This article describes a problem which, I fear, may weaken the Democratic
Presidential ticket and might cause the Republicans to win the Presidency.
This is not Ralph Nader taking away a few Democratic votes. This is a real
split in the party and I doubt that a lot of us who would vote for Sanders,
would so easily vote for Clinton.
Miriam
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > The Big Bernie vs. Hillary Schism: How Will It Play Out?
________________________________________
The Big Bernie vs. Hillary Schism: How Will It Play Out?
By Steven Rosenfeld [1] / AlterNet [2]
February 2, 2016
Revolution versus evolution. Passion versus pragmatism. Outsiders versus
insiders. These are just some of the big schisms facing Democratic voters in
the party's growing conundrum of having to choose between Bernie Sanders and
Hillary Clinton.
On Monday night, both candidates pledged to keep fighting for the soul of
the party, to win voters' trust in upcoming primaries and caucuses, and to
lead the country toward a future guided by its better angels come November's
presidential election. But make no mistake; the future is far from clear.
No matter what happens in coming weeks until a nominee is chosen, a party
split into two fervent factions means there will be a tough, perhaps bitter
competition. How will that play out? And how will it affect Democrats'
chances this fall?
The way Clinton handled it Monday night may not bode well. Assuming she is
the nominee, it will help her to connect with the people her campaign will
need to win - especially Sanders' younger, fresher and more passionate
grassroots base. He won [3] an astounding 70 percent of Iowa Democrats under
age 30.
When Clinton spoke Monday night after the caucuses, she said, "It is rare
that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas; to
really think hard about what the Democratic Party stands for and what we
want the future of our country to look like." And she added a perhaps
misguided pitch to Sanders' crowd. "I am a progressive that gets things done
for people."
It is revealing that last line brought boos from Sanders' supporters. But
there's more to this than simply saying the party will be debating what
Democrats truly stand for and who's best suited to carry that message. The
fact that Clinton didn't lose-but didn't clearly win-Iowa's caucuses-quite
possibly because [4] Iowa's Democratic Party deliberately slowed down
announcing the night's results-underscores both Clinton's weaknesses and
what her campaign lacks.
For months, polls have found enthusiasm levels for Clinton backers to be
low, while questions about her trustworthiness especially high among young
voters. Clinton's advisors said [3] Tuesday they knew Iowa was not going to
be a strong showing, just as they predicted that its similarity to Sanders'
nearly all-white home state of Vermont would play to his advantage.
Clinton's supporters also were saying she was best under pressure and we
will soon see that side of Hillary as she goes to New Hampshire as an
underdog, given Sanders' double-digit lead in polls there. But Americans and
the Sanders team saw the real Clinton on Monday night, when she announced
that she won before the results were tallied, pushing the headlines into
saying victory or tie - but not a loss.
On Tuesday, Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver said there were many
unanswered questions about how the Iowa party tallied and awarded delegates.
"As an empirical matter, we're not likely to ever know what the actual
result was," he said [4], citing the razor-thin finish, "arcane" caucus
rules, delayed reporting of precincts and counting technology used.
Sanders won't contest the result, his campaign said. Both candidates will
end up essentially splitting Iowa's delegates. But Clinton's
headline-grabbing move does not endear her to Sanders supporters, who are
ready to follow him all the way to the Democratic National Convention next
summer.
In the shortest of short runs, the odds are in Sanders' favor. In New
Hampshire, he's ahead by double-digits. But then the contest literally goes
south to primaries and caucuses in Nevada, South Carolina and a dozen states
on March 1. Clinton is favored in many of the big post-New Hampshire states,
because of decades of relationships with politicians, leaders in communities
of color and party activists.
Clinton is still the party's presumed nominee in 2016. Several hundred
so-called super delegates, who are the top elected Democratic officials in
Congress and the states, support her. That calculus still holds despite
Sanders' photo finish in Iowa and his lead going into New Hampshire.
It's one thing for Clinton and Sanders to debate whether Democrats need an
idealist or realist - and which one of them fits that bill. But if she
relies on tactics to win in the short run - like grabbing the progressive
mantle in Monday night's speech prematurely claiming victory - it could
haunt her come the fall if she's the nominee, because it may alienate the
young Democrats her campaign will need.
In politics, winning is almost everything. But how one wins matters,
especially when one of the top themes raised by your opponent-in this case,
Sanders-is restoring fairness across America and challenging a rigged
system.
Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including
America's retirement crisis, democracy and voting rights, and campaigns and
elections. He is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting"
(AlterNet Books, 2008).
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [5]
[6]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/big-bernie-vs-hillary-schism-how-will-
it-play-out
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/steven-rosenfeld
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/02/02/hillary-clinton
-barely-survived-iowa-top-democrats-say-she-must-learn-from-it/
[4]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/02/02/sanders-camp
aign-reviewing-iowa-caucus-totals-says-actual-result-may-never-be-known/?wpm
m=1&wpisrc=nl_evening
[5] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on The Big Bernie vs.
Hillary Schism: How Will It Play Out?
[6] http://www.alternet.org/
[7] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > The Big Bernie vs. Hillary Schism: How Will It Play Out?
The Big Bernie vs. Hillary Schism: How Will It Play Out?
By Steven Rosenfeld [1] / AlterNet [2]
February 2, 2016
Revolution versus evolution. Passion versus pragmatism. Outsiders versus
insiders. These are just some of the big schisms facing Democratic voters in
the party's growing conundrum of having to choose between Bernie Sanders and
Hillary Clinton.
On Monday night, both candidates pledged to keep fighting for the soul of
the party, to win voters' trust in upcoming primaries and caucuses, and to
lead the country toward a future guided by its better angels come November's
presidential election. But make no mistake; the future is far from clear.
No matter what happens in coming weeks until a nominee is chosen, a party
split into two fervent factions means there will be a tough, perhaps bitter
competition. How will that play out? And how will it affect Democrats'
chances this fall?
The way Clinton handled it Monday night may not bode well. Assuming she is
the nominee, it will help her to connect with the people her campaign will
need to win - especially Sanders' younger, fresher and more passionate
grassroots base. He won [3] an astounding 70 percent of Iowa Democrats under
age 30.
When Clinton spoke Monday night after the caucuses, she said, "It is rare
that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas; to
really think hard about what the Democratic Party stands for and what we
want the future of our country to look like." And she added a perhaps
misguided pitch to Sanders' crowd. "I am a progressive that gets things done
for people."
It is revealing that last line brought boos from Sanders' supporters. But
there's more to this than simply saying the party will be debating what
Democrats truly stand for and who's best suited to carry that message. The
fact that Clinton didn't lose-but didn't clearly win-Iowa's caucuses-quite
possibly because [4] Iowa's Democratic Party deliberately slowed down
announcing the night's results-underscores both Clinton's weaknesses and
what her campaign lacks.
For months, polls have found enthusiasm levels for Clinton backers to be
low, while questions about her trustworthiness especially high among young
voters. Clinton's advisors said [3] Tuesday they knew Iowa was not going to
be a strong showing, just as they predicted that its similarity to Sanders'
nearly all-white home state of Vermont would play to his advantage.
Clinton's supporters also were saying she was best under pressure and we
will soon see that side of Hillary as she goes to New Hampshire as an
underdog, given Sanders' double-digit lead in polls there. But Americans and
the Sanders team saw the real Clinton on Monday night, when she announced
that she won before the results were tallied, pushing the headlines into
saying victory or tie - but not a loss.
On Tuesday, Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver said there were many
unanswered questions about how the Iowa party tallied and awarded delegates.
"As an empirical matter, we're not likely to ever know what the actual
result was," he said [4], citing the razor-thin finish, "arcane" caucus
rules, delayed reporting of precincts and counting technology used.
Sanders won't contest the result, his campaign said. Both candidates will
end up essentially splitting Iowa's delegates. But Clinton's
headline-grabbing move does not endear her to Sanders supporters, who are
ready to follow him all the way to the Democratic National Convention next
summer.
In the shortest of short runs, the odds are in Sanders' favor. In New
Hampshire, he's ahead by double-digits. But then the contest literally goes
south to primaries and caucuses in Nevada, South Carolina and a dozen states
on March 1. Clinton is favored in many of the big post-New Hampshire states,
because of decades of relationships with politicians, leaders in communities
of color and party activists.
Clinton is still the party's presumed nominee in 2016. Several hundred
so-called super delegates, who are the top elected Democratic officials in
Congress and the states, support her. That calculus still holds despite
Sanders' photo finish in Iowa and his lead going into New Hampshire.
It's one thing for Clinton and Sanders to debate whether Democrats need an
idealist or realist - and which one of them fits that bill. But if she
relies on tactics to win in the short run - like grabbing the progressive
mantle in Monday night's speech prematurely claiming victory - it could
haunt her come the fall if she's the nominee, because it may alienate the
young Democrats her campaign will need.
In politics, winning is almost everything. But how one wins matters,
especially when one of the top themes raised by your opponent-in this case,
Sanders-is restoring fairness across America and challenging a rigged
system.
Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including
America's retirement crisis, democracy and voting rights, and campaigns and
elections. He is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting"
(AlterNet Books, 2008).
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [5]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[6]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/big-bernie-vs-hillary-schism-how-will-
it-play-out
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/steven-rosenfeld
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/02/02/hillary-clinton
-barely-survived-iowa-top-democrats-say-she-must-learn-from-it/
[4]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/02/02/sanders-camp
aign-reviewing-iowa-caucus-totals-says-actual-result-may-never-be-known/?wpm
m=1&wpisrc=nl_evening
[5] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on The Big Bernie vs.
Hillary Schism: How Will It Play Out?
[6] http://www.alternet.org/
[7] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
