How many people have you converted to Sanders by calling Hillary one-word epithets?

[CreekDog]

I don't know about you, but I've never changed a vote because someone called the person I was voting for "corporatist", "shill", "liar", etc.

I did change my vote in 2008 from Clinton to Obama and that was because of his message and also being convinced that he had the organization to win.

All the years of hearing her called names on DU didn't do it.

Some need to think about what they really want. Do they want a support group where they can commiserate over a loss by calling the winning nasty names...OR do they actually want to win by saying what the other candidate offers that's really superior, and possible?

Some do the latter, many do the former. The former doesn't work, and it's getting late for Bernie supporters to waste their time on what won't work.

Put yourself in the shoes of a Hillary supporter. Any argument to suggest they are really just stupid, uninformed, supporting someone who is evil, a liar, etc. just belittles their choice and their judgment. It does not point them to Bernie.

Food for thought.

[Lizzie Poppet]

1. As many as gloating, condescending Hillary supporters have attracted to her campaign.

And if this plays out as the numbers indicate, you need us...not vice-versa.

But that's not what it's about, anyway. You don't actually think either side expects to attract the other's zealots around here, do you? GD: P is a flame forum and nothing else at this point.

[JoePhilly]

19. The problem has been that Bernie needed to convert a very large number of ...

... average Democrats who were already perfectly willing to vote for Hillary if he was going to win the nomination.

Hillary entered the primary season with a sizable lead. If nothing changed from that first day, she was going to win. She already had plenty of people ready to vote for her in the primary.

Bernie needed to convert a very very large number of them. And calling Hillary and her supporters nasty names was never going to accomplish that.

[artislife]

25. If she is the nom, you will miss us. nt

43% declare themselves as independents.

I assume the number will be larger after this election.

[JoePhilly]

27. Why, you going some where?

These threats don't do anything to advance the movement you think you are part of.

But I do understand that there is a segment of the left who hope for a Trump Presidency because that would destroy the country, and the economy, and only then will the American people rise up and finally embrace Bernie, or whoever the flavor of the month of is, when Armageddon occurs.

So I suspect some of them to stay home and pout while praying for the end of the world.

[AgingAmerican]

34. The left wants Trump to destroy the country?

Hyperbolic nonsense.

[UglyGreed]

42. We see a lot that

don't we? At least Joe admits he is more right than left....

[Blue_In_AK]

30. Hillary Clinton will need a lot of independents

to win the general, if she is the nominee. I'm not sure she'll get them, if my indie friends are any indication.

[CreekDog]

38. Bingo.

Absolutely. That's not how Obama beat her and Bernie needed to overcome similar odds.

[JoePhilly]

43. Right.

Obama had to demonstrate not only that he could win, but that he could govern.

And then after doing that, people who would have been happy to vote for Hillary started to give him some consideration.

And even then, he barely converted enough of them.

The endless trashing of Hillary this time around turned them off.

[peacebird]

2. How many people have you converted to Hillary by mocking Bernie and saying he should drop out?

Or by the old chestnut - the loyalty oath?
Or by asserting Hillary IS the nominee before even hald the country has voted?
0r by saying Bernie doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell?(Actually that last one started before anyone voted)

Thanks for playing!

[CreekDog]

7. I agree, but the majority aren't saying that

but I agree about the name calling being ineffective.

that said, my post is about whether what you're doing is helping your candidate win.

Bernie's path to the nomination is a lot steeper to be engaging in behavior that is not helping him win.

Like it or not, Hillary's path is not that steep.

[peacebird]

13. We'll see by the time California votes.

Until then, how many legal proceedings are there ongoing? FBI? NSA?

Is she really the best candidate running? Nancy Reagan/AIDS? Kissinger as a mentor? Cheney & Robert Kagan support her?

If she is the nom, we will lose in the general

[CreekDog]

16. he's not beating her among a more liberal electorate (Democratic primary voters)

so how's he gonna win in a more conservative electorate (the general election)?

Kos wondered this too, I know, I know, call him whatever names because he said that. I get it.

[pinebox]

22. I would say that isn't the case but rather a little spin

You're equating a more liberal electorate to Dem primary voters.
Look at states who have open primaries. Many of those "more liberal electorate" members are indy voters.

[CreekDog]

24. the Democratic primary voters are more liberal than the general electorate

and she is winning this more liberal side of the electorate, she has more votes, more delegates.

[pinebox]

26. I'm not real sure about that

seeing as how indy's do vote in a GE.
She has more votes and delegates NOW at this point but remember, many progressive states haven't voted yet. The American west is very liberal & much more so than the south.

[onecaliberal]

28. How is she going to win the general when 67% of the country thinks she is not trustworthy?

That's not name calling, that is pointing out hard facts. She also doesn't attract independents, which are a majority of the voters in this country.

[liberal_at_heart]

21. Not the majority? My ignore list would disagree with you on that.

[Dawgs]

3. Uh, how about Hill supporters calling Bernie "communist", "socialist", "Democrat hater", etc.

Come on. This works both ways.

[Newkularblue]

4. Its interesting to be new here

Both sides exhibit good and bad behavior. Both expect better treatment. Both have an endless supply of "yeah, but"s. And both continue to talk right past each other.

Just an observation.

Edit spelling

[casperthegm]

5. one-word epithets?

Multiple words work much better. Kidding. In all seriousness, I've converted a couple of people by pointing out her poor decision making, voting record, and campaign smears when compared to Bernie. Basically I focus on the actual issues, which I've listed on the DU multiple times. A side by side comparison is often much more effective than back and forth rhetoric. That's where I think we're likely to see the best chances to sway someone's opinion. At least I'd hope that's the case.

[JackRiddler]

44. What I was going to say, thanks.

I just speak truthfully on whatever I know, and it seems to work some of the time.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. I'll leave the converting to preachers and Wall Street bankers.

I'm not trying to convert anybody. I believe that most people can make up their own minds.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. This OP shares a similarity with a, "So when did you stop beating your wife?" question.

[JonLeibowitz]

32. Arguably this is more egregious due to the tense of the post.

More like "when will you plan on stop beating your wife?"

[Human101948]

9. "what the other candidate offers that's really superior, and possible?"

Basically another Hillary supporter telling Bernie supporters that their judgment is questionable, everything he advocates is pie-in-the-sky, unrealistic, ineffective, etc.

[2pooped2pop]

10. how many people have you made decide to vote for her even if bernie is out?

Shit stirring and gloating from the Hillary camp has only driven them away.

I have not seen anything posted against Hillary that was a lie.

[AzDar]

11. None. I just tell them about her abysmal RECORD and poor judgement. That's usually enough...

[Autumn]

12. I don't bother with converting anyone. A complete waste of time, vote for whomever you support.

https://gfycat.com/ImprobableDeficientItalianbrownbear

[liberal_at_heart]

23. that's always been my philosophy on lots of things in life including religion and politics.

Religion and politics are both very personal and intimate decisions. A person can do their own searching, own researching, and can come to their own decision on such important matters. I've never tried to convert anyone to Bernie's side, but I will not shut up and be quiet about what I see wrong about Hillary either. When I believe she is costing America jobs, spending too much on war and not enough on social services, or if she is outright telling lies about Bernie I will say something.

[Hortensis]

14. But they can make a "good" party run into the small hours.

I've seen it.

[whatchamacallit]

15. Well you guys have done a bang up job converting us

with the sexist, white supremacist, privileged, commie, Berniebros approach.

[DinahMoeHum]

17. I don't do that shit, CD.

With an out-and-out Hillary supporter, we'll just agree to disagree.

[SwampG8r]

18. No converting needed as

I have yet to meet anyone supporting her irl.
Universal disdain is the usual response.

[pdsimdars]

20. Truth hurts, eh

[obamanut2012]

29. k & r

[Bluenorthwest]

31. The word 'Reaganite' has been quite effective the last few days actually. Because the truth

always resonates and she outed herself as being one when she built an alter to Ron and Nancy and claimed they were heroes to the AIDS movement.

To be honest with you, I can't believe anyone is fine with that. But her supporters sure are.

[Doctor_J]

33. Right back at ya

[tularetom]

35. None, because everybody I know is either a republican or feelin the bern

I'd really like the opportunity to piss a few of them off with a few one-word epithets, but so far the occasion has not arisen.

[Avalux]

36. I don't use those. I remind them of her lies, of which there's evidence.

That's all I've needed to do to convince people she isn't as she appears.

[CTyankee]

37. My husband and I are a split household. I am backing Bernie and he is HRC

supporter. He says that it is time for a woman to be president and he has always liked her. I am supporting Bernie because of his message so in our CT April primary we'll cancel out each others vote...

We don't argue and we don't try to convert the other. And I still sleep with the guy...

[litlbilly]

39. If youre not smart enough to realize Bernie is the best candidate, that's on you and

the other Hillary people

[Ken Burch]

40. Most of us didn't call her names.

And what you refer to as name-calling was not anywhere close to the majority of posts in support of Sanders. Our critiques of HRC were and are legitimate and based on the disturbing conservatism in her foreign policy, economic policy, and trade policy position.

The vast majority of the Clinton arguments were:

1) The claim that she was the only Dem who could win;

2) The assertion that she was going to be nominated anyway, so everyone might as well just go along with it.

3) The FALSE assertion that Bernie didn't care about racism(repeated endlessly even after Bernie had published extensive anti-racist and pro-criminal justice reform positions on his website and made them a standard part of his stump speech).

[lumberjack_jeff]

41. Admittedly, Not as many people as have been converted to Hillary via six-figure paychecks. n/t