Hillary Clinton is crushing the rest of the Democratic presidential field in national polls, but over the weekend, in a Wisconsin straw poll, there was reason to give the Clinton camp pause and the Bernie Sanders camp hope — Sanders scored a strong second-place finish with 41 percent of the vote, to Clinton’s 49 percent.
The Vermont senator, a self-described democratic socialist and a long shot for the White House, received 208 of 511 delegate votes at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention in Milwaukee on Saturday, while Clinton won votes from 252 of the delegates, leaving her just short of a majority.
Vice President Joe Biden and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who announced his candidacy late last month, each received 3 percent of the vote. Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who is considering a bid, won 2 percent, while former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who announced his long-shot candidacy last week, received 1 percent.
I don't give a whole lot of credibility to straw polls, but I think it is for the Sanders campaign to feel a little wind beneath their sails and for the Clinton campaign to feel him breathing down their necks.
I also think it is interesting how strong Sanders is in comparison to the other wannabe giant killers on the Democratic side.
In my opinion there really is no downside to Sanders giving Clinton even the appearance of a legitimate challenge. And I hope he continues to dog her right up until the nominating process.
Excellent post! We need to light a fire under people's butts, there's nothing I like more than two smart candidates having a healthy debate. Though I must admit, I love to laugh at the clowncar posse on the right. Miss Lindsey welcomes Caitlyn to the Republican party. Fugelsang said something to the effect of "that's the perfect female Republican candidate, she looks good and has no uterus" .
ReplyDelete2 smart candidates... O'malley and Sanders?
Deletedog
ReplyDeletetransitive verb
a : to hunt, track, or follow like a hound
b : to worry as if by pursuit with dogs
c : to bother or pester persistently
You're implying that Bernie's campaign is all about Hillary. That's just stupid.
You are quite correct. He is running his campaign based on his own agenda and vision.
DeleteDogging Hillary my ass.
When are corporate Hillaries handlers going to let her out of hiding? They are screwed though, they know what will happen when they do.
OT Rachel was great tonight, gave us a look at alaska, and, apparently, fish are falling from the sky in Fairbanks. They look like 15 inch eels with huge sucker lips, and teeth. The look on her face is priceless.
ReplyDeleteLamprey?
Deletebristol fell from the sky, how?
DeleteI look forward to voting for Bernie Sanders, even if I have to change my voter registration to do it, or if I have to do it as a write-in. Regardless, Sanders gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteI've got a Bernie bumper sticker. Every day, I help to spread the message.
ReplyDeleteI don't view him as dogging Clinton - I view his popularity as a strong message that resonates with those of us weary of a broken, corrupt political cancer that's destroyed the pride so many of us once held for America. I would vote for him over Clinton but only if I was certain he's ready for the WH. She seems over ready - as in a "player" and he may be a bit too naive but he's a welcome change compared to those with the most money and least qualified to lead a nation. Like I said before - we need another great leader that changes the course of history.
ReplyDeleteI believe he has a chance - Abraham Lincoln was not expected to ever make it to the WH. He wasn't a player and he was just a simple man with a vision that didn't know how to give up in spite of all the times he ran for office and lost.
I know Jimmy Carter didn't appear to be a strong president - many people mocked him as a peanut farmer and made him out to be a dumb country boy - but, if you listen to him today and follow his dedicated efforts to help the poor and his grasp of the troubles we face today, I think we missed an important element he brought to the office - common sense and he never lost his ability to connect with the common people. He was smarter than people gave him credit for. Maybe they couldn't buy him like others.
Also worth noting that under Jimmy Carter, most of the work that needed to be done to prevent our becoming as dependent on foreign oil as we eventually became got done, in spite of his differences with Congress. As soon as corporate whore Reagan won the WH, he and his fellow Republicans undid as much of that work as possible, and oil companies were once again writing American energy policy.
DeleteI was all ready to vote for Hillary, but Bernie really gets me excited.
ReplyDeleteR in NC
I was all ready to vote for Hillary, but Bernie really gets me excited.
ReplyDeleteR in NC