The beltway villagers are starting to take Bernie seriously, for better or worse.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-27/hillary-clinton-s-bernie-sanders-problem-is-bigger-than-anyone-realizes
Let’s all please stop asserting that Bernie Sanders can’t beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nomination race. Pundits and journalists galore have been declaring (alleged margin of error: zero) that the Vermont senator will lose to his party’s front-runner. Sure, his odds are long, but so far he’s shown substance, grit, and surprising appeal. Why not let the voters decide who will accept the torch in Philadelphia next summer?
On the one hand, if it's so obvious that he has momentum that even the obtuse group of insular, provincial DC media hacks gets it, that's a very good sign.
On the other hand, I always feel better when I disagree with (eewwwww) Mark Halperin
because of stuff like this:
Here, then, are seven ways Sanders can weaken Clinton in the general election, perhaps fatally, even if he doesn’t manage to beat her for the nomination.
1. Pulling her to the left
Clinton has already taken various positions on economic and social issues that are clearly a reaction to the Sanders’ threat from the far left (and, to a lesser extent, to that of former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who also has been trying to outflank Clinton on the liberal side). In recent months, Clinton’s political and rhetorical message has boiled down to an Old-Democrat, big-government, Pelosi-Reid-AFL-CIO-pleasing stew that a skillful Republican nominee could exploit, shoving Clinton out of the vital political middle in the general election.
