HuffPost: "In Late 2007, Obama Trailed Clinton By 26 Points. Bernie Sanders Is 2016's Barack Obama"

[Attorney in Texas]

link to H. A. Goodman's excellent editorial; excerpt:

Before the Iowa Caucus in December of 2007, Pew Research reported that Barack Obama was 26 points behind Hillary Clinton. In the "Democratic Horse Race," Hillary Clinton enjoyed 48% support while Obama was stuck at 22%. According to Gallup in late 2007, Hillary Clinton held a commanding lead over Senator Obama.... Sound familiar?

President Obama won, despite the polls, and Hillary Clinton lost, primarily because one candidate was able to generate immense energy and enthusiasm.

However, it's difficult to generate enthusiasm when you're a Democratic nominee who voted for Iraq and is funded by prison lobbyists, but alas, Clinton supporters base their vote upon the perception of political power. This viewpoint ignores the fact that Democrats lose elections when voter turnout is low, and only Bernie Sanders can ensure a high voter turnout in 2016. Between an expanding FBI investigation, Clinton's negative favorability ratings, and her longstanding ties to Donald Trump, Republicans would win the White House with a Clinton nomination.

Thus far, 14% of Democrats according to CBS News will not support Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, I explain in The Huffington Post and Salon that I'm one of these Democrats. Yes, I will risk four years of a Republican to ensure the Democratic Party doesn't shift dangerously to the right on foreign policy; electing a Democrat with neoconservative support and advisers, funded by prison lobbyists, and who once falsely claimed "I remember landing under sniper fire."

Furthermore, many voters (astonished by a liberal who won't vote for Clinton) fail to realize the difference between a president and a member of Congress. ... Bernie Sanders, on the other hand ... is respected on both sides of the aisle and won the Congressional Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sanders appeals to Democrats, Independents, and even some Republicans.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. "Bernie Sanders Is 2016's Barack Obama"

[NCTraveler]

16. Love it when all discussion necessary for an op is taken care of in the first reply. nt.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

2. H.A. Goodman?

The same one who swooned over Rand Paul last year?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/why-president-rand-paul-w_b_6150868.html

"President Rand Paul will keep you safer than the others because while the danger of terrorism will always exist in some manner, our values as a nation might not withstand the test of time with politicians paranoid over the next big threat. I've never voted for a Republican in my life, but I'm tired of terrorism causing us never-ending wars and political paranoia at home. If it's a choice between Hillary Clinton and Rand Paul (Elizabeth Warren would be a different story) in 2016, I'm jettisoning many of my liberal values to vote for the Kentucky Senator."

Yeah, fuck H.A. Goodman.

[frylock]

22. frist!!1

[Hepburn]

3. 14% of Dems will not support Hillary????

Wow...that tells me a lot. It has been my feeling from the get-go that she will lose the GE. If 14% of Dems will not vote for her, that pretty much says there is little hope for GOP and Independent support.

Thanks for the OP.

[Attorney in Texas]

7. I am not among the 14%, but I believe that such a percentage of Democrats will not support Clinton

[Hepburn]

17. I will hold my nose and vote for her IF she get the nom.

But, IMO, 14% are not with me. That's a big number of possible Dem voters who are going to sit this out or vote Repubbie. That also means that it is possible that Hillary will hurt all the Dem candidates down the line.

This is very disturbing -- the Repubbie candidates for POTUS are totally unacceptable...and with Hillary as the Dem nomination, we could have on of those RW nut jobs in the Oval office. There goes the SCOTUS. I don't know how long you have practiced, but it was stomach turning to me to think about having to live with the effects of Rehnquist decisions for years and years.

[mythology]

18. And 50% of U.S. voters say they won't vote for a socialist

http://www.gallup.com/poll/183713/socialist-presidential-candidates-least-appealing.aspx

If we're are going by polling on who won't vote for a candidate, I don't think Sanders supporters will like how that game ends.

[sufrommich]

4. " Yes, I will risk four years of a Republican"

H.A.Goodman is a ratfucker.

[Thinkingabout]

5. First, any link to H A Goodman is a giving credit the same as I do FOX, this is not a truthful

source. Second, if you haven't been told before, Bernie Sanders is not Barack Obama by a long shot. First Barack Obama is not far left.

[JoePhilly]

8. Some Sanders supports play both sides of the Obama coin ...

... Bernie is JUST like Obama, and yet Bernie is also absolutely nothing like Obama.

Its a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

[Thinkingabout]

11. There is a big difference.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

20. DU (in general) loved Obama

until he got inaugurated and had to start governing the entire country with obstructionist Republicans throwing sand in the gears every which they could whenever they could and he had to compromise and/or couldn't deliver on all of his campaign promises (there were some unforced errors/mistakes but all Presidents make them at some point too)- though he still got a lot of things done in the first two years that he has continued to vigorously defend against the Republican wrecking crew. No matter who gets elected, if they don't have a fully Democratic Congress, he/she won't be able to deliver on everything and will have to compromise and will get similarly shredded here.

[Kentonio]

10. Hmm..

A) Who exactly are you to tell anyone who someone is?
B) Given that basically all Sanders positions have majority polling with American voters, not just Democrats but all Americans, how exactly is he 'far left'? Far left of what exactly?

[Thinkingabout]

12. It is Sanders claim and frequent reminders from his supporters.

Look at the chart of Bernie Sanders on the issues.

[JoePhilly]

6. This H.A Goodman guy has an exceptional fantasy life.

[ericson00]

9. HA Goodman is auditioning for Socialist Worker Magazine

when he gets hired, maybe I'll read him.

[JaneyVee]

13. Except Obama polled higher than 8% with black voters.

[Major Hogwash]

14. But, HRC's supporters at DU say that Obama had taken the lead by Dec 1, 2007.

But, they say a lot of things like that here at the DU forum.

[NCTraveler]

15. I can't get enough of these ops!!!!

The libertarian Paul supporter states "Bernie Sanders is 2016's Barack Obama."

And it's not from the Onion!!!! I am quickly finding out this isn't a joke and people truly believe it. Same people also think Paul has redeeming qualities. Go libertarians!!!!! lol

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. With all due respect, that doesn't necessarily logically follow

It *may* happen or it may not but just because Barack Obama caught fire and won over Clinton in 2008 (and remember too it wasn't a total rout either- he just eventually won the math), it doesn't necessarily mean that Bernie Sanders will do the same next year. Bernie's advance seems to have stalled somewhat after the first debate and the petering out of Hillary's e-mail server "scandal". Her strong performance against the Republican "Stop Hillary 2016" Committee and Biden opting not to run seems to have given her a boost as well (or at least stabilized her). Bernie is a nice guy with all of the right positions on stuff but he still needs momentum to win and, at least at the moment, Hillary remains strongest in terms of the polls, endorsements, etc. If Bernie does well in the primaries, things could, of course, most definitely start changing in his favor.

[Metric System]

21. Hack Attack Goodman, not Huffington Post, to be clear.

[DCBob]

23. Obama was leading in Iowa by Dec 1, 2007.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ia/iowa_democratic_caucus-208.html

[Attorney in Texas]

24. The 2008 Iowa caucus was January 3; this election, the Iowa caucus is February 1. Why compare Obama

numbers 1 month before the caucus to Sanders numbers 2 months before the caucus?

Wouldn't the correct comparison be Obama's well-below-Clinton numbers 2 months before the caucus to Sanders' barely-below-Clinton numbers 2 months before the caucus?

[DCBob]

25. Comparing Sanders 2015 to Obama 2007 is absurd regardless but..

sure lets push it back a month to Nov1, 2007. Obama was only 7 points back on average and moving up. Hillary is in much better shape this time around. According the HuffPost/Pollster model she has a substantial 54-36 lead over Sanders.



Also there is no Edwards to split the vote... and most importantly there is no Obama. Iowa looks to be solidly in the Hillary column this year.

[Attorney in Texas]

30. Why use a chart from before Sanders was being polled? Why not focus on the past two weeks? Oh ....

[DCBob]

32. Not enough data points

[Attorney in Texas]

36. You'd rather drink a gallon of spoiled milk than a glass of fresh milk?

[DCBob]

40. I'd rather drink a glass of wine.

[ladjf]

26. I strongly hope that this analysis is correct. nt

[SidDithers]

27. Goodman. LOL...

Sid

[Starry Messenger]

28. "Yes, I will risk four years of a Republican"

Obviously someone with a comfortable life already. These jokers can't wait for a Republican to take power...then they can crank out an endless supply of angry and noble-sounding editorials and make $, while the little people get their food stamps cut.

[DCBob]

35. Yep.. that statement tells it all.

He is not on our side.

[RiverLover]

37. You mean like the $8.7 BILLION Obama cut in food stamps?

This is sort of the point.

Give us a real Democrat this time or don't bother at all.

It of course hurts the country, but it also hurts the party when we elect Democrats who turn around & act as sane rethugs in office.

[Starry Messenger]

39. Which was what he could get from the Repuke congress, who wanted to cut over 20 billion.

I'm sure you were just forgetting that part, where the President has to work with a hostile leg. If a Republican is in the White House, it will be a blank check to the right-wing. If you think Bernie wouldn't cut too, when faced with a compromise, you are living in lalaland.

[mcar]

29. ..

[ecstatic]

33. Obama was an extraordinary candidate: Brilliant, charming,

young (relatively speaking), culturally aware - could speak to and connect with people of all races, hip, good looking, funny, Harvard educated lawyer, and made great speeches. For those reasons, he was able to skyrocket to the front of the pack and surpass even the Clintons' star power.

Bernie doesn't have a lot of those traits and that would make it difficult or impossible for him to beat Clinton.

[brooklynite]

34. ...and so is Hillary Clinton

This time around, she's been consistently ABOVE 50% (and is now rising)

[SidDithers]

38. It's almost as if some DUers cant understand simple math...nt

Sid

[Attorney in Texas]

41. and as if some DUers cannot read a primary calendar or recall events from 8 years ago