In Pennsylvania, Clinton's crumbling; Bernie's surging!

[Divernan]

In Pennsylvania, the state's main newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, has been consistently dismissive of the Sanders campaign, but the morning after the Temple rally, the paper's front page featured a large photo showing a crush of young supports struggling to shake Sanders' hand over a headline that read "Sanders stirs a frenzy in visit to Temple." With less than a day's advance notice on social media, some 17,000 crowded in to the main venue and an overflow venue to hear Bernie!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Something-s-happening-here-by-Dave-Lindorff-Bernie-Sanders_Bernie-Sanders-Presidential-Campaign_Clinton-Campaign_Political-Attacks-160407-132.html

Philadelphia -- Something "YUGE" is happening in the Democratic presidential campaign, and perhaps in the broader American body politic. It's hard to put your finger on it, but like that feeling of your neck hairs rising off your skin as a big thunderstorm approaches, you know it's big and it's coming.

For me it was going with my wife and a friend to join a line of people waiting to get into Temple University's 10,000-seat basketball arena for a hastily planned address by Democratic candidate for president Bernie Sanders. When we got to the campus early yesterday, there was already a crowd of young people camped out by the entrance to the Liacouras Center. They told me they had been there since 6:30 am for an event that was scheduled to start at 8 pm, with doors opening at 5 pm. Already a line stretched back to the corner of Broad Street, around the corner and halfway down the block on Montgomery. Most of those in the line were students from Temple or from one or another of Philadelphia's many other universities. They were white, black, latino and Asian, with a smattering of older folks. I went off to do some work, with plans for our little band to join the line around 4:30.

Big mistake! By the time we headed out to get in line, it was winding around the huge sports complex, snaking up and down several alleys and back to Broad, and then down Broad for another six blocks -- about half a mile of people in all with more piling on all the time. At many places this line of people was eight to 10 across, and fairly densely packed, as people tried to shelter each other from a biting cold wind.

As we were heading back to our car with from the rally, my wife and I found ourselves walking behind the head of Temple University's police department, which had largely handled the security and traffic issues caused by the huge all-day line of people coming to attend the rally. A tall crew-cut wearing guy who looked 100% cop, when we complemented him on how his officers had handled the crowd management issue, he told us his own 21-year-old son was a "Bernie supporter."

What was astonishing in all this was that there had been no long build-up to the event. No advance news reports, no posters, no organizations arriving with buses. It all seemed to have come together via social media in a day's time.

[Divernan]

1. This offers an interesting set of possible scenarios going forward.

(More from OP link)

The first would be that the polls continue to move Sanders' way as they have been showing a consistent pattern of doing in state after state primary and caucus. Already Clinton's lead in New York, where the primary is set for April 19, has been whittled down from over 40% to single digits. In Pennsylvania, which votes on April 26, a similar large margin for Clinton is down now to just a 4% spread, and that was before last night's "yuge" rally in the state's largest city. If Sanders were to win in New York, the state where Clinton served a term and a half as senator, and then in Pennsylvania, he would be on a march that would probably take him right through California on June 7. Even if he wound up a bit short of a majority of pledged delegates at that point, the superdelegates, mostly Democratic politicians, either in office or formerly in office and perhaps considering running again, would be hard pressed to continue supporting Clinton, who would be seen as badly damaged goods and as a bad bet for the general election.

Add to that the prospect of hundreds of thousands of Sanders backers who will almost certainly be in the streets of Philadelphia--a city of just 1 million--for the Democratic Convention in mid-July.

Images of the disastrous 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago will surely be in anxious party leaders' heads. Chicago was where police brutally attacked anti-war backers of Sen. Eugene McCarthy, whose candidacy was stolen away by the establishment's candidate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, a man who became badly damaged goods and went on to lose to Richard Nixon. Philadelphia's police department today is every bit as capable of brutality and thuggishness as was Mayor Richard Daley's Chicago PD almost half a century ago, but the Sanders backers in the street in Philly will not be a bunch of widely reviled long-haired hippies, yippies and pinko anti-war activists. They are, in large part, America's kids and young adults. Many of Philadelphia's cops may even have kids who will be part of the group in the streets backing Sanders, which might make a Chicago-style police riot less likely.

[bobbobbins01]

2. In Insert State Name Here, Clinton's crumbling; Bernie's surging!

because Clinton has never surged, she just slowly sinks, everywhere.

[Divernan]

3. Cue the Wizard of Oz actress: "Help, I'm melting!"

[TDale313]

28. Every campaign she's run.

Her high water mark has, in every case, been the beginning of the campaign and it goes down from there. True for senate run, true in '08, true this cycle.

Which sucks for her considering Bernie has basically come to tie her or slightly lead nationally. She might be able to basically run out the clock, and there are the Superdelegates to help her out, but the trend lines are clear and not in her favor.

[Fairgo]

4. It must be frustrating

to build that castle in the sand, and just as you are set for the coronation, the tide comes in...

[BigBearJohn]

5. I love your analogy

[brewens]

27. Dire Straits fan? n/t

[dubyadiprecession]

6. BS is what some people want to

Hear.

[Divernan]

7. Since HRC has adopted most of Bernie's policy positions,

I don't understand your blanket, totally without substance, charge of "bs".

[demwing]

8. Thankfully, you're here for that

[merrily]

12. Thread win.

[merrily]

10. Jury results

COMMENTS

This response is off topic - the topic is the crowd which showed up, and insulting - without specifying any particular portion or phrase in the OP which the poster claims to be BS. Is DU reduced to simply shouting BS?

Jury voted 0-7 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Pretty innocent, in context.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It's OK. Note: That PA newspaper backs the South Jersey Dem party bosses who work with Chris Christie in acts that seem to broaden and strengthen their empires.
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Although the profile of this poster seems suspect, I cannot in good conscience say that this post is over the top for GD thsese days and OT is not a violation of the TOS.

[GreatGazoo]

9. Oh yeah, well, Hillary was at a private fund raiser last night in Denver

and no one can tell you what she said to them because they were blasting white noise at the press.

Whatever she said to them is a secret so Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

http://www.inquisitr.com/2973612/video-clinton-campaign-turned-on-static-noise-machine-so-reporters-couldnt-hear-what-she-was-telling-donors-at-a-fundraiser/

[artislife]

19. This is a campaign that has no clue, no clue

about how to bring in those with reservations.

We just see this kind of thing and think----what else is lurking in the back room?

[Ruby the Liberal]

21. Preventing a Romneyesque 47% moment

Of course, the best prevention for that isn't to say one thing to one group and another to another group, but I digress.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. I would be very cool with a 4 person race, and Bernie moving to the Green ticket. However,

I don't see it happening because I believe he said he would not run except as a Democrat, and one of the things we love and admire about him is that he is a man of principles.

[noretreatnosurrender]

13. And NOTHING on

the corporate controlled national Media about it. BIG SURPRISE!

[Umbral18]

14. If Bernie wins Pennsylvania (or even ties) I'll really enjoy watching Ed Rendell...

suck down that bitter pill!

It's amazing how many people I believed in, have turned out to be assholes.

[Fumesucker]

16. At this point I'm in it almost as much to watch the implosion as I am because I like Bernie

It didn't start out that way but the ridiculous tsunami of mendaciously vicious utter twaddle has finally gotten to me.

[geek tragedy]

25. your fun lasts another 10 days, nt

[Politicalboi]

32. He's surging in NY too

10 more days for the Clinton machine to possibly implode. She's using NY like she did when she ran for Senate. It's NOT her home turf. Arkansas is, and that's where they belong.

[appalachiablue]

18. Fast Eddie, Lobbyist for Fracking & 'Fix the Debt' cuts to Social Programs won't handle it well. Ha!

[Divernan]

20. He's pushing pro-fracking McGinty in PA U.S. Senate primary

Because the state and national Democratic powers would rather lose a senate Seat to the most conservative GOP Asshole in the Senate (Toomey) than let a non-corporate, independent Democrat, Joe Sestak, be elected. Sestak is 16 points ahead in the polls so the Dem. Senate committee just dumped $1.5 million into Katie McGinty's campaign fund in hopes that enough advertising will win the race. She has never held elected office in her life, and was a no show at the national security policy debate for the Dem. candidates.

Probably a smart move on her part, since she knows absolutely shit about anything but lobbying for frackers and other big energy folks.

[appalachiablue]

22. For shame. Our corrupt Conservadem Party and DNC showing their real colors that must

be exposed. What is it going to take; but the 2008 Burndown, Occupy, Bernie and his many supporters and the growing number of like minded Progressives running for office now will sooner than later bust GOP enablers and this fraud and corruption wide open. It's mounting fast, every week and the establishment Third Way Dems. are starting to take on water. Bill Clinton stepping into the fray only hastens the process.
Last week I was surprised when Tosser Rendell resurfaced on MSNBC, they punted him for his ties a while ago. Good luck with that...To add: We don't give the DNC, DSCC or DCCC a dime anymore since our eyes were opened. Wide.

[Divernan]

31. PA Senate primary debate tonight - live stream

Here's the email I just got from the Sestak campaign.

Tonight, I will be returning to Penn State (where I taught for a year as a law school professor) to participate in one of the last few debates of this primary election.

The debate will begin at 8 p.m., and I was hoping that you might watch it after your Saturday night dinner. Penn State's public broadcasting channel has informed us that they will be streaming it live online, at the link below:

http://wpsu.psu.edu/live/

[Avalon Sparks]

15. Go pa

[Blue_In_AK]

17. Word gets out.

When Jane came to Anchorage, the venue was changed less than 90 minutes before she was scheduled to appear and the hotel ballroom was still standing room only.

[amborin]

23. K&R

[geek tragedy]

24. Dave "Ron Paul is Better Than Barack Obama" Lindorff? nt

[Avalon Sparks]

26. GO Steeltown!!!

[pdsimdars]

29. Imagine that, a Jew traveling around the country talking about helping the poor and social justice

and drawing large crowds wherever he spoke. . .

Now, if he could only feed them all with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, we'd really have something.
But would the MSM cover it even then????

[BlueStreak]

30. The punditocracy is largely ignoring the vast gap between generations

Maybe they are confused because Sanders and Clinton are of similar age. But one consistently has supported the Moneyed Elites, who are overwhelmingly old white men. The other has continuously pointed out how our system is rigged against the young, the minorities, and the powerless.

I don't know if Sanders can overcome the powerful entrenched interests. But this is a revolution that won't be settled by a single election in a single year. This is all part of a story that includes the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter. Regardless of the Sanders outcome, we must commit to continuously increasing the grass roots pressure until the system is changed.