Sorry, Fellow Bernie Fans: Maybe Hillary Really Did Win the Debate

[Cali_Democrat]

By Leslie Savan
TODAY 5:27 PM

I hope that Bernie fans, among whom I count myself, keep an open mind: Maybe Hillary did win the Democratic debate Tuesday night. Maybe the mainstream media’s declarations of her victory weren’t just Beltway insider spin to promote one of their own and snuff the socialist out of the picture.

With the caveat that the Trump-dumb, zero-sum notion of “winning” doesn’t so easily apply to smart debates like the Democrats’, we now have a couple of reliable polls that have Hillary, yes, crushing Sanders.

An NBC News/SurveyMonkey online poll of 4,898 Democrats conducted earlier this week and released this morning asked who “did the best job in the debate?” It was Clinton 56 percent, Sanders 33 percent.

In a Gravis Marketing poll (which Daily Kos wrote “is obviously more reliable than the online ones we’ve seen, most of which do not even require user validation by SMS or email) of 760 registered Democratic voters, Clinton did even better: 62 percent thought she won the debate to Sander’s 30 percent.

And, just in: A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released today found that, post-debate, Clinton leads Sanders slightly, 37 to 35, in the New Hampshire primary, after a summer of Sanders leading her in the state. Moreover, of those who watched the debate, 54 percent said she won the debate to Sanders’s 24.

Read more:

http://www.thenation.com/article/sorry-fellow-bernie-fans-maybe-hillary-really-did-win-the-debate/

[jfern]

1. A 4-6 point Bernie lead is within the margin of error

and would be consistent with other polls.

[jeff47]

2. The NBC poll cited included people who didn't see the debate.

How, exactly, were they supposed to judge who won?

[Cali_Democrat]

3. More polls should be coming out over the next few days

The biggest one IMO was the one showing Hillary erasing Bernie's lead in New Hampshire. Respondents felt Hillary won the debate by a substantial margin.

Ouch.

[Egnever]

4. After three days of being told she did is it any wonder?

Just saying.

Don't really have a dog in this fight but the media coverage has been garbage on this debate.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. So you're sayinig Democratic voters aren't thinking for themselves

and are going by what the media tells them?

I disagree.

I think Democratic primary voters are smart and well-informed.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. See my post. I have more faith in and respect for the intelligence of my fellow Democrats./nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. After three days of being told she did is it any wonder? Just saying.

After three days of being told she did is it any wonder? Just saying.

Embodied in your argument is the assertion that our fellow Democrats are ciphers and easily led or misled. I have more respect for and faith in my fellow Democrats.

[Egnever]

10. The American public in general is easily lead

One need only look back at the Bush administration to see the evidence.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Even from the jump the Iraq War was more popular with Republicans.

Probably the last time almost all Americans were of one mind were 12/8/41 and 9/12/01.

[Armstead]

13. Remember the Obama Romney debates?

Remember he debate where Obama did badly. He wasn't horrible but he was tred and preoccupied and was flat, uninspired, and Romney got in a few good zingers.

Suddenly Obama's lead vanished and his campaign was on a downhill slide. "Uh Oh looks lik this electon might be an upset" as Romney trended upward......But then Obama came back, had a great debate performance and the rest is history.

Same guy. Just not as "sparkly" and his support drops, unitil he got sparkly again.

Not a very deep basis to shift support for a particular candidate.

[enid602]

9. clear choices

I think both candidates did equally well. Each one really defined their world view, and what they stand for. Voters will have clear choices , and the candidates seem to feel we are capable of making those choices.

[jeff47]

14. "erasing" the lead by going from a statistical tie to a statistical tie?

Or is that talking point no longer valid since it's Clinton who's up by less than the MOE?

[Cali_Democrat]

15. Like I said....more polls will be coming out over the next few days

Patience, young grasshopper.

[Matariki]

5. Maybe neither "won" the debate and both did extremely well in the debate.

Let's shift the focus back to the issues and off this pointless horse race, at least this early in the process.

[NuclearDem]

12. This. A thousand times this.

[longship]

16. Nya, Nya-Nya, Nya, Nya!

Pbpbpbpbpt!

We win, just like in Junior High.

Or not.

The measure is not the fucking spin room. The measure is in the nomination, which will not be determined for months.

I like both Bernie and Hillary (and O'Malley, and Webb, and Chafee -- at least more than any of the fucking GOP theocrats).

If you think that any Democratic candidate is in anyway less than what the GOP is putting forth, than you have my permission to sit this election out. I just do not think that anybody here could put that argument forward. That means those here who claim that they could never vote for Hillary are part of the problem instead of the solution.

If one wants to change the Democratic Party one has to do so from within. Run for precinct delegate, and rise up through the party structure. Get your friends to do so as well. If you want to change the party, it has to come from within, and from the bottom up. That is what Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson understood in the late 70's that you do not apparently understand now.

We are suffering from the Christianization of the GOP to this very day. The entire party is truly loonie toons.

Here's the deal. We do not unite at our collective peril.

I will support any Democratic Party nominee for the president in 2016. Mainly because the alternative would be so fucking horrendous. But also because I believe that is our only hope.