the angry white vote, than a comment on DWS or HRC. Those quitting Democrats were NEVER going to vote for HRC ... because they are angry (Bernie's fantasy league demographic).

Now, it is possible a number of these quitting Democrats have done so to game the primary, it is far more likely the vast majority have quit to support trump.

running as a democrat trying not to rock the boat. The failures of DWS are so plain, it's impossible to look at the last election and the loss of the senate and so many seats in the house to not feel that the democratic party is not what it used to be under the DLC leadership.

the democratic party got screwed

the msm played trump on teevee 24/7

low info voters heard his populous message and responded

funny how you degrade "white,angry voters"

the jobs are gone, cops kill with immunity,people forced to buy insurance they can not afford to use,safety net ruined

<shrugs>

why wouldn't they be angry?

That's what the Hillary/DWS noise machine has been telling the base for over a year

Except now they're fleeing to the other side

and walk away with the exact opposite message!

Democrats quit the Democratic Party to join the gop/support trump BECAUSE of DWS and/or HRC? Really?

Let's see ... Mass. Democrats have a choice between a strong progressive and civil rights warrior (Bernie), with a lofty policy agenda; a corporatist, 3rd-Way, establishment maven that gives lip service to civil rights, with a status quo policy ... and they quit to join the party, whose front runner is policy devoid and openly racist?

No ... this is a case of Bernie's failure to close the Mass. angry white (working class) vote ... period!

Also, it's good when the Democrats lose people to the Republicans because it makes the Democrats more progressive.

Of the independents.

have no interest in Clinton

Left-leaning "independents" pretty reliably vote Democrat across the board. Don't let your own rejection of Hillary Clinton lead you into wishful thinking and misunderstanding.

As for this, I know some Democrats are conservatives, but in Massachusetts? What kind of "Democrats" would want Trump? LOL.

Perhaps some few changed registration to vote for Trump for another reason? After all, we like the idea of Trump as the GOP nominee as much as it horrifies the GOP.

I actually like the Democratic Party full of diverse voices, problematic as that can be at times. It does seem as if the liberal majority must be growing even larger in percentage with ongoing polarization. Even with some liberals going independent.

distrust and disapprove of Clinton at a MUCH higher rate than rank and file Dems.

The GE will prove one of us right... we'll just have to wait and see... 2016 is not 2008 or 2012... take their support for granted at your peril.

or Trump if it pleases you. What is it in Hillary Haters that makes them need to believe vast numbers of others on the left hate too? Granted, Bernie's far left Hillary haters aren't that many, but if we expand their attitude to include disapproval and distrust, you're already in company with virtually all strong and far-right Republicans, and a large number of their moderates too. Shouldn't that be reassurance enough that your attitude is justified?

They'll just stay home or vote third party...

It's funny how the Clintonites have now turned to slandering Sanders supporters as being aligned with the far right (while frequently and happily admitting they'd vote for a corrupt candidate themselves)...

2016 is shaping up to be one for the history books...

Oh and I don't need to "believe" people dislike Clinton, or even hate her... the polls show that she's the least trusted Presidential candidate running, and only has a positive approval rating with a chunk of a minority of the voting public...

That's not a "belief" - that's a fact.

that's a fact that people "believe" that. Pretty sure you wont understand but some will.

the fact is that belief is what people are going to be basing their votes on... not your version of the "truth"

And it's not "some people"

Hillary is distrusted by the majority of Americans. More people trust Trump than Hillary.

That's what the polls say.

And when your parties candidate is seen as less honest than trump, well... good luck in November.

narrative aren't you?

Not sure what the point is?

"I was there in in 1995 at the Fourth World Women's Conference in Beijing when I heard her voice soar over the crowd of thousands of women gathered from very part of the world, under stormy skies in drenched sari's and black burkas: "Women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights."

I can still hear the exultant cheers that made the sun come out. Year after year, Hillary has been voted the most admired woman in the world." ...

"And I trust her to raise American families' income by giving us equal pay for equal work, affordable childcare and paid family and medical leave. ... Why do I trust her? Because she has fought for these changes for her entire public life.

That I'm supposed to be saved by what someone else says about Hillary?

Because I'm not.

Just to be objective.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

doesn't seem to care about. And more will leave if Bernie doesn't get the nomination.

Dems are down to only 30% of registered voters.

When the Party stops representing its voters, the voters have no reason to stay. They were told Dems will not vote for Third Wayers like Lieberman, Clinton et al.

But they didn't listen and LOST us the House and Senate and are on their way to losing us the WH.

Not to mention the exodus there will be if they hand the nomination to the candidate who can't win the GE.

Independents are now the biggest voting bloc in the country as people no longer feel their parties represent them. Watch that go up unless Bernie wins.

No one will really know until November

People are pissed, they are mad and hurt and cant stand watching other people get hurt. They are tired of everything being stacked against everybody except the very few. Change doesn't come fast enough sometimes and sometimes we have to hurry it up. The movement is not Sanders for president, but an actual movement of social change. If Sanders looses do we loose the social change? No, I don't think so. Its been building for a long time. The thing is its been building on both the right and left sides. We are not so special that only we see it and the other side is seriously mobilizing. If Sanders wins the primary we get our fight and if he wins the GE we get more of it with some real progress hopefully, cool beans. If Clinton gets the GE we get a little better than now with chances to fight. If Trump wins the GE we get hell and very few chances if any. I can live with the first two options, the last is beyond imagination. Not making a choice is making a choice. There are some saying we deserve what we get, how many SS cuts and medicaid cuts and food stamp cuts and planned parenthood closings for our families, friends and ourselves are you prepared to pay because you don't like the system and didn't vote for the person who would at least not use these as a campaign platform? I can damn sure tell you that as bad as anyone might think Clinton is she will be way better than a republican. If you think a republican would be better than Clinton, well then, why are you here? Oh, I understand and agree, Sanders is the best choice. But Clinton is way better than any republican and not to vote for her if it comes down to her as the last choice, that's not anything but insane.

I don't think Clinton is "a little better" at all. I won't vote for someone who I distrust, who has no fixed positions, is frequently a hypocrite, and is corrupt. I can't see that as being better. It just seems like a scam.

But more importantly, change is often - no matter what you hear - top down. It takes a leader to be cemented into place.

Trump is a great example of someone taking advantage of distress for personal gain.

Bernie is the opposite.

In 4 or 8 years will there be someone as willing to be as selfless... or will be simply has tp choose between two "Trumps"?

That's why this is such a golden opportunity... people want change - real change - and there's actually someone that's not a hugely corrupt or hugely dishonest or hugely greedy or self-interested option...

That's not guaranteed to happen again for... decades... longer maybe. America is trending toward more corrupt and less politically representative... so who really know.

from where we are now?

her positions are not... stable or frankly known.

if you look at her time at state it was pretty poor... she spent a lot of time hawking weapons and ignoring human rights...

I mean, she blah blah blah'd about them, but then completely ignored them, or even worked against them, in her actions...

look at her stance on gay marriage and the TPP... she could EASILY swing back to supporting the TPP... for example.

So yeah.. I would have no problem imagining a scenario where she made America significantly worse.

here's the thing... I'm not going to vote for someone I think is dishonest or corrupt.. or out of fear of the other... Americans have been doing that for decades and it's why our system is so broken.

If the DNC wants my vote they'll have to have a candidate I can support without me thinking I'm doing my country harm.

to throw the weakest among us to the republican bus until you get what you want?

you're willing to support a corrupt and dishonest person, who polls weaker against Trump.. why?

I'd rather the party nominate someone who's getting bigger crowds, raising more money, and driving the party into the future.

The DNC is shedding members, and losing elections... and has been for years... more of the same is going to result in more of the same...

Hillary is gonna lose to Trump, there's few people except Clintonites that feel really confident in November.

I'd suggest that if the party rallied around a message of change and progress, and drew a clear distinction between itself and Trump, they'd have a much better chance...

I'm a symptom of why Hillary will lose.

No, I won't vote for someone whose "top priority" at State was selling 29B worth of Boeing made weapons to Saudi Arabia. While at the same time take 25m from Boeing and Saudi Arabia, who then subsequently hired the guy who owns the lobbying firm of Boeing and Saudi Arabia as her campaign manager.

That's a recipe for more war...

So no, I'm not gonna support that.

yes.

I'm not.

as a president is preferable to having Clinton?

I'll say this again:

I won't vote for a dishonest and corrupt candidate.

I wouldn't vote for Trump out of fear of Clinton and I won't vote for Clinton out of fear of Trump.

That kind of thinking is ruining America.

I won't be party to it anymore.

And if every American actually did that - voted for what they want instead of against what they were afraid of - America would be a much better place.

And you know what, I'm part of a growing number of people that reject the notion of Party over country. My job as a citizen is to vote my conscious. I can't in good conscious vote for a dishonest and corrupt person. Full stop.

not who you will or wont vote for but whether you think it is preferable to have a republican as president or Clinton. Its a simple question but somehow you wont answer it will you?

sharing the pro trump qualities you did earlier on other op's as well. I can discount using them once to get a point across, but multiple times? Sure you are not for Trump over Clinton?

I don't get it either. They say they'll go Trump and that astounds me. They were supposedly Dems and are voting for Trump to stop Hillary. I hope they come around because that is not a dem thing to do.

And, I understand how corrupt Hillary Clinton is and I don't want to vote for her. I think it will be the least evil again. A fascist strikes me as the biggest evil. But I understand what this person is saying.

between doing what is best for the country and what is best for what you believe. Best for the country is obviously Clinton in lieu of Sanders over any republican, best for what you or I believe is Sanders but I am not going to sacrifice anyone that I can help for my beliefs.

You assume she's not going to flip flop or sell you out... why I'll never understand...

I don't... her record is very clear... she's untrustworthy.

And if I support her I am sending the DNC the message that I support corruption and dishonesty... which will obviously result in more corruption and dishonesty.

BTW, just edit your posts.. or rather... I won't respond to three separate posts at once. I'll just choose one and respond to all three of your posts in that single response.

Trump is preferable to Clinton? Or Rubio?

you are assuming what my positions are, and ones I have never stated I might say.

Or are they leaving because they love the racist, hateful GOP and now they have spokesperson for their hate?

What ever the reason, the Dems need to be worried about these kinds of shifts and GOTV!!!!!

that's the thing...

Hillary is already driving out progressives from the party... it's a trickle now, but... there's no guarantee it will stay that way... and of course she's engaging the GOP base, some of who have waited years for a shot at her...

Trump is also motivating his base, and people outside of his base...

Plus Clinton is a walking scandal.. god knows what will happen between now and election day... and scandals don't seem to hurt Trump... where they do hurt Hillary... at least with independents who already don't trust her.

It's been a long process of bleeding voters. So it's a little hard to blame that on Sanders or anything specific to this cycle.

The problem is much longer term: Our party abandoned its principles and now actively fights its base. The claim was this is what the party had to do in order to win. Problem is the party has been losing. A lot.

Either the party turns back, or it fades away. I'd far prefer the former, because all sorts of bad can happen during the latter.

Because the DNC are running the 1% candidate who is completely bought and paid for by Wall Street.

Maybe they believe in stopping climate change.

Maybe they're burning their DNC cards and either refusing to vote or voting for the Green candidate?

I don't see how Dems could vote for trump.... And I know two who have said that but I bet when it comes down to the wire, they won't.

Because if it's that we're getting a fascist for president, I probably will try to get to Canada.

Trump is... I hate the asshole ok, just me say that, but... but...

People on the left do NOT understand his appeal at all... it is NOT about JUST racism.

I would HIGHLY recommend (and in fact frequently recommend) that you watch some of his rallies... you'll be surprised I'd imagine...

The left is going to be shocked at how different he is than the caricature the media paints...

are actually recommending that we should watch Trump and be against Clinton. Who side are you on?

Wilful ignorance won't help you win

And I'm on the side of America.

I know my enemy. I most certainly would not ever ever propose him in a favorable light while trashing a Democratic candidate like you have. Yeah, your side of Americas sounds like "make America great" to me buddy.

now you're just getting pissy - buddy.

I never proposed him in a favourable light... he's an asshole.

He's also been misreported in the media, to the extent that people on the left don't understand his appeal... and they ignore him at their peril... you know who else recently said that exact thing... someone else - by your definition - on the "make America great" side: Bill Clinton.

I guess he goes under the bus as well, yes?

I'm sorry. But you still never answered my question, Trump or Clinton?

again:

I won't vote for either to spite either or out of fear of either.

I'd vote third candidate or stay home in that scenario.

I know - as you clearly stated - you'd vote for a corrupt and dishonest person to stop Trump.

I will not.

I will vote for someone I can trust and who I think is not corrupt or I won't vote.

This is why independents are now the largest voting block in America... the parties have betrayed the people... and the majority of people know this.

millions of people on disability, food stamps, SS, who need abortions for your twisted view of purity. You make me sick. You are as bad if not infinity worse than a republican, they don't understand what they are doing for the most part, you do. I know my enemy. Hello EdwardBernays.

you've done that by pushing a candidate that will get her ass kicked in November, because no one trusts her.

If you're for pushing corruption down my throat then you are my enemy as well Eko.

And you represent why the DNC is losing election after election, and it's numbers are shrinking.

By supporting Sanders as Ive said for a while now? Please, just leave the Democratic party. You use hate to make political judgements, but your hate blinds you to who your allies are imperfect as they may be and who your actual enemies are. We don't need you because all you will ever do is destroy not build. Go destroy the republican party and good riddance.

I said to you



And you said



Pretty clear that you're a-ok with corruption... and that's the opposite of what I stand for...

And don't worry, many of us will leave your precious party... corruption is your thing, and that's gross to progressives.

I didn't push for her I just will choose the way lesser evil if that is all that is left to minimize peoples lives being destroyed, but you have a ideology to pursue who cares who gets in the way.

good luck with supporting evil.

letting the greater evil happen because you don't get what you want buddy while I work to save as many as I can.

don't vote for it.

Support something you can believe in instead of just voting for garbage year after year...

you exemplify why America is forced to choose between a right-wing corrupt Dem and a asshole nutjob...

And when Hillary loses, it won't be the people that have been warning about this and trying to support a progressive candidate that will be to blame... not that that will stop you...

those that strive to make something better and those who say its not good enough and go home to sit on their couch while every one else does the hard work.

you're certainly not supporting someone striving to make things better in the world...

Ask Iraq, or Libya, or all the Yemeni women and children being killed by weapons Clinton sold Saudi Arabia...

Platitudes are fun, but they won't pan out when your candidate is dishonest and a fake populist.

And when she switches back to supporting TPP, which hands over many rights to big corporations, will you call that progress?

Support Sanders like I have said? Really? are you that dense that you have missed where I want sanders to win but if he doesnt then I would rather have clinton than any republicans and have you somehow missed where I have asked you repeatedly if you would rather have a republican instead of Clinton as the president? You dance around this but have still not given an answer, so answer it , would you rather have Clinton loose to a republican if that was the last choice or not?

You are not among the millions of people on the edge who would be pushed off of programs they need in order to feed themselves and their families, nor are you living in their neighborhoods. Nor will you feel any new forms of discrimination because of who you are. You are going to please yourself by making a noble stand against corruption and sit it out. Fortunately, your type doesn't add up to much in the real world and we'll win without you.

ridiculed the tea party for years now because they wouldn't compromise, even if it shut down govt, stopped food stamps, SS payments. You are not any different.

you're willing to vote for a corrupt and dishonest candidate, you're not a progressive... just so you know.

I'll be sure to take the opinion of someone who advocated for Trump is not as bad as media says he is and Clinton is horrible. Never.

look up my posts, I disagree with a lot of sanders supporters but I have clearly been behind him for a while. Nice try.

answered the question, who would be more preferable to you, Trump or Clinton?

Trump is the anti-establishment candidate. Clinton is the definition of establishment. I will not be surprised at all to see many Democrats switching sides to vote for him.

plus he's against TPP
for universal healthcare
against the war in Iraq
against super PACs

etc etc.

People that characterise him as only appealing to racists are missing the point...

He's also a lying sack of shit... but that kinda goes without saying

You have said exponentially more positive things about him than Clinton. And you said this "I never proposed him in a favorable light". Give me a break,,, you just did in comparison to Clinton who you have not said a positive thing about yet.

those are NOT positive things about him, those are lies he's convincingly telling...

And MANY people are falling for them.

You need to stop trying to paint me as a Trump supporter, it's not gonna play out well for you.

nothing positive to say about Clinton..

You need to chill out.

I am discussing two things, which you are conflating.

1. How I feel about Clinton and the DNC
2. How Trump can win

I don't think Trump is honest.. he's full of shit, but pretending - as the majority on the left are - that he's only getting support from racists - is complete nonsense.

He IS going to attack Clinton from the left and MANY independents are going to fall for it.

If you still think I am pro-Trump all I can say is that you are wrong and are misunderstanding my position.

He just stated the truth and you are insinuating now that he supports trump. Cut the bullshit.

I can't stand him too much. Thank you for the information.

lived here in MA all my 57 years. Lets not forget this state voted in a R senator not that long ago,(Brown). Something no one saw coming when it happened. Trump is polling through the roof here right now, and will win. This state has a Dem machine much like a Tammany Hall. It is VERY corrupt, and does not work for the people. 3 out of our last 4 speakers of the house have either been jailed or indicted. So this report from Galvin does not surprise anyone here in MA. The Dem party in MA needs to pull it together. Warren needs to start kicking some asses back here at home!

People hear MA and think it's some liberal monolith, but that's far from true.

But I will likely go unenrolled soon myself. The party has placated the right too long for me. The left gets nothing.

these people were never "Democrats" to begin with.

Democrats...

Many of them would probably say the party left them... we live in a time when party allegiance is the minority position.

So almost all Dems in SC DIDN'T VOTE! It's a very rightwing state--so maybe the few people who voted in the Dem primary couldn't go the distance to vote for a "democratic socialist," but the huge majority STAYED AWAY. Maybe some of those didn't like being told to vote for Clinton. They showed their resentment by NOT VOTING. Some others may have stayed away cuz it's a Clinton stronghold (stranglehold?), who why bother? But that number, 12.5%, is staggering. It means there is NO ENTHUSIASM for Clinton. That is far from a 'win.' It is more like a harbinger of doom for her in November.

Sanders CAN win. He is the opposite of Clinton. He has no baggage, no scandals, no threatened indictments, no ties to the banksters and the war profiteers, he's Mr. Clean and he's a solid, lifelong, old-fashioned New Dealer who wants everyone to have a chance, wants 'the Commons' to be reborn, understands the system in Washington DC and has been ahead of the Democratic Party leadership on any issue you could name that is important to the working class majority, women and minorities. And he has huge favorability numbers across the board, while Clinton's are terrible. He also beats Trump and all Republicans, and Clinton does not, in February's national poll matchups.

SC won't matter in November. But it matters now because of how completely it has been misinterpreted by the corpo-fascist 'news' propaganda machine.

You gotta win the primary to win the nomination before you "can win" the general.

...not primaries, and in this coming GE you must draw big numbers of Independents and disgruntled Republicans in addition to good turnout of Dems. Clinton could do not the latter in her stronghold, SC (conservative rural south). 12.5% my God! And she will not draw the other voter groups in the GE. No enthusiasm. I think Sanders is the one to beat Trump. Fresh, clean candidate with a populist agenda and very high favorability and trustworthy numbers (whereas Clinton's numbers are in the toilet). SC was not a win. It was an omen of Clinton's fate in November: low Dem turnout, plus no ability to draw other voters.

Just can't know for sure, but I would not disagree that Bernie could POSSIBLY be a better GE candidate.

But, again, he's got to win the primary to do it.

the Dems in 2012 to vote against Obama.

"Galvin called both “significant” changes that dwarf similar shifts ahead of other primary votes..."

And I direct that to supporters of both Clinton and Sanders who are attempting to twist the story in the OP without having the slightest knowledge of the documented facts (as opposed to rampant speculation).

Here are the documented facts (available here: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleenr/enridx.htm

The number of registered Democrats in Massachusetts has increased by over 61,000 from February 2015 to February 2016
The number of registered Republicans in Massachusetts has increased by 22,395 from February 2015 to February 2016

The percentage of Democrats among registered voters has declined from 35.73 percent in October 2012 to 34.89 percent today
The percentage of Republicans among registered voters has declined from 11.15 percent in October 2012 to 10.96 percent today.

The number of "unenrolled" (i.e., independent) voters in Massachusetts has been increasing over time (both in absolute terms and percentage) for a number of years. It has far far less to do with this particular election with a general weakening of the party structure that has been ongoing for a pretty long time.

Now for some of my speculation: Of the voters that have switched from Democrat to independent or republican in the past year (as reported in the story in the OP), it is likely that a great many long ago stopped supporting Democratic candidates but simply never had any reason to switch registrations. There are fewer than 500,000 registered repubs in Mass, but in 2008 and 2012, the repub presidential candidate received more than 1 million votes. Republicans have captured statewide office. Some of that, maybe a very large part, comes from the votes of "independent" voters, but some almost certainly comes from registered Democrats who stopped being Democrats.

So why would these lapsed Democrats choose this year to switch registrations? Certainly not because of HRC or Sanders -- if they wanted either of those candidates, they'd have stayed Democrats. More likely its because they want to participate in the repub primary -- how many are doing so to support Trump and how many are doing so to cast a vote for anyone other than Trump? That would be utter guesswork, although it wouldn't surprise me if was more the former than the latter, but it would surprise me even more if none of the "switchers" cast a vote for someone other than Trump.

So there you have. Check your facts before buying anyone's spin.

The move makes sense to me.

who will vote Democratic in November?

I expect it will be Trump if Bernie doesn't win the nomination just because of a massive stay home of Dems.

This vote Trump to protest just sounds crazy to me. Obviously there's something going on in this article. I don't think it actually says what.

Maybe Dukakis, but that's about it.