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Bernie Sanders Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 30, 2016 19 Comments
With final Des Moines Register polling showing Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton essentially even, consider this:
A little-noticed data point in the new Selzer & Co. Iowa poll, in fact, shows that 43 percent of likely [Democratic] voters in the Feb. 1 caucuses say they would use the word "socialist" to describe themselves. And to be very clear, this question was not whether they would vote for a socialist or sympathize with socialism; it's whether they consider themselvessocialist. The 43 percent of likely Iowa Democratic caucus-goers who self-identify as socialist is actually more than the number who identify themselves as capitalist — 38 percent.
That's right. More likely Democratic voters self-identify as Socialist than Capitalist. Here is the full chart:

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 30, 2016 5 Comments
Now that the Iowa caucus is getting close, things are starting to heat up between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. In an interview with Lester Holt yesterday, Hillary took a few shots at Sanders. Via NBC News:
Ahead of Iowa, Clinton Says She 'Can Actually Produce Results' Hillary Clinton, locked in a dead heat with Bernie Sanders three days before the Iowa caucuses, betrayed little sign of nerves in an interview with NBC News Friday, saying she relished the scrutiny that a close fight will bring her rival. Clinton also accused Sanders of "trying to go negative" with ads accusing Wall Street of trying to buy off politicians — spots that didn't name Clinton, but aired after she left Iowa Wednesday to raise money at a Philadelphia investment firm.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 29, 2016 18 Comments
Bernie Sanders has done plenty of favors for Hillary in this election cycle but instead of having his good will returned, he's coming up against the Clinton smear machine. A rumor is circulating that Sanders supporters are planning to win the Iowa caucus by flooding it with college students from out of state. The rumor is nothing more than a delivery system for the smear which would give Clinton supporters an opportunity to taint a Sanders win in the state. Chuck Ross reported at The Daily Caller:
Sanders Is Furious At David Brock, Hillary’s Loyal Servant And Spin Master Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ripped into David Brock, the head of the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC, Correct the Record, after being asked about rumors on Thursday that his campaign was planning to bus out-of-state students into Iowa to take part in Monday’s caucuses.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 29, 2016 4 Comments
In the wake of the news that Bernie Sanders' "free stuff for everyone" proposals will cost taxpayers $19.6 trillion in new taxes, Nancy Pelosi is distancing Democrats from his massive tax increases. The Hill reports:
Democrats are not on board with the tax hikes Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has proposed to pay for his single-payer healthcare proposal, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday. "We're not running on any platform of raising taxes," Pelosi said during a press briefing to launch the Democrats' yearly issues conference in Baltimore, Md. "We do want to have a fairer tax system, and … we hope that we can do that this year."

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 26, 2016 12 Comments
Barack Obama's greatest fear is being succeeded by a Republican president with a Republican controlled House and Senate. The eight years of his presidency could be virtually erased. The Iran Deal? Gone. Obamacare? Reversed. His executive orders? Over. Knowing that, it's easy to understand why he's starting to sound like a Hillary Clinton supporter. Many high ranking Democrats are encouraged by the enthusiasm surrounding Bernie Sanders but feel he's ultimately unelectable. In an exclusive interview with Politico's Glenn Thrush yesterday, Obama made the case for Hillary:
Exclusive: Obama on Iowa, Clinton, Sanders and 2016 Barack Obama, that prematurely gray elder statesman, is laboring mightily to remain neutral during Hillary Clinton’s battle with Bernie Sanders in Iowa, the state that cemented his political legend and secured his path to the presidency.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2016 43 Comments
Author Ta-Nehisi Coates is hot, hot, hot in progressive circles. His demand for Reparations published in The Atlantic pushed him into the stratosphere. But it was an empty, amateurish effort, as I wrote at the time, The dead-end Case for Reparations:
Coates never gives the answer as to who gets what and how. And that’s ultimately the problem with reparations arguments that are not based upon the people causing the harm paying the people directly harmed by specific conduct soon after the conduct is remedied. If you can’t answer the question of why a Vietnamese boat person has to pay reparations for the conduct of white plantation owners more than a century earlier, then you can’t make the argument. If you can’t answer the question of why two successful black doctors living in a fashionable suburb should get reparations paid for by the white children of Appalachia, then you can’t make the argument.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 23, 2016 10 Comments
Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer this week, Hillary Clinton sought to paint her opponent Bernie Sanders as part of the establishment and she has a valid point. Bernie has served in congress for years which makes him part of the establishment. Hillary Clinton on the other hand is not just part of the establishment, she is the walking embodiment of it. Here's how the conversation went, via CNN:
Hillary Clinton pins 'establishment' label on Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton on Thursday sought to turn Sen. Bernie Sanders' "establishment" attack right back on him -- saying he served in Washington much longer than she did.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 22, 2016 6 Comments
We've become accustomed to hearing from the increasingly shrill fringe left about the greedy evils of the top 1%.  However, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that Americans are a generous and charitable people . . . including the most wealthy among us. The Washington Examiner reports that of the world's charitable donations an entire third comes from America's top 1%.
Americans are a charitable group, in fact the most generous in the world, according to the new Almanac of American Philanthropy. In a first of its kind survey, the Almanac found that Americans out-donate Britain and Canada two-to-one and nations like Italy and Germany 20-to-one. What's more, more than half of every single income class except those earning less than $25,000 donate to charity. The much maligned top 1 percent in the U.S. economy fork over one third of all donations made. Even in death.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 21, 2016 33 Comments
Establishment Democrats are scared to death of a Bernie Sanders win over Hillary for many of the same reasons the Republican establishment is scared to death of a Ted Cruz primary win: People will lose party jobs and access. In Democratic circles, people like Claire McCaskill are worrying that Bernie will be a general election disaster because Republicans will run ads with a hammer and sickle on them. So how will the self-identified Democratic Socialist convince America to vote for him? Simon & Garfunkel. I agree with this assessment of a new ad released by Sanders:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 20, 2016 10 Comments
Last week, I noted that Bernie Sanders was reluctant to reveal how he intends to pay for everything for everyone; this week, the Washington Examiner has some answers. The Washington Examiner estimates that the bill for Bernie's "free stuff for everyone!" promises will be approximately $19.6 trillion.  Our national debt, which has nearly doubled under Obama, is under that at just over $18 trillion. Where's the money going to come from?  Taxes.  Of course. The Washington Examiner writes:
Sen. Bernie Sanders' populist message has put him in the position to potentially win Democratic nomination contests in both Iowa and New Hampshire, shaking the sense of inevitability that has surrounded Hillary Clinton. As the socialist senator from Vermont gains traction in polls, Clinton has more aggressively attacked his policy proposals, forcing Sanders to release details on how he would pay for his ambitious economic and social agenda.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 17, 2016 18 Comments
Hillary Clinton advocate David Brock of Media Matters thinks he's found a clever way to take Bernie Sanders down a notch. He wants Bernie to release his medical records. Hillary's official campaign has already distanced themselves from Brock's demand. Annie Karni reports at Politico:
Clinton surrogate to demand Sanders release medical records A top surrogate for Hillary Clinton is prepping a new attack in an intensifying and increasingly personal war against rival Bernie Sanders — calling on the 74-year-old to release his medical records before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. Clinton defender David Brock — founder of the Correct the Record PAC, which coordinates directly with Clinton’s campaign — is expected to hit the airwaves this weekend from Charleston, the scene of the third Democratic debate on Sunday night, and challenge Sanders to cough up a clean bill of health and doctor’s note in the next 16 days, according to a Democrat familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to preview any strategy.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 15, 2016 12 Comments
More bad news for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton ahead of the next Democratic presidential primary debate -- millennial-aged women prefer Bernie Sanders. A USA Today/Rock the Vote poll conducted between January 4-7, and released Thursday night, questioned over 1,100 women ages 18-34, 77% of whom were registered voters. According to USA Today:
Sen. Bernie Sanders, 74, a Vermont independent, will head into the Democratic presidential debate Sunday with a 19-point lead over front-runner Hillary Clinton, 50% to 31%, among Democratic and independent women ages 18 to 34, according to a recent USA TODAY/Rock the Vote poll.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 14, 2016 28 Comments
Chelsea Clinton is a highly successful person, for reasons entirely related to the circumstances of her birth, not her qualifications or personal accomplishments. The sweetheart deal she received at NBC came to epitomize the crony political capitalism her parents so effectively turned into a megafortune, as this August 29, 2014, NY Times report reflected:
Ms. Clinton, who is vice chairwoman of the philanthropic organization her father founded, made an annual salary of $600,000 at NBC, according to Politico. She remains on the board of IAC/InterActiveCorp, the digital media company overseen by Barry Diller, a longtime Clinton supporter. In 2011, that position paid an annual retainer of $50,000 and a $250,000 grant of restricted stock.
When Chelsea was the child in The White House, and even after that when she was a private person, she was entitled to privacy and freedom from political attack so long as her political role was limited to trying to make her mother seem human to a skeptical public.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 14, 2016 47 Comments
Bernie Sanders' "Democrat socialist" policies sound good and have a lot of popular support among certain demographics, but when pressed on how he would pay for all the free stuff he's promising, he's a bit nonplussed.  Pesky details like that just don't interest him; it's all about the utopian ideal in his dreamy little head, not about reality. For example, although he pledged to release his plan for paying for his health care plan before the Iowa caucuses, he's now decided that might be a mistake and is considering breaking that particular pledge. CNN reports:

Bernie Sanders could break his pledge to release details on how he would pay for his health care plan before the Iowa caucuses, according to a top aide.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 11, 2016 17 Comments
In what would be a dream ticket for some and a nightmare to others, Bernie Sanders has been dropping some not-so-subtle hints that he would select Elizabeth Warren as his running mate. This would be a smart move on Bernie's part. He has been functioning as a stand-in for Warren and derives support from her wing of the Democratic Party. The left would be electrified. The rest of the country would be horrified as these two Neo-Marxists traveled the land promising to take wealth from some and give to others. Mohit Priyadarshi reports at The Inquistr:
Feel the Bern? Bernie Sanders Leads Hillary Clinton in New Poll, Tips Elizabeth Warren for Vice President Bernie Sanders’ supporters may finally have something to cheer about. The Vermont senator seems to be establishing a significant lead against fellow Democratic Party presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, with Fox News January polls tipping Sanders to be ahead of Clinton by a 50-37 percent margin among New Hampshire Democratic primary voters.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 10, 2016 9 Comments
After years of claiming to be pro-Second Amendment, Hillary Clinton has changed her tune and is now attacking Bernie Sanders on his one weakness with progressives / socialists: guns. ABCNews reports:
Following a week in which the president outlined his planned gun control actions, Hillary Clinton is hitting her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, on his record -- and Sanders and his campaign are responding in full force, portraying the former Secretary of State as a flip-flopper. “When it really mattered, Senator Sanders voted with the gun lobby and I voted against the gun lobby,” Clinton told Chris Matthews on “Hardball” tonight.
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