How Bernie Sanders lost me ... and Hillary Clinton won me over

[MrWendel]

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/14/1483010/-How-Bernie-Sanders-lost-me-and-Hillary-Clinton-won-me-over

By Laura Clawson



The first presidential election I voted in was in 1996. I voted for a third-party candidate—I don’t remember more than that it was the one with “socialist” in the party name—because after welfare reform, I was not voting for Bill Clinton. The first time I voted for a Democrat in a presidential election was John Kerry in 2004—I had voted against him in the 2002 Massachusetts Senate election, voting for write-in candidate Randall Forsberg in protest over Iraq.

I’m not a natural Hillary Clinton supporter, is what I’m saying. When she looked like the only meaningful Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election, I was fine with that, committed to a Democratic win but also committed to the work of pushing from her left whenever and wherever possible. When Bernie Sanders got into the race, I was pleased to be able to support a candidate on Clinton’s left. I gave him a little money and assumed I’d give him more.

Then he lost me. Not all at once, but, by now, thoroughly. And along the way, Clinton impressed me more than she ever had.

(More in link)

[merrily]

1. LOL!

[beam me up scottie]

2. Already posted.

Another conversion story, hallelujah!

[Fawke Em]

7. They got this one person and post it over and over and over again.

[PonyUp]

3. Then I sobered up.n/t

[NurseJackie]

4. I'll admit it ... I gave Bernie a quick look. I wanted to see if there was something there ...

... that would interest me. I never found any compelling reason to support him. But, to my surprise, it wasn't merely that I "liked-Hillary-better", I soon discovered that I really didn't like Bernie at all. I'd love to elaborate more on my reasons, but I can't.

Those of you in the Hillary Group should open your guidebooks and refer to statement numbers: 4, 16 and 20. (I know! Right?)

And just for giggles, turn to the Jokes Appendix and refer to joke #2.

[Xipe Totec]

5. I was willing to read her reasoning

But then she lost me here:

"I simultaneously want a more serious and nuanced class analysis—something deeper than the talking points, more flexibly targeted to specific questions rather than broad strokes—and more willingness to depart from the talking points, to acknowledge that sometimes you really can’t turn a question to your subject of choice."

Run on sentences are something that I don't particularly care for because they waste my time and just run circles around the subject never quite getting to the point that then want to make as if somehow, reveling the punch line would cause the reader to move on to other subjects that are perhaps more relevant like the time when my uncle many decades ago pulled me aside and told me at my father funeral that now that I was the oldest male of the household I should just quit college and worry about supporting the family even though I was poised for a career in aerospace which I never expected to go into until then just to defy him, or the time when....

[cosmicone]

6. One lecture by Bernie and one debate was enough

to see that Bernie is a one issue candidate.

It all boils down to tax-billionaires-millionaires-oligarchs-plutocrats-wall street-corporations-1% to give all voters lots of free stuff. By doing this one thing will eliminate racial inequality, poverty, mental illness, global warming and terrorism.

No matter what the question is, the narrative always goes to tax-billionaires-millionaires-oligarchs-plutocrats-wall-street-corporations-1% to give all voters lots of free stuff. By doing this one thing will eliminate racial inequality, poverty, mental illness, global warming and terrorism.

Bernie is a good man and I'll support him if he is the nominee but he has only one fix for everything. He doesn't seem to believe in American success stories and doesn't like rich people. It comes across to me is that he assumes every rich person somehow got there by committing fraud which is not the case at all. His contempt for the rich is very much palpable and that is no way to run a country.

[MrWendel]

8. This...

for everything (To borrow from Joe Biden) "A verb, A noun, and Wall Street".

[SoLeftIAmRight]

10. so so silly

Ten years - about 2000 shows - taking cold calls on every subject

no one else come close to offering as much

you have seen only him doing the same introduction because most people are like you and have no clue about who he is.

[cosmicone]

18. "offering as much"

Lots and lots of free stuff for the masses !!!!

But... but... where will the money come from? But... but.. will it ever pass congress? (questions on deaf years)

Because .... it is revolution time and any promise goes to masses hungry to take from the millionaires and billionaires to get free stuff.

[John Poet]

14. As opposed to Hillary, who has NO fixes for ANYTHING.

[cosmicone]

19. "No we can't" is realistic

Do you now where I have heard "no we can't"?

Whenever I wanted a shiny new expensive toy, my mom used to tell me that -- because we couldn't afford it.

[John Poet]

20. That's probably the same thing the party base will say

when asked to turn out and vote
for Hillary as the nominee.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

9. Some people have been watching and listening to him for many years.

Ten years - about 2000 shows - taking cold calls on every subject

no one else come close to offering as much

you have seen only him doing the same introduction because most people are like you and have no clue about who he is.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

11. I never considered supporting Clinton.

I backed O'Malley at first (strong progressive record) but swithced to Bernie early on because I decided O'Malley was unelectable and that Bernie could win in this anomalous cycle. American are more than fed up with oligarchy. They are very upset. Status quo candidates on both sides are not doing well.

[Beacool]

12. Welcome to the DU minority. There aren't a lot of us, but we're tough.

Last debate I observed both candidates closely. One was cool and waited graciously while the other one spoke. Thanks to the split screen format, I really paid attention to Sanders' body language for the first time. When Hillary was speaking, he was almost jumping up and down, mumbling and the ever present finger was wagging like a dog happy to see its owner. I only saw one individual who is well rounded in domestic as well as foreign policy and who actually looked like a president. Hillary looked presidential, Sanders did not.

In 2008, goodness knows that I wanted Hillary to win, but I could imagine Obama in the Oval Office or the Situation Room. Hard as I try, I can't imagine Sanders as president. He was also evidently ill with a cold that night, and he actually looked his age. No disrespect intended, but 75 years is too elderly to start a presidency. I was watching Obama speak about Scalia's death and noticed how gray his hair had become. The presidency is very stressful and ages everyone. Health permitting, he would be almost 80 by the end of his first term.

[Logical]

13. Tough? Whine mostly. Nt

[Beacool]

15. No. I was watching for style, not just content.

Trump doesn't look presidential either. Neither does Cruz. Bush looks more presidential and so does Kasich. Rubio looks like a kid who is not yet ready for prime time.

Again, I'm referring to style, deportment, mannerisms, etc.

[Nitram]

16. Beautifully reasoned analysis that summarizes perfectly my doubts about Bernie.

My doubts about Bernie's honesty have been attacked as stemming from the fact that I lean towards Clinton. The truth is, I feel there is a deep lack of honesty in the way Bernie promises the sky without offering credible means to accomplish his ambitious goals.

[oasis]

17. So kick and rec then.