Moderate Democrats worried about Sanders surge

[left-of-center2012]

The strong showing by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary has moderate Democrats on Capitol Hill concerned that, if the self-described democratic socialist wins the party’s presidential nomination, it could jeopardize efforts to protect their House majority and take control of the Senate.

In interviews and private conversations with roughly a dozen House Democrats across the political spectrum, many told ABC News they feared that Sanders and his proposals, including Medicare-for-All, the Green New Deal and tuition-free college, could alienate independent voters in the suburbs and exurbs who helped deliver the House majority to Democrats in 2018.

It's a warning repeated by Sanders' opponents, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. "They're terrified," Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. told ABC News of his colleagues' response to Sanders' rise. "Very few people see Bernie as electable."

"It could be challenging in parts of the country that we have to win in order to win the presidency and win a majority in the Senate," Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., a centrist who dropped his own White House bid after the New Hampshire primary, said Thursday of a Sanders' nomination.

None of the roughly 40 House Democrats considered to be the most vulnerable in November have endorsed Sanders, according to FiveThirtyEight. Of those who have endorsed a presidential candidate, most have backed either Biden or former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/moderate-democrats-worried-sanders-surge-2020-field/story?id=68987867

[empedocles]

2. Wapo, 2-15-'20, subheadlines: 'Sanders movement may have its limits'

'If Sanders is counting on expanding the Democratic base to make the case for electability in the fall, that's just not

happening so far.'

'If anything, evidence shows the Democratic primary electorate has become more pragmatic than in 2016.'

[msongs]

3. what surge. 25% of the vote is not a surge lol. nt

[empedocles]

4. Amazing how many BS 'surges' have been claimed by some here at DU

[loyalsister]

5. They are pushing me in his direction

nt

[Gothmog]

6. sanders at the top of ticket would kill downballot candidates

I would hate to lose the House and see a Speaker Kevin McCarthy due to having a very weak candidate like sanders at the top of the ticket

[Awsi Dooger]

9. The House is likely gone if Sanders is the nominee

We won the House based on a midterm generic edge of 8+ points. That won't happen again anyway. We are going to lose seats based on sheer reversion to normalcy.

Place a socialist atop the ticket and suddenly all of those swing suburban districts are in jeopardy, plus others that we weren't even worried about

[Gothmog]

10. I would hate to see Speaker Kevin McCarthy

[Ron Green]

11. Quite the opposite, I suggest.

For example, Milwaukie mayor Mark Gamba is standing for Oregon’s District 5 to oust corporate Dem Kurt Schrader. He came into the fray upon Bernie’s 2016 run, and I imagine candidates all over the country have been similarly inspired.

[Gothmog]

12. In the real world, candidates supported by sanders lost

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

7. 'We'd be f--ed': Texas Dems sweat a Bernie Sanders ticket

We have made a great deal of progress that will go down the drain if a weak and unelectable candidate like sanders is on the top of the ticket. After the 2010 elections, there were 101 republicans members of the Texas state House compared to 49 Democrats. We flipped 12 state house seats in 2018 and need 9 more to take control of the Texas House. We flipped two Congressional seats (Lizzie Fletcher and Colin Allred). The DCCC is targeting 7 congressional seats. I have hopes that HJ Hegar could beat Cornyn. Texas would be a battleground state if Biden is the nominee

If sanders is the nominee, we can kiss Lizzie's and Colin's seats goodbye. sanders would be poison.

Link to tweet

“Sanders is a complete disaster and Warren is a complete-disaster-lite,” said Texas-based campaign consultant Jeff Hewitt, who has been working in Democratic politics since he served on Clinton-Gore’s campaign team in the 1990s. “At the end of the day, most of us want to win.”....

Hewitt said O’Rourke’s loss reveals that far-left ideas don’t bring out enough people to flip seats. “The idea that more people will come out to vote if a progressive is on the ballot, that’s fools gold,” he said....

Polls have offered little guidance. Biden is still a favorite among establishment figures and led a poll of Texas voters before Iowa but Sanders surged after the caucuses and Michael Bloomberg is on the rise.

Texas will eventually turn blue due to demographic trends but having sanders at the top of the ticket would set these efforts back

[Awsi Dooger]

8. I'm scared of nominating anyone who is too liberal

This cycle it meant Sanders, Warren and Harris. All I care about is winning. The details take care of themselves later. In a nation with 9% more conservatives than liberals we don't have nearly the flexibility or potential for audacity as the GOP. Unfortunately our primary voters don't understand the math. and stupidly think we can take cues from the Republicans.

Hence the rationalization of a Bernie Sanders, with apparently no clue whatsoever how that is going to play out on September 24th. Or September 25th. Or October 18th.

We'll be on the defensive every one of those days, and all of the surrounding ones. One commercial even more shocking than the next. Water cooler and everywhere else.

There was a reason I posted that thread on election night 2018, with the astonishing exit poll percentage of Floridians who matter of factly rejected Andrew Gillum as too liberal for the state. I warned that there are always hints in the midterm.

Hillary Clinton was not a stain on the party's image. Republicans were thrilled to defeat her. But she was considered a strong representative Democrat. We were able to move in any direction we wished without tags.

Bernie Sanders would be another matter entirely. That would linger and linger. Again, I'm not sure the situational realities are understood. Imagine Trump defeating Sanders and then on the campaign trail in 2022. Trump would be ranting against the evils of socialism in every state: "Look at what we prevented in 2020. Thank god you helped me prevent that. Democrats are so determined to spread socialism across this country they nominated a guy who wasn't even a member of their party. Can you believe that? Not even a Democrat. But all they care about is socialism so they nominated him anyway. Socialism, socialism, socialism. They almost nominated him four years earlier. They want this country to be another Venezuela. And unless you elect Republicans across this great country you'll have one socialist after another determined to take away your doctor, take away your 401K -- that I exploded through the roof --, take away your guns, take away your church..."

That's exactly how it will play out, except in more bombastic language and style. Trump won't care at all that he long claimed Sanders was receiving an unfair shake. Once late summer 2020 arrives he'll salivate to condemn Sanders and everything he stands for, everything Trump can invent. Socialism will be linked to higher car insurance prices. Everything bad.

And once Americans associate a socialist with someone who lost a presidential campaign they will be even more eager to listen.

[Gothmog]

13. Sanders would kill down ballot candidates

Link to tweet