Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

CajunBlazer

(5,648 posts)
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 12:59 AM Apr 2016

Despite Polls, Republicans See Sanders as an Easier Opponent

Hillary Clinton would be a more difficult opponent in the general election, some in the GOP believe.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-04-18/despite-polls-republicans-see-sanders-as-an-easier-opponent

And yet, prominent Republican operatives are chomping at the bit to face Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont and self-described democratic socialist in the general election, believing he'd be an easier opponent than the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state.

"Republicans are being nice to Bernie Sanders because we like the thought of running against a socialist. But if he were to win the nomination the knives would come out for Bernie pretty quick," said Ryan Williams, a former spokesman for 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney's campaign. "There's no mystery what the attack on him would be. Bernie Sanders is literally a card carrying socialist who honeymooned in the Soviet Union. There'd be hundreds of millions of dollars in Republican ads showing hammers and sickles and Soviet Union flags in front of Bernie Sanders."

"Hillary Clinton is a much more centrist candidate in comparison," Williams said, and she would have a better chance of winning over moderate and undecided voters, despite numerous polls showing that many Americans, even in the Democratic Party, don't view her as honest and trustworthy. "Bernie's numbers are better than hers right now because she's been in the political arena for 30 years getting beat up," he said.


(snip)

"Most Americans have only a vague image of Bernie Sanders," Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College, said in an e-mail. "They see him as a truth-telling outsider, which they find appealing. It’s very likely that many voters do not know that he is a self-described socialist. Although the socialist label isn’t nearly as toxic as it used to be, it is still a big negative. In a 2015 Gallup survey, 50 percent of Americans said that they would not vote for a socialist."

Williams argued that "for decades, Republicans have tried to paint Democrats as socialists and he literally is a socialist." He said Sanders, who has been powered by small-dollar donations, would have a tougher time raising the money expected of a general election candidate—in 2012, the campaigns of President Barack Obama and Romney, along with allied groups, raised more than $1 billion.
22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Despite Polls, Republicans See Sanders as an Easier Opponent (Original Post) CajunBlazer Apr 2016 OP
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Hillary is a layup for them. ThePhilosopher04 Apr 2016 #1
You obviously have trouble with your reading skills CajunBlazer Apr 2016 #2
I read just fine, thanks. ThePhilosopher04 Apr 2016 #6
And BS would be red meat the right wingnuts would throw to the wolves SFnomad Apr 2016 #4
Bernie will kick their ass and they know it. ThePhilosopher04 Apr 2016 #7
If BS can't beat Secretary Clinton, how could he beat the Republican? n/t SFnomad Apr 2016 #8
Really. Honeymoon in Russia? Raising taxes on the middle class? redstateblues Apr 2016 #10
Nobody gives a flying fuck about Russia & most Americans want healthcare and care about the climate ThePhilosopher04 Apr 2016 #11
And BS is still losing to Secretary Clinton ... just goes to show you how weak BS is n/t SFnomad Apr 2016 #12
Not for long. ThePhilosopher04 Apr 2016 #13
You're in for lots of disappointment. BS is as close as he's going to get to Secretary Clinton n/t SFnomad Apr 2016 #14
So I'm supposed to believe some unnamed republican source over a scientific poll? Loudestlib Apr 2016 #3
And the proof of that is where? Perogie Apr 2016 #5
And your proof is early head to head match up polls which have.... CajunBlazer Apr 2016 #9
Once people hear about his huge tax hikes Corporate666 Apr 2016 #15
I keep reading this as "an Easter opponent..." ScreamingMeemie Apr 2016 #16
So basically, they are giving a preview of attacks to come. Behind the Aegis Apr 2016 #17
They thought they could easily defeat a 1 term black Senator from Chicago with a funny sounding name jfern Apr 2016 #18
Funny how that worked out, eh? Art_from_Ark Apr 2016 #19
They are correct. There's no Alert Button in real life ... NurseJackie Apr 2016 #20
You poor Hillary supporters. What a shock you are in for. Vinca Apr 2016 #21
Is that why the Koch brothers have been helping the Sanders campaign? CajunBlazer Apr 2016 #22
 

SFnomad

(3,473 posts)
4. And BS would be red meat the right wingnuts would throw to the wolves
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 01:07 AM
Apr 2016

yeah, his numbers look good now ... but BS has never seen what a scorched Earth campaign looks like from the Republicans ... and that would be the end of it. And the majority of Democrats realize that, which is why they're backing Secretary Clinton.

redstateblues

(10,565 posts)
10. Really. Honeymoon in Russia? Raising taxes on the middle class?
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 01:25 AM
Apr 2016

Just a couple of Bernies unpacked bags

 

ThePhilosopher04

(1,732 posts)
11. Nobody gives a flying fuck about Russia & most Americans want healthcare and care about the climate
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 01:30 AM
Apr 2016

Bernie is the only person willing to stand up and fight, and he will win. Incrementalism won't get it done.

Loudestlib

(980 posts)
3. So I'm supposed to believe some unnamed republican source over a scientific poll?
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 01:06 AM
Apr 2016

LOL

Thanks for the laugh....

CajunBlazer

(5,648 posts)
9. And your proof is early head to head match up polls which have....
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 01:13 AM
Apr 2016

...proved notoriously inaccurate in every past Presidential election.

Corporate666

(587 posts)
15. Once people hear about his huge tax hikes
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 02:28 AM
Apr 2016

they won't be too supportive of Sanders.

Not to mention his promises are pure pandering- he has zero shot of implementing any of his agenda. And even if he were a dictator and could wave his hand and make it happen, the costs of his programs would be massively higher than he claims.

The middle class won't be too happy with 30% tax increases, and there just aren't enough rich people to pay for all his largesse.


At least Hillary understands economics and she isn't a panderer. She wants to fairly represent ALL Americans, which include wealthy Americans. Sorry some of you folks don't like rich people having a voice too - but they do and they are just as much Americans as anyone else and don't deserve to be demonized for being smart and successful.

Behind the Aegis

(53,959 posts)
17. So basically, they are giving a preview of attacks to come.
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 02:49 AM
Apr 2016

Already seen them here. It will be red-baiting, daily outrages which amount to a hill of beans, and anti-Semitic dog-whistles. These will be easily dispatched.

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
20. They are correct. There's no Alert Button in real life ...
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 06:33 AM
Apr 2016

... that BS supporters can click to easily silence the GOP attacks against him.

Vinca

(50,273 posts)
21. You poor Hillary supporters. What a shock you are in for.
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 08:07 AM
Apr 2016

The GOP is chomping at the bit to go after her . . . don't you see that? There's a reason they've been pretty quiet so far this election cycle. By the time they're done with her they'll have people believing Hillary belongs in the big house, not the White House.

CajunBlazer

(5,648 posts)
22. Is that why the Koch brothers have been helping the Sanders campaign?
Tue Apr 19, 2016, 11:22 AM
Apr 2016

The Koch bothers' PAC have spent millions of dollars during to the primaries attacking Hillary, trying to help Sanders. And no, not because they assume that she is the presumptive nominee, but because they don't want her to be the nominee.

How can we tell the difference? By the nature of the ads; the ads attack Clinton from the left, not from the right. For instance they spent $1.5 million on ads complaining about Hillary running her campaign with money from big corporations and the fossil fuel companies. Those are ads designed not to turn the general voting population against her, but to turn progressives voting in the primaries and caucuses against her.

On the other hand the Republican hit machine are salivating at the opportunity to paint Sanders as not only a Socialist bent on greatly increasing the taxes of the middle class, but also as a communist sympathizer during the heart of the cold war, if not worse. And they will do so using actual activities from Sanders past. And if those aren't effective enough they will use those activities as the basis for lies. If you think that John Kerry was hurt by the Swift Boaters, that will seem mild compared to what they would do to Sanders.

Please understand this is not said to belittle Sanders - I think that he is basically a good man with honest intentions and I am not saying this to run him down. I don't feel the need to because I truly don't believe he has even an outside chance of being the Democratic nominee so none of this stuff is relevant. I am sure he will never be hit with this negative barrage, and in a way that's a good thing because his image will not be destroyed in the eyes of most of the American public.

Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»2016 Postmortem»Despite Polls, Republican...