given a choice, I'll side with Bernie.

[gyroscope]

19. Is that why Sanders defeats both Trump and Cruz

by a good margin in the matchup polling?

* by a wider margin than Hillary beats Trump.
* in a Cruz versus Hillary matchup Hillary actually loses.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_presidential_race.html



In short Bernie Sanders is more electable than Hillary Clinton.

[swilton]

20. I can only count one reason in the argument:

Sanders is not a Democrat.

[frylock]

23. It's going to be embarrassing for Democrats to have a Democratic President in office..

that they didn't vote for. Guess you guys will be guests in OUR house then.

[bklyncowgirl]

24. Tomasky believes that the Democratic Party would rather see Donald Trump or Ted Cruz as president.

Now that might be true--especially if the nominee is Kasich or Bush--but would they really let their candidate be savaged by the likes of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz?

I don't know. My opinion of the Democratic establishment is pretty low. Both the Democratic and Republican establishments are pretty much playing on the same team--the Donor Class Lapdogs but still? Would they sink so low.

My guess is that if Bernie starts beating Hillary, the party regulars are going to get someone else in--Biden or Kerry perhaps. Maybe Al Gore. As for a Democratic governor, give well which ones are out there who are particularly good AND beloved by the establishment. The most accomplished Democratic governor is Jerry Brown but he's too old

It may be that Sanders has to try buying some support--putting some of his fund raising prowess at the service of progressive Dems & Indies around the country. It's not a bad idea.

[Warren DeMontague]

25. These same geniuses thought that whatever Hillary has been doing, would make her inevitable

Their political instincts are for shit.

[saltpoint]

27. Let me tell you who's not electable.

Walter O'Malley.

That's right. Walter O'Malley.

To begin with, the Dodgers were extremely popular in Brooklyn. Moving the team to the west coast lost O'Malley a lot of friends. He surrendered what good will he had built up over a period of time, all in one fell swoop.

Second, he was never much of a people guy. He seemed to prefer a board room to the casual gathering. He relied on his bank account in many of life's narratives. Nice if you have such a bank account, but many of the people buying tickets to Dodgers games were decidedly less well off.

Third he's dead. I don't want to overstate the case, but death is a potentially disqualifying trait of political aspiration. It casts a certain pall over the campaign. It makes it harder to motivate volunteers and attract a substantial donor base.

Could Walter O'Malley be elected? Yes. Is it likely? No.