Bernie Sanders isn't any more popular than 'generic Democrat'

[Soph0571]

We’ve been tracking the approval ratings of several key Democrats over the past several years at Civiqs. It’s not data we generally make public, but I’ll try to surface some of this when interesting stuff happens.

For example, it turns out that Bernie Sanders—protected by Republicans and Russians seeking to damage Hillary Clinton in 2015-16—now looks like a pretty generic Democrat once those protections are removed.

While it’s been a while since he’s been as popular with the general public as some seem to think (and it’s not just us seeing that decline in his numbers), his popularity took a real dive the day after the 2018 elections. Once he was seen as a presidential candidate, particularly in this crowded field with several great candidates, his numbers tanked.

A big chunk of that decline has come from independents (from 46-42 approvals the day before the election, to 35-50 today), not sure why that might be. What is probably easier to explain is his marked decline among Democrats

[link:https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/29/1853367/-Bernie-Sanders-isn-t-any-more-popular-than-generic-Democrat|

Click on the link for the stats. Interesting reading

[democratisphere]

1. Was that "generic" or "geriatric" Democrat?

Calm down. Just kidding.

[NurseJackie]

16. Doesn't matter if you're kidding or not... It's still funny.

[Gothmog]

2. Who is surprised by this?

[Drunken Irishman]

3. It's interesting how the right so artfully plays the game...

In 2008, when Obama won the nomination and Clinton was the one many felt got robbed by the party, it was the Republicans falling all over themselves fawning over her ability and leadership. They used her as a proxy to attack Obama. "Hillary would be a better candidate than Obama..." they said. Even Trump thought highly of Hillary in 2008.

Four years later, that same media used Bill and Hillary to attempt to attack Obama. They questioned whether Obama was doing a good job and if he should drop Biden for the more intelligent, and stronger leader, in Hillary. For a chunk of the first four years of Obama's presidency, the GOP would often question whether the Democrats got it wrong - and should have nominated Hillary in 2008 instead.

A funny thing happened, though, between 2012 and 2016 - those same voices praising Hillary turned against her. Instead, they started questioning everything about her ... and propping up Sanders to attack her. Sanders then became the New Hillary in that fight.

Don't be surprised if they reverse course and start suggesting the only person that can save the Democrats in 2020 is ... Hillary Clinton.

[thesquanderer]

4. A quote showing the author doesn't understand Sanders

Instead of playing to grow his support, he’s playing to emerge from a fractured field. Apparently, he’s decide that’s easier than adjusting his message, image, and outreach efforts to appeal to a broader constituency.

That's not an approach born out of strategy, it's not a play, that's who he is. He hasn't adjusted his message in the 40-ish years he's been in politics. That's even the source of some of his appeal.

Also, "generic" usually polls better than individual candidates, because "generic" is an ideal, and any actually person has flaws.

[George II]

8. Not adjusting his message in forty years isn't anything to boast about.....

Think about the state of life in the US and the world forty years ago vs. today.

[thesquanderer]

13. I didn't say it was good or bad, just that that's who he is. That said...

...what long-standing position of Sanders do you think should be changed today? I don't mean an area where you disagree with him, or a new position he could add (for example, online privacy wasn't an issue 40 years ago), I mean a long-standing position that he should change because it is less justified now than it was then.

I do think this is a Sanders advantage, that he doesn't need to reverse himself from his positions of 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago nearly as much as most politicians do. Certainly Biden has to pivot away from some of his history.

[honest.abe]

5. Clearly Bernie is losing steam.

He's misplayed a number of issues and made some comments he should not have. Plus he will never, ever connect with black voters. That bridge has been burned repeatedly.

I hope he realizes all this and drops out before he causes similar chaos like he did in 2016.

[Fresh_Start]

6. sadly, it is not in his nature

to put the interest of all democrats above his own interests.

[MineralMan]

7. I don't know about that. I do know that the voters will begin

weighing in early next year. We'll know how they feel about candidates when we see the caucus and primary results. By March 4, the field will be considerably smaller. Right now, it's just early polling, and the undecideds are the winners in that polling for now.

Candidates are doing their best to stand out in the crowd. Some of them are probably doing and saying the wrong things, but we won't know for a while how that changes people's minds.

[George II]

9. I just hope that when he loses a few caucuses or primaries his supporters don't get a vicious...

...this time around.

[honest.abe]

11. He went from nearly even favorable/unfavorable in Nov 2018 to an 18% gap now.

That sounds like losing steam to me.



Of course there is a long way to go but I believe the shine has worn off.

[yaesu]

10. Bernie is the real deal, don't know much about the dollar store copies

[CentralMass]

12. Our nominee in 2016 was the second(to tRump) most disiked candidate in the last decade,

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-distaste-for-both-trump-and-clinton-is-record-breaking/

"The Democratic primary will technically march on, but Hillary Clinton is almost certainly going to be her party’s nominee. Same with Donald Trump. And voters don’t appear thrilled at the prospect: Clinton and Trump are both more strongly disliked than any nominee at this point in the past 10 presidential cycles."

Note: This was reorted by numerous msm sources.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/poll-clinton-unpopularity-high-par-trump/story?id=41752050

[George II]

14. What's the point, to just take another last chance slap at Hillary Clinton?

[irisblue]

15. My first choice in 2016 was OMalley.

I felt HRC & her long history would be a huge problem, I could not imagine a sucessful goverance by her, if she won. I had no flipping idea about the Russian troll farms screwing with our beloved country.

I am a solid Dem voter, but she wasn't my choice. I did vote for her, and I'll use a barf bag as I vote if my bottom choices are our nominee.

[charlyvi]

17. Exactly what I thought.

No one mentioned Hillary; nowhere in the OP did her name come up. What was the point of bringing her into the thread, except to bash her again.

[Cha]

18. This thread is about BS