Bernie Sanders. (photo: Rick Wilking/Reuters)
s
I write this, 92% of the precincts have reported in New Hampshire, and
Bernie Sanders has received over 138,331 votes. Donald Trump has
received 92,062 votes.Now I know that Donald Trump is part of the establishment, but many of his supporters think they are sticking it to the establishment. I wonder how many reporters and pundits will point out that Bernie has received more votes than the top two Republicans combined. Who else is highlighting that Bernie beat “The Donald” by close to 50,000 votes?
By the way, Hillary Clinton also received over 88,000 votes, while John Kasich, who was 2nd on the Republican side, only had 41,615 votes. Many pundits talked about the record GOP turnout in Iowa but failed to point out that both Sanders and Clinton had 30,000 more votes than Ted Cruz. There is as much excitement on the Democratic side as there is on the GOP side. Granted, with more candidates herding voters to the polls, more GOP voters have turned out.
It looks like Bernie Sanders will beat Hillary Clinton by over 20%. It will be the largest primary victory in a contested New Hampshire primary ever. And as Howard Fineman has pointed out, New Hampshirites do not like Vermonters. The only real regional advantage is Massachusetts, because the most populated part of New Hampshire is in the Boston media market. So when Bill Clinton spun his second place finish as a win over Paul Tsongas, he had a case. Hillary Clinton does not have the same excuse – she led Sanders by 40 points in June.
The exit polls provided us with the real reason Bernie Sanders won big in New Hampshire.
First off, Sanders won the women’s vote by 7 points, most of that margin coming from his massive support among young women.
90% of New Hampshire Democratic voters believe the U.S. economic system generally favors the wealthy, a Sanders battle cry.
New Hampshire voters see Sanders as more honest and trustworthy than Clinton, and they felt he shares their values more than she does.
71% of New Hampshire Democrats voted for the candidate who shared their position on the issues, while only 29% voted based on experience.
Income inequality and jobs were the most important issues to Democrats, and most sobering for Hillary Clinton. Two-thirds of voters support replacing the current health care system with a “single-payer Medicare for all,” a policy Sanders has championed.
The Clinton campaign can claim that Bernie had the home field advantage, but in reality they are losing to a better candidate. People know what Bernie Sanders stands for and they believe in his message. Hillary Clinton’s only argument is that she has the experience to take the helm. The problem is people aren’t looking for someone with the experience to maintain the status quo. They are looking for someone to shake things up. They want someone to change the political and economic system.
I remember when the Clinton campaign said they had a firewall in the South. Bernie’s campaign manager correctly responded by saying it’s a weakness to need a firewall and we’ll show them that a firewall can’t stop a prairie fire. Bernie has that kind of momentum now.
Van Jones on CNN argued that the myth that Bernie can’t win enough African American votes in South Carolina is wrong. He predicted Sanders would get over 30% of the African American vote and that just as Bernie dominates with young women, he could do equally well with young black voters.
It looks like the general election is shaping up to be a race between the anti-establishment candidates: one who has been fighting the establishment his whole career, and the other who has an ownership stake in the establishment but is running as the candidate they can’t buy.
For those on the left of center, Bernie Sanders is their candidate. Those on the right are responding to Donald Trump. Bernie has the advantage since he can unite his party while Trump cannot.
The Revolution is real. On to Nevada!
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where
he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain
archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment
movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace
and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of
Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian,
and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural
events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be
spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.
Comments
+43
#
2016-02-10 10:24
Thanks, Scott for
giving us the # of votes cast last night. I do feel encouraged after
Bernie's win. I feel further encouraged after reading Bill McKibben's
article in this issue, dated 2/9. I guess I've had to live thru too many
campaigns that were afraid to run on real issues, so Bernie's honesty,
while it amazes and inspires me, frightens me because, frankly,
political campaigns in this country seldom run on the issues that people
really care about. An MSNBC journalist last night mentioned seeing Bill
Clinton's face. She said that he is so good at being unscripted, but
that Hillary, not so much, and she thought that his disappoint at the
size of their loss showed in his face. I hope, I hope Bernie can stick
it out for the long run. GO BERNIE!
+38
#
2016-02-10 10:41
Of course now is the
time to worry. The dirty tricks will come out. Lloyd Bankfein of Goldman
Sachs has said that Sanders is a danger to the US. All they republican
candidates feel this way. Trump may very soon feel he has all his
republican competitors beaten so he will turn on Sanders.
The "Dean Scream" is an easy tactic that the mass media will gladly use. Remember the "Macacca" moment that send the odious George Allen into the political toilet. Anything can be edited and made to look insane. Kerry just rolled over and allowed Karl Rove to swiftboat him. I hope Sanders has a response at the ready. If such a tactic is knocked down in the first hour, it can be beaten. But once it goes viral in all media, a candidate is finished. The sabateurs know this and you can be sure they are waiting for the opportune moment to launch the swiftboats.
Go Bernie.
The "Dean Scream" is an easy tactic that the mass media will gladly use. Remember the "Macacca" moment that send the odious George Allen into the political toilet. Anything can be edited and made to look insane. Kerry just rolled over and allowed Karl Rove to swiftboat him. I hope Sanders has a response at the ready. If such a tactic is knocked down in the first hour, it can be beaten. But once it goes viral in all media, a candidate is finished. The sabateurs know this and you can be sure they are waiting for the opportune moment to launch the swiftboats.
Go Bernie.
+25
#
2016-02-10 11:23
Quoting RMDC:
If there's one thing Sanders isn't, it's somebody who will "roll over".
He's more likely to call that cowardly pig-dog Karl Rove and the neocons on their shit.
He has a conviction that I've never seen in all of my years in, out and residency in the US Of Anger.
My main concern is that he survives this run if he keeps his momentum and success-rate up.
The "Establishment" is totally ruthless and will retain its grip by any and all means necessary including "accidents" in transit, assassination and outright murder -as we've seen many times in recent history.
Of course now is the time to worry. The dirty tricks will come out. Lloyd Bankfein of Goldman Sachs has said that Sanders is a danger to the US. All they republican candidates feel this way. Trump may very soon feel he has all his republican competitors beaten so he will turn on Sanders.
The "Dean Scream" is an easy tactic that the mass media will gladly use. Remember the "Macacca" moment that send the odious George Allen into the political toilet. Anything can be edited and made to look insane. Kerry just rolled over and allowed Karl Rove to swiftboat him. I hope Sanders has a response at the ready. If such a tactic is knocked down in the first hour, it can be beaten. But once it goes viral in all media, a candidate is finished. The sabateurs know this and you can be sure they are waiting for the opportune moment to launch the swiftboats.
Go Bernie.
If there's one thing Sanders isn't, it's somebody who will "roll over".
He's more likely to call that cowardly pig-dog Karl Rove and the neocons on their shit.
He has a conviction that I've never seen in all of my years in, out and residency in the US Of Anger.
My main concern is that he survives this run if he keeps his momentum and success-rate up.
The "Establishment" is totally ruthless and will retain its grip by any and all means necessary including "accidents" in transit, assassination and outright murder -as we've seen many times in recent history.
+2
#
2016-02-10 14:57
reiver -- good. you
are right. Sanders is not the type to roll over. He's shown real
toughness so far. But the attacks will be really insidious and maybe
covert. They will be hard to take on directly.
-3
#
2016-02-10 13:17
RMDC: What do you
think Bernie's chances are of winning the nomination? An offshore book I
frequently check currently is showing Hillary as having more than an
80% chance of winning the nomination, Bernie at less than 20%, and Biden
at 25 to 1.
When was the last time a candidate won a nomination with no corporate backing?
When was the last time a candidate won a nomination by calling himself a "Socialist"?
I do think Hillary is an exceptionally weak candidate, and at great risk vs. Rubio or Trump in the general election, and I wish the DNC would run Elizabeth Warren, but I'd like your thoughts on the above.
When was the last time a candidate won a nomination with no corporate backing?
When was the last time a candidate won a nomination by calling himself a "Socialist"?
I do think Hillary is an exceptionally weak candidate, and at great risk vs. Rubio or Trump in the general election, and I wish the DNC would run Elizabeth Warren, but I'd like your thoughts on the above.
+6
#
2016-02-10 14:05
We have just seen a
candidate who *refused* to take corporate backing win a primary. I think
that's a huge part of his appeal, and that we will soon see him win a
second, fourth, fifth . . .
And the word "Socialist" is already ceasing to indicate a nonstarter in US politics.
And the word "Socialist" is already ceasing to indicate a nonstarter in US politics.
+1
#
2016-02-10 15:09
Repeatedly hammering
on "Socialist' as though it meant 'communist' (a low tactic used by
those either deliberately 'ignorant' or willfully disingenuous) is just
that, a tactic. Nowadays not all Americans are unaware of how much
better off the people in the Eurozone, Australia and Canada are under
Social Democracy (or democratic Socialism which is what Sanders adheres
to.)
The US is rapidly becoming more and more of a 'third-world' country for the likes of the 98%. Our healthcare is 67th (NOT first or even 2nd); we do not have high-speed rail or decent affordable transit, [in fact, take Teapugnican Wisconsin rural areas, and it is easy to see the fossil fuel pushers ALEC and Koch influence where there is not even a half-decent bus system so that one MUST have a car to get to even a grocery store or the most barebones job!)
So-called 'Conservatives' aren't; they are merely right wing RADical extremists tearing things up by their ROOTs to the advantage of the corporate tax-evaders and profiteers.
The US is rapidly becoming more and more of a 'third-world' country for the likes of the 98%. Our healthcare is 67th (NOT first or even 2nd); we do not have high-speed rail or decent affordable transit, [in fact, take Teapugnican Wisconsin rural areas, and it is easy to see the fossil fuel pushers ALEC and Koch influence where there is not even a half-decent bus system so that one MUST have a car to get to even a grocery store or the most barebones job!)
So-called 'Conservatives' aren't; they are merely right wing RADical extremists tearing things up by their ROOTs to the advantage of the corporate tax-evaders and profiteers.
+1
#
2016-02-10 15:01
crumbling - I think I
have a bad record making predictions. Right now I'm too impressed with
Sander's campaign so I think he will get the Dem nomination. But that is
mostly my optimism for him. He's certainly not a perfect candidate.
He's got a narrow focus. I personally like Jill Stein of the Greens. But
I think Sanders will beat Hillary and then go against the republicans.
I was a very early member of the DSA -- democratic socialists of America and met Sanders way back in the 1980s. I remember way back then thoughts of sanders going big time. It was that vague but he had national aspirations. This is not a fluke. He's had his sights set on the presidency long before Hillary/Billary gave it any thought.
I was a very early member of the DSA -- democratic socialists of America and met Sanders way back in the 1980s. I remember way back then thoughts of sanders going big time. It was that vague but he had national aspirations. This is not a fluke. He's had his sights set on the presidency long before Hillary/Billary gave it any thought.
