Bernie Sanders isn’t dropping out of the Democratic primary any time soon and that’s starting to concern leaders in the Democratic Party. Unlike Donald Trump, Hillary isn’t able to focus entirely on the general election, which has already begun.
The Associated Press reports:
Democrats Fear Sanders is Undermining Efforts to Beat TrumpDemocratic Party leaders are upping the pressure on Bernie Sanders to drop his presidential campaign, alarmed that his continued presence is undermining efforts to beat the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, and again win the White House.”I don’t think they think of the downside of this,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a supporter of front-runner Hillary Clinton and broker of the post-primary peace between Clinton and then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in 2008.“It’s actually harmful because she can’t make that general-election pivot the way she should,” Feinstein said. “Trump has made that pivot.”The new concerns come after Sanders’ recent wins over Clinton in Indiana and West Virginia. While those victories have provided his supporters a fresh sense of momentum heading into next week’s primaries in Kentucky and Oregon, they did almost nothing to help Sanders cut into Clinton’s nearly insurmountable lead in the delegates who will decide their party’s nomination.Still Sanders soldiers on, frequently telling the thousands of supporters who attend his rallies that he still has a narrow path to the nomination.”Please do not moan to me about Hillary Clinton’s problems,” Sanders said in a recent interview with MSNBC. “It is a steep hill to climb, but we’re going to fight for every last vote.”
While people predicted a contested convention for Republicans for months, there’s a distinct possibility that it is the Democrats who will face that scenario this summer.
Political guru Larry Sabato recently appeared on FOX News and noted the irony:
One of the other things working against Hillary is that Bernie supporters are as revved up as ever.
The New York Post reports:
Bernie Sanders supporters proclaim #NeverHillaryThey’re Berned out.Hillary Clinton is only 142 delegates short of clinching her party’s nomination, but a large faction of Bernie Sanders supporters who swear never to support the Democratic frontrunner could threaten her general-election chances.Fired up by trending social-media hashtags like #AlwaysBernie and #DropOutHillary, Sanders voters have not warmed to Clinton despite her commanding lead. An online pledge drive at WontVoteHillary.com has amassed more than 63,000 signatures, and in an exit poll taken during Tuesday’s West Virginia primary, 75 percent of Sanders supporters said they would not back Clinton if she was the Democratic candidate in November.“Asking me to vote for Hillary is like asking a Christian to vote for Satan instead of Jesus,” Liberalheart posted on Twitter.“[Clinton] sold her soul to filthy lucre long ago,” tweeted ArtistsforBernie under the #DropOutHillary hashtag.“Nothing could get me to vote for Hillary Clinton, nothing,” tweeted Jay Thompson.
The media keeps hyping divisions within the Republican Party but Democrats are facing a unity challenge just as large, if not worse.
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