The mystery of Clinton/Sanders online

[LAS14]

...although this article points out that it goes beyond online. I joined Reddit with the purpose of increasing the Hillary presence. It's chaos (a half dozen mostly defunct Hillary sub-reddits, but her presence in "Politics" is less than in GDP. Interestingly, none of her sub-redits showed up in the introductory list. One Bernie did. I had to search. I'm going to post once every few days in "Politics," but not bother to get involved with the Hillary groups.

Hillary Clinton won big in New York on Tuesday, taking a 16-point lead statewide over opponent Bernie Sanders and receiving 63 percent of votes in New York City alone—but walking around the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn ahead of the primary, you wouldn’t think so. Throughout the city, public support for Sanders seems to far outweigh that for Clinton, with his campaign posters filling the windows of bars, cafes, and apartments—without a Clinton sign in sight. Lest this disparity be attributed to allegations of voter suppression, the phenomenon goes far beyond New York: Online, #feelthebern hashtags appear to drown out Clinton’s #ImWithHer rallying cry, and a larger number of vocal celebrities can be seen showing their support at Sanders rallies and online. With so many voters evidently backing Clinton on paper and in the polls, why is real-life public support for her is so muted?

http://www.complex.com/life/2016/04/hillary-clinton-supporters-in-secret

[griffi94]

1. I just read the article

I keep politics out of my real life.
I have a friend who is all in for Bernie when I was asked
by him what I thought of our candidates I gave a nice safe reply.
I said I thought either would do a better job than any Republican.
HIs head almost exploded He started on this deranged rant about Hillary
mostly RW talking points. Nowhere in his rant could he tell me one single thing
that Bernie had done.
All talking points. Bernie will stand up to wall street.
WTF does that even mean.

I'm not surprised at all that Hillary has much deeper and broader support
or that the people who support her don't flaunt it.

I'm not changing my mind so there's no reason to debate a Bernie voter.
Bernie has turned out to not even be real. Bernie is a wish.

I hate it when politicians talk about the silent majority to make an unsupported position seem stronger.
Hillary supporters are a true silent majority.

You don't see them at huge rallies. Nobody is hanging out with the pope. They're mostly not
part of the hipsta phenom but we're a huge majoritey and Bernies dismal failure in the primaries is proof of that.

[sarae]

2. yep

Maybe a large reason is that BS supporters who advertise it loudly, online and IRL, tend to be young men. Of course there are lots of young women, too – but the largest part seem to be young men. Men traditionally use more aggressive tactics of persuasion, tactics that either intimidate or turn women off. As a woman, I don't usually like to argue online or IRL. I tend to be non-confrontational, so when I see it, I don't usually engage (usually, anyway!). And since the demographics of Hillary supporters include more women and/or older people (who've mellowed out), perhaps that's the reason you don't see as much of the Hillary contingent speaking out.

I'm not saying that all who do that are assholes; I'm sure many of them don't realize they do it. Of course, many do realize and use it as a way to bully people, unfortunately. It's a shame that we're at a point where you can't admit you side with Clinton for fear of harassment.

[griffi94]

3. Speaking only for myself

I don't seriously engage in political debates like the ones here on DU because
everybody here has already decided.
I have lots of political conversations IRL but I don't try
to convert people.

Here's my personal take on this primary.
Bernie and his sipporters are angry really angry and they want everybody
else to be as angry as they are.
They're the politics of getting even.
Sticking it to Banks or wall street of the 1% or some
other large vague nameless faceless entity.

Hillary and her supporters aren't angry.
They don't seem to hate anything.
We're more about the politics of changing what we can say more regulation
of financial trading or more oversight on enviro issues.

I think as a group we're pretty optimistic.
We don't come from a position that everything just sucks so we're not interested in tearing everything down.

For all the volume and big rally crowds the 2 angry candidates Bernie and Trump aren't getting a lot of votes.

Trump is winning for the GOP because people can't stand Cruz.

[sarae]

5. I agree

I think anger is a YUGE part of it, too. And a big part of it is realizing that you won't convert anyone, especially the angriest ones.

[pandr32]

8. "Bernie has turned out to not even be real. Bernie is a wish."

[fleabiscuit]

14. Popped out at me too. eom

[CrowCityDem]

4. It's not hard to figure out...

Bernie's supporters tend to be younger, angrier, and hopelessly devoted to him. Those are all factors that make is a lot easier to spend all day pounding on keyboards to get his message across. I think Hillary voters tend to be more restrained, because we don't think people can be proselytized to and converted like that.

[griffi94]

6. There are a lot more of us

That's very evident.

I don't feel the need to be militant.

I voted. I even helped close the deal with a few people who were pretty undecided
and not political junkies.
They already knew who Hillary was but they knew almost nothing about Bernie
I didn't preach I just pointed out how unrealistic and lacking in details
Bernies positions were.

Common sense and long term pragmatic thinking appealed to them as well.

[JSup]

9. When I was younger...

...I was certainly much more militant. I think it has to do with not having patience and probably also has to do with considering everyone around you that isn't like you as 'sheeple'.

[griffi94]

10. Haha. Yes and also thinking that your way is the only way lol

Then you start to get older and real life lands on you.
You have other priorities, you learn that reality isn't going to bend to your will.

And then that common sense compromising pragmatic step at a time
approach starts to look much better than revolution lol.

I don't have the time to revolt ha.

I pissed a dudebro off by disputing his claim that the Bernie revolution would go on and on.
All i said was that the young revolutionaries of the 60s were the same people
that gave Reagan a 49 state landslide in 84.

Youthful anger almost always burns itself out.
When it hangs on into middle and old age it looks exactly like Bernie Sanders.

Angry, loud, ineffective.

[JSup]

11. It's certainly a hard worldview...

...to hold on to once your hormones level out in your twenties and you become more reflective.

I'm glad I stopped being condescending early.

[griffi94]

12. I wasn't as fortunate as you lol

I held on to mine way past it's expiration date lol.

[gaspee]

7. Personally, I refuse to take the abuse

Whenever I try to talk politics with a Sanders supporter (I used to be one myself) I feel abused. They bludgeon with talking points and the downright nastiness and name calling is something I can do without directed at me.

[JSup]

13. They are...

...horrible in regards to that.

But I've talked to some one on one and they really are worried and really think we're all doomed if he loses. They 'know' a different Hillary than we do and they, or at least some of them, really believe these awful things about her. I don't know how to 'argue' against something people believe, and I'm not even sure there is a way to. The only thing I've managed to do is calm a couple of them down by being caring, respecting (though I really don't want to) their beliefs without agreeing to them and showing them I'm not a railroad baron.

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. As Hillary said herself, "Bernie gets the crowds, I get the votes". It works for me. n/t