Thursday, September 29, 2016

Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and the Battle for the Millennial Vote



I'm glad to see that another poll is suggesting that most Americans believe Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in their first debate.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that a majority of Americans believe Hillary Clinton won the first presidential debate on Monday.

The poll found that, out of 2,000 responders, 56 percent thought the Democratic nominee won the debate, as opposed to 26 percent who said the same about Republican Donald Trump.


But while Clinton did perform well, and did at the very least halt Trump's momentum..



She did make one very big mistake. 




She failed with more than eighty million people watching, to send a shout out to Bernie Sanders.

Even though he was watching, and has made his support for her abundantly clear.


And even though she desperately needs him to get more millennials on side, and stop some of his supporters from voting for third parties.

With just six weeks to go until Election Day, younger voters are shunning the two major political parties on a scale not seen since Ross Perot’s third-party bid for the presidency in 1992, a striking swing in public opinion that is slicing into Hillary Clinton’s thin margin for error.

More than a third of voters 18 to 29 said in the latest New York Times/CBS News poll that they would vote for either Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, or Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate: Mr. Johnson had the support of 26 percent of those voters, and Ms. Stein had 10 percent.


Stop them from wasting their votes...



Or not voting at all.

Given the choice of just Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump, 10 percent said they would not vote at all — double that of any other age group.

And by so doing helping to elect Trump.

So I was glad to see Bernie and Hillary campaigning together yesterday. 



They may not love each other. They may not always demonstrate much chemistry. But they are determined to present a united front for the sake of the kids. Or, at least, prospective voters ages 18 to 29.

Happy to see that Bernie is in good form.

“Is everybody here ready to transform America?” he asked, to roars. “You’ve come to the right place.”

Moments later, he blessed their shared plans with an adjective he had used often in his bid for the nomination. “This,” he said, “is a revolutionary proposal for the future of our country.”


And even happier that his message appears to be sinking in.

“I’m anti-Trump,” said Ryan Anastasi, 19, a sophomore at the university. “The best way to make sure Trump does not get to office is to vote Hillary.”


And of course pleased that Hillary Clinton is finally showing some appreciation for Sanders.



After the way she and the Democratic establishment treated him during the nomination campaign.

And the best news?

Bernie is now fully committed and planning an October blitz...


But while that is terrific news, and I'm sure that Sanders will be able to corral most of his wayward supporters. 

Clinton needs to do more to motivate those young people to do more than just hold their noses and vote for her. She needs their energy and enthusiasm to help get out the vote.

And the best way to do that is to make it clear that Bernie will play a big part in her administration. So he can pressure her to keep her promises, move her government in the right direction, and continue his revolution.

For that is what most young Americans want, and Bernie is and will always be their champion...



Gosh, I'm beginning to feel the bern again. 

May it burn brightly.

And help consume this dangerous demagogue...



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So the DNC completely screws Bernie and now he's helping Hillary to tow the party line? Not interested in a shill but thanks for coming out.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes what is best for a country means shilling for someone who is personally odious. I am glad Bernie recognizes that America is worth that. ~GS