Hillary is a centrist, Bernie is a socialist

[tgards79]

Who has a better chance of winning in November once 100% of America learns these two facts?

[JonLeibowitz]

1. Hillary has a lot more facts-based history which will affect her chances in November.

[DanTex]

3. Bernie's got history too, we're just not hearing about it because the GOP hasn't been

going after him.

[JonLeibowitz]

5. You don't think Clinton's superPACs would do the heavy lifting if they could?

[DanTex]

7. Her SuperPACs are largely sitting out the primary and loading up for the fight against the GOP.

In fact, Bernie's had more SuperPAC money spent on his behalf than Hillary has so far this primary.

Hillary's SuperPACs could go digging dirt on Sanders, but first it would be a waste of resources, given that she's highly likely to win without their spending, but more important, politically it would be stupid. For all the acrimony in the internet, the campaigns themselves have gone pretty easy on each other in terms of negative attacks, and part of this is because going negative in a dirt-digging way can easily backfire in a primary, where the assumption is supposed to be that we're all on the same team.

In the general, the gloves come off, though.

[elias49]

10. But there'll be no 'general' for her if she loses the primary

so it really fails the logic test that she's waiting to 'take the gloves off'.

[DanTex]

12. Yes, but most people believe she will win the primary. They might be wrong, but

that's what they think.

Also, as I pointed out, going negative against Bernie in the "gloves-off" way that the GOP would do is not smart politically. It would backfire and turn voters off.

The same goes for Bernie, BTW. If he decided to pound her on, say, the emails, the way the GOP is going to, it would hurt him more than her.

[JonLeibowitz]

13. The Intercept called BS on that lie, just so you know

https://theintercept.com/2016/01/29/nyt-outside-spending/

And nobody actually thinks a small-dollar union PAC that has existed since before Citizens United is really a super PAC. Yes yes, cue No True Scots, but it is true.

[DanTex]

15. The intercept is the nearest thing to a branch of Bernie's campaign.

Also, SuperPACs are SuperPACs, everyone knows this, and it's good that the non-Glenn-Greenwald press is starting to take note.

Regardless, the points I made stand. Hillary's SuperPACs aren't engaging much if at all in the primary. Nothing like on the GOP side where the SuperPACs are tearing each others' candidates apart. Hillary's backers are saving the SuperPAC money for the general.

It's been quite a civil campaign, but that doesn't mean there's no dirt to be dug. Bernie has history, and if he's the nominee, it will come out.

[JonLeibowitz]

16. False.

The Intercept publishes plenty of stories which other institutions simply choose not to.

If you have an actual complaint about the article I suggest you raise it.

[DanTex]

19. We'll have to disagree about the Intercept.

I get it, the Intercept found a different way to add up the numbers to show that Hillary's total was greater, by expanding the category of what counts as money spent for a candidate. Of course, if you also include Karl Rove's spending against Hillary, then Bernie comes out on top again.

If you want, we can split the difference and call it a wash. It's peripheral to the main point here, which is that Hillary's SuperPACs have mainly been sitting on the sidelines during the primary, and that neither side has gone particularly negative.

Like I said, Bernie has plenty of history, and it will all be dug up if he wins the nomination. For example, you don't think there are videos of him out there talking to socialist groups (real socialist groups, not his current democratic socialism) back from his more radical days?

[azurnoir]

8. ya that's it cause Hillary's team never ever tried to dig up any dirt

oh and

[JonLeibowitz]

11. Citizens doing their research on candidates is to be encouraged, in my view. n/t

[DanTex]

14. Sure they do, as do all campaigns, but they're not doing it, or at least not using it,

so far in this primary.

[immoderate]

28. They took a run with his work of fiction,

which included some erotic images. They did try. They played the NRA, and the F-35. What else is there?

--imm

[DanTex]

29. What else is there? If you have to ask...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. In the current environment of disdain for politics-as-usual....Bernie.

[EdwardBernays]

4. well...

he's not a socialist... and she's not really a centrist in today's political climate... but carry on..

[tgards79]

17. Do you really think we are dealing in accuracy here?

It's all about perception, friends.

[EdwardBernays]

22. That assumption

Implies that those will be the dominate narratives.

And that requires a crystal ball.

It could easily be that - as polling shows - people don't care about the word socialist in big enough numbers to be put off.

On the other hand corruption is a lot harder to spin.

[HereSince1628]

6. That description uses mixed metaphors/measures and does so incorporating mistakes.

It's rather like saying a giraffe is tall and a buffalo is a red shade of green.

Hillary is an neo-liberal and Bernie is a democratic socialist.

Sanders is to the left of Clinton. Clinton is to the right of Sanders.

[frylock]

9. Hillary 2016: WOLVERINES!

[basselope]

18. Bernie, by a landslide.

[BainsBane]

20. The one who wins the nomination nt

[Ferd Berfel]

21. Simple arguments for simple minds?

There will be on hellofalot more to it that

Bumper sticker slogans work on right-wing minds but not on the rest of us.

[tgards79]

23. Are you against Obama?

Do you honestly believe you have any prayer of single payer?

[Ferd Berfel]

24. TPP

Obama's legacy will be overshadowed by this stupid anti-American move.

He has made his bones for life after the WH

[Odin2005]

25. There is no center, anymore. That is an Establishment myth.

[daleanime]

26. Bernie

[bkkyosemite]

27. Tweety defined Socialist and Bernie is not one. He read it out of the dictionary.

Bernie is a Social Democrat.