Why Many Republicans will vote for Bernie Sanders

[UCmeNdc]

So which candidate do the Republicans want to run against in the general?

[Betty Karlson]

1. RT: not necessarily reliable... n/t

[Live and Learn]

2. But Bernie and Thom are. nt

[A Simple Game]

4. Try again, you missed the message and shot the messenger.

Whoops, never mind, it seems the message is bulletproof anyway.

[ljm2002]

25. I trust Thom Hartmann...

...and he has repeatedly said that RT does not control his show's content in any way, that he is free to express any and all of his views as he sees fit.

Therefore, in my opinion, your RT statement is irrelevant. Maybe they aren't necessarily reliable (as compared to what? Fox? MSNBC? CNN?), but Thom is.

[TheFarS1de]

3. It' s rather ironic ...

that the decline in income and living standards brought about by Republican policy could be the very tool to drive the working class component of the republican base right into the arms of a Democratic Socialist

Definitely food for thought and something to watch in the coming months

[Hortensis]

17. Ironic, but it's happened many times before. But, although Bernie

appeals to both moderate and radical liberals, I suspect the GOP votes most likely to be taken by him are from the reactionary GOP base/TP. When the ideological spectrum is actually more like a "U" or a "O" than a line, what might seem an incredible shift can be actually just a hop or stroll.

Nothing's really as simple as this O and U, and line stuff, of course, but nevertheless we may just be in an increasingly "U" to "O" period, where unhappiness increases movement away from centers that are seen as having betrayed.

Although Bernie'd pick up some conservative, right-leaning independents, but we know most of those tend to be moderate, and thus it seems more likely they'd choose a moderate left candidate if they were going to "cross," like in 2008 and 2012 when they helped elect President Obama.

[tecelote]

5. But, but... Bernie is unelectable!

Looks like that meme is no longer valid. Bernie is making his mark.

America isn't used to a politician that is honest and has integrity.

He's not owned by the big corporations, he's not a hawk and he has a track record to prove his convictions.

Bernie cares about people. Americans over America.

We always hear that poor Republicans are voting against their own well being. It goes beyond Republicans now. The Democratic party is owned. Unless you're in the 1%, Bernie is your best bet at a better life for yourself, your family and the planet.

[kelliekat44]

6. Yes, just like they did for Obama and they will have to live with the outcome. Hillary has been

fighting these battles a long time and she still wants to serve. It's ok by me but this time their plan will work in the general election...and they know it. The black base will not turn out for Bernie like it did for Obama. Just do the friggin math!

[Ford_Prefect]

8. Regrettably she has NOT fought for All of us.

The more people discover that truth the less they want her. The black vote is not a given for any candidate in this election. Neither is the republican base beyond the racist flat earth lunatics.

It is about the economy and about everyone's quality of life this time around. It is about a future that makes sense, not one spent in fear of illegal alien hordes, ISIS terror, or Gay marriage. If I were a hedge fund manager or investment banker I'd be making plans to emigrate to Bahrain or some other bankster safe haven.

[pinebox]

10. Hillary has been fighting

for a long time, eh? Ya I mean that overwhelming LGBT support she's thrown their way has been pretty awesome lol The black base won't turn out for Hillary either, not like they did for Obama. So what's your point?

[magical thyme]

23. 3 strikes, Nafta, TPP...yeah, Hillary's been fighting these battles for a long time

just on the wrong side.

[artislife]

24. But maybe enough minorities will

Along side the very type of Repubs and Independents. I know there is a push in the Latino community with Spanish translations of speeches and social media.

There is time, we aren't ready to roll up the sidewalks, yet.

[frylock]

26. Are you a part of the black base that will not turn out for Bernie?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

30. "The black base will not turn out for Bernie like it did for Obama."

No, but it will turn out for Bernie as much as it will for anyone else who gets the Dem nomination in 2016. Look at historical black voting patterns in presidential elections that aren't just 'Obama'.

Despite the bashing, there's nothing inherently worse about Bernie for minorities than there is for Hillary. Indeed, based upon their two histories of policy affecting minorities, Bernie can be proven to have done far less damage to them over time.

Black people are going to vote for the Dem nominee in pretty much the same numbers, no matter who the Dem nominee turns out to be. They might decide this is the year to withhold votes based on BLM or Campaign Zero or other related issues, but not simply 'because it's Bernie'.

[UCmeNdc]

38. Agree!

[quickesst]

7. I think....

...that many say they will, but I have doubts about the sincerity. I wouldn't fall for it for the simple reason that when it comes to politics, I wouldn't trust anything that comes out of a winger's piehole.

[Armstead]

13. Did you watch the video?

The proof is in the pudding -- he keeps getting elected by huge margins

[quickesst]

21. Yep

And we shall see how it all plays out in the end. I've said it once, I'll say it again. If Bernie Gets the nomination, I hope everyone votes for him, period. I don't think he will, and that is my opinion, but if he does, I will of course vote for him. I am firmly committed to the " Any democrat, not a republican" crowd. I will not let pride contribute to a disaster.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, UCmeNdc.

[Sunlei]

11. Republicans want to run against Sanders, is that your point?

Actually I agree, they want to run against Sanders.

[Skwmom]

15. The Republicans want to run against Hillary.

For one thing, it will help them on down ticket races where the person in the race endorsed Hillary.

In addition her "I didn't think" will be used to go after competency (as pointed out by Tom Brokaw).

[Sunlei]

16. No they don't, they want the Decades of Senator Sanders communications to bring up front.

[daleanime]

19. So who is it exactly that has...

the 'Goldman Sachs Seal of Approval'?

Let's not pretend that they hate both candidates with an equal fury. The republican base has been whipped to hate Hillary for decades, but their owners are unafraid of a President Clinton. They did well under one, they would probably do well under another. But even the idea of a President Sanders is enough to make the upper crust sweat. Which would be a good start.

So it's really simple, if you're happy with the status quo then Hillary's is your candidate. If you're not happy with it, it's time to feel the Bern.

[Sunlei]

20. I like them both. I've always liked what Senator Sanders has 'said' for many years.

There is no need for RW to 'attack' Senator Sanders now, they'll wait until if he wins the primary.

[kenfrequed]

33. Uhm...

Do you mean his decades of speaking for the poor, for veterans, for workers, for the 99%, for people that need healthcare, for reproductive rights, for African Americans?


Those communications?

What the hell are you actually talking about?

[Sunlei]

34. Senator Sanders has always spoken for the '99%'

I mean the thousands of letters, meetings, phone records, work schedules, personal life, Governor records, over decades. Those records haven't been scrutinized (raked through) by the opposition at all.

[kenfrequed]

35. Yes.... they have

Seriously, people like Sanders because he is real. He is probably one of the least corrupt congressmen in the last ten years. No petty bullshit is going to change that.

[Sunlei]

36. The people do like Sanders 'messages'. He has always spoken up but has he ever worked with

his fellow Senators, with Congress to make those dreams happen? I won't mind if he becomes President, though I think he'd make a great VP.

[Robbins]

12. The candiate republicans want to run aginst is Hilary

that's their entire 2016 campagin.run against her.

Any republican voter out there who says they support bernie means they want to vote for him.

[kenfrequed]

32. Yup

Basically she is the candidate that they want to run against. Her being the presumptive candidate back in 2014 was one of the motivating factors to so many Republicans trying for the nomination. They basically figured all they had to do was win the primary and they were a shoe-in.

Of course reality tells a completely different story and none of them seem to grasp that demographically and politically they have gone so far to the extreme right that they might never win the White House again no matter who the Democrats choose to run.

[Armstead]

14. Yep. Thom is making a very good point. Vermont is not all Ben and Jerry

Vermont is not the la-la land stereotype that people use to marginalize Sanders' "electability" outside of a narrow spectrum of lefty hippies.

Bernie has the ability of sticking to his progressive principles, while also being able to gain support from people who would otherwise reject the labels associated with him. Sanders has an unbroken string of overwhelming re-election to Congress and promotion to the Senate in a state that does have a lot of traditional Republicans and independents who think of themselves as conservatives.

[hueymahl]

18. Amazing how many people are making comments without actually watching the video

The messenger being republican makes it even more powerful. It is a reasoned argument supported by facts to show that Bernie is the real threat to the chances of the Republicans gaining the Whitehouse.

[UCmeNdc]

22. It would be interesting to put Bernie Sanders message out to the Reddest of Red voters

and see what they think. Not a FOX News propaganda version. A direct from Bernie to the Red voters version.

[Recursion]

27. Sanders will be lucky to pull 2% of Republicans

As a comparison, Obama got about 7% in 2012.

[uponit7771]

29. +1, Obama pulled that number from people who were disgusted at Bush

[kenfrequed]

37. Sanders will pull more than Hillary would.

I don't think there is any doubt that Sanders would be more succesful at pulling Republicans than Hillary. He has been effective at getting Republicans to vote for him at every election he has won so far.

Will it be the same percentage of republicans on the national scene? Probably not.

[uponit7771]

28. This is laughable at best, the SE isn't anything like the NE and they know Bernie less in the SE

[kenfrequed]

31. Very few will

Slightly more than will vote for Hillary Clinton, but very, very few Republicans will vote for anyone running with the Democratic nomination.