Bernie Sanders withing 2 points of Clinton latest national poll

In a brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Bernie Sanders has romped to within two points of Hillary Clinton, 50% to 48%, on the eve of the New York Primary. Clinton has been favored in Gotham, but the Bern has steadily chipped away at that lead, reducing it from 48 points to only 6. The national 2 point lead is down from Clinton's 9 points a month ago. It is this brand of consistent momentum we have experienced from the beginning of Bernie's campaign.

What we have to consider is that we are in the second half of the primary races; every pledged delegate counts. Perhaps oversimplified, but indicative that we can't take even the smallest states that are left for granted like Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island or Indiana. A major win in these states, plus New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania, should help convince superdelegates who are supporting Clinton to take another look at what their constituency wants.

More important facts for Bernie Sanders: He leads 15 points among women (57 percent to 42 percent); Clinton's lead among minorities drops from 59 percent to 41 percent; Sanders leads among men by 17 points (58 percent to 41 percent), whites (53 percent to 44 percent) and those ages 18 to 49 (66 percent to 34 percent). These are all meaningful numbers and trends that, by experience, we can be assured will only improve the Bern's chances for the nomination.

Bernie Sanders surges to within 6 points in New York

After a 48 point deficit in the New York Primary from only one month ago, the polls now show Bernie Sanders at 47% and Hillary Clinton 53%. This is the way it always happens, folks, and just keeps getting better. The Bern's team has set up an optimistic goal for 15,000 volunteers making two calls each in New York. You can volunteer here. Now keep in mind that he doesn't have to win, just pick up a sizable amount of delegates. So please do your part today. 

Bernie sander's track record going into Wisconsin Primary

As we approach the important Wisconsin primary tomorrow, below is a reminder of Bernie Sander's recent track record. These are not only wins, they are significant wins that should illustrate to the political community just how important this Progressive's candidacy is in the Presidential race. Wisconsin is the gateway to the New York Primary on Tuesday, April 19, followed by other big states like Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey. Here are the recent ones.

Democrats Abroad - 3/21
Bernie Sanders: 69% (9 delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 31% (4 delegates)

Idaho - 3/22
Bernie Sanders: 78% (17 delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 21% (5 delegates)

Utah - 3/22
Bernie Sanders: 79% (26 delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 20% (6 delegates)

Alaska - 3/26
Bernie Sanders: 82% (13 delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 18% (3 delegates)

Hawaii - 3/26
Bernie Sanders: 70% (17 delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 30% (8 delegates)

Washington - 3/26
Bernie Sanders: 73% (74 delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 27% (27 delegates)

The latest Wisconsin RealClearPolitics poll shows the Bern 2.2 points ahead of Clinton (47.5 to 45). Public Policy Polling has Bernie at 49%, Hillary at 43%. There are 86 pledged delegates in Wisconsin, 10 superdelegates. Should Bernie Sanders continue this succession of picking up the majority of delegates, it is doubtful that Hillary Clinton can arrive at a pledged majority before the convention without depending on superdelegates. 

Bernie Sanders surges again in Wisconsin

The latest polls now have Bernie Sanders at 49% in Wisconsin to Hillary Clinton's 43%.  There are 86 delegates to be had and the more votes the Bern gets, the more delegates. All you Wisconsin Progressives, and also those of you on the fence, put next Tuesday on your calendar and make sure to vote!

FLASH: Bernie Sanders raises biggest amount of dollars in March

Bernie Sanders has hit a new high in his campaign for fundraising in the month of March setting a record of $44 million raised. It came from more than 1.7 million individual contributions from working Americans; it was the most successful fundraising month of the campaign. The public is not only changing its view of the political landscape, it is slowly deciding to become a part of the Bern's Revolution.

Each month donations increase--he has beat Hillary Clinton and her PACs for the last three months. It is also showing in the polls where he jumped again recently to within six points of Clinton. If you are looking at the race an either undecided or not sure if Hillary Clinton is the right candidate, you can look at where Bernie stands on all the issues here. If that doesn't make up your mind, check out this selection of Bernie Sanders posts from my blog.

Bernie Sanders keeps raising BIG bucks

Bernie Sanders has out raised Hillary Clinton several times with his $27.00 donors, which would lead one to believe that Clinton's Wall Street and big corporate sources aren't doing their jobs. Just last month the Bern raised an unbelievable $43.5 million from working people giving just a little bit each online. I know this math isn't perfect but consider this amount divided by $27 and you come up with 1.6 million plus donors. Just in one month.

For those who wonder why Sanders is staying in the race against supposed insurmountable odds against Clinton, this figure should answer any questions. There have been comparisons with the Obama/Clinton 2008 campaign but there are two distinct differences. One, Hillary Clinton is not of the stature Barack Obama was in 2008. Two, Clinton won surprise primaries then but had no where near the momentum in 2008 that Bernie has today. 

Latest survey Bernie Sanders within 6 points nationally

Bernie says, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

This is the latest poll showing Hillary Clinton's lead on Bernie Sanders is down to only six points, although I have seen others where he is either even or ahead. Go figure. The NBC News SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll has Clinton at 49% with Sanders 43%. She is down four points in a week, the Bern up 2. Although Hillary Clinton recently turned her campaign focus to the national election, these figures plus more below should give her pause.

Demographically, Bernie has improved his voting preference with men, while Hillary has declined. Sanders with a 47 percent to 45 percent advantage here. Clinton also drops in white voting preference in a week to 45 where Sander's numbers have increased. In the same period Hillary dropped from 50 to 45 in Hispanic preference and 68 to 64 percent in the black vote. We'll see what another week brings along with large state April primaries.

This has become a trend that must have caught the attention of the superdelegates that at some point have to decide just who the American Progressive public wants as their nominee, as well as who can win the election in November. The numbers are clearly screaming Bernie Sanders.

Shallow media concentrates on Donald Trump

In yesterday's post I pointed out a specific example of how the media is skewing articles and broadcasts toward a mention of Donald Trump to take advantage of a ratings hit. "Susan Sarandon MSNBC interview example of media Trump obsession" points out how the barely mention of Trump in the interview leads to him as the headline, as if Bernie Sanders were an afterthought. When in fact Sarandon gave one of the best evaluations of the Bern's qualities I've ever heard.

This all started with a read of The Nation article, "Trumped by the Media," which points out how Donald Trump has commandeered and corrupted the U.S. media. The Republican Party has been helped measurably because all the attention has increased their voter turnout, which in turn hurts it for the Democrats. "On Super Tuesday, Democratic primary turnout was down roughly a third from 2008 levels." But the GOP turnout was way up.

When you tie this all in with barriers created by Republican passed voter-ID laws, and the media is owned and controlled by big corporations, you have to wonder just what is going on. Here's what Bernie says: "In the United States today, six media conglomerates control almost all forms of mainstream media. Consequently, fewer and fewer people are determining what we watch, hear, and read — compromising our access to accurate and unbiased information."

Here's more from The Nation: "Anyone who understands how the modern media shape the narrative, as opposed to simply reporting on it, knows the answer. As of late February, the wrangling between Trump and his top two rivals (Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz) was given twice as much time on network TV as the Clinton-Sanders contest." It sounds like a combination of chasing ratings while at the same time denying Bernie Sanders his time just because of his message.

And finally, here's the ultimate example of corporate greed over doing the right thing:

"CBS chief Les Moonves says of the ratings and revenue bonanza associated with the Trump moment: 'It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.'"

Bernie Sanders couldn't have made his point any better.

Bernie Sanders buries Clinton in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii

This isn't just momentum, this is a mandate. For Bernie Sanders. He swept the

March 26, caucuses with imposing victories that should convince everyone--most of all Hillary Clinton--that the Bern is far from out of this race, even considering her lead in delegates. Bernie bounded through Alaska gleaning 82% of the vote, Washington 73%, Hawaii 70%. These states are pretty representative of the west coast, where Sanders hopes to do the most damage to Clinton's lead.

Of course we switch to the Midwest and then the east coast in April starting with Wisconsin, then New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Clinton has a 2.5 point lead in Wisconsin, in New York, Clinton with a 20 to 40 point lead, Maryland she is 20 to 30 points out front, and Pennsylvania again 20 to 30 points. Some of these polls were taken in early March so it is possible the results have changed favoring Bernie. The balance of April later.

With the Bern's momentum/mandate from March 26, it is really more than likely he can expect a better return in all of the above states. From there it is a mixture of geographies until we get to California. 

Bernie Sanders sweeps Saturday Primaries

Bernie Sanders decisive sweep of Saturday's Primaries in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii prove the momentum for the Revolution is still as strong as ever. Yes, Bernie trails Hillary Clinton 1,712 to 1,004 in total delegates, but when you remove the 469 superdelegates, her lead is only 268. We know the superdelegates could go to either candidate between now and July. The Bern thinks, and so do his supporters, that he will prove to be the most electable in November.

RealClearPolitics RCP poll averages show Clinton 50.0 to 38.8 against Trump, but only 46.7 to 43.8 with Cruz. Sanders is 54.7 to 37.2 against Trump and 49.6 to 41.2 with Cruz, a clear higher margin of success. The key here is the forces working to defeat Donald Trump seem assured of some success and if so, that would leave Cruz where Hillary holds only a 2.9 spread, Bernie 8.4. And John Kasich beats Clinton by 6.5 where Sanders beats him by 1.

The minute the superdelegates sense that either Hillary Clinton is floundering, or Bernie Sanders is commanding the attention of the American public and can't be stopped, which becomes more evident each day, There will be a mass exodus of superdelegate votes to the Bern. 

Where are you older voters for Bernie Sanders?

Older folks vote and they vote early

It still astonishes me why the older voting crowd hasn't come around to Bernie Sanders side. Hillary Clinton is still drawing this group when all the negative factors like his Democratic Socialism have been explained in detail. It might be the recognition thing and as the Bern wins more states it will change for the better. Sanders' younger voters are a driving force for him but the older crowd voted 72% to 45% in the 2012 election.

Clinton used Tony Bennett and Jamie Lee Curtis in her promotion so Bernie should enlist Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Steve Wozniak who have voiced support for his candidacy. Bernie Sanders is 74-years-young and as is evidenced by his campaign, well up to handling the White House. If he could capture at least a large portion of this base, his worries over delegates would be eased significantly.

The question is, are these older voters for Clinton also donors or are they just the result of polls? This headline makes one wonder, "Clinton claim on small donors is ‘mostly false,’ PolitiFact finds." According to federal disclosure data, small donors account for only 17 percent of the dollar amount of Hillary Clinton's campaign. When you spread this around several demographics Clinton claims in her camp, apparently the older voters aren't that excited over her candidacy.

Bernie Sanders raised raised $5.2 million in the 18 hours after the polls closed in New Hampshire. It's this kind of enthusiastic response he could generate with older voters who apparently are not reacting similarly to Clinton now. Since this group has a tendency to vote early, Bernie's campaign workers must get to them earlier making a strong case for their candidate. This age range is averse to radical change so the Bern needs to convince them he is actually mainstream.

Which when you look at all his issues, he really is.

Bernie Sanders wins significant majority of March 22 voting

Bernie Sanders lost Arizona to Hillary Clinton but he won Idaho and Utah with overwhelming numbers: Idaho 78% to 21.2%; Utah 79.3% to 20.3%. I live in Arizona and just to mention the word Progressive in this state sends the sheltered conservatives running for cover. The Bern amassed 71 delegates to Clinton's 54. He may be behind (Clinton 1,223 total pledged delegates to Sanders' 920) but the momentum is building again as the primaries work West.

On March 26, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington vote. There are no meaningful polls that I can find for any of the three states but Politico's assessment is, "He’s also in a strong position to reel off a few more victories on Saturday — when caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington take place." They add that "the revolution remains stalled," which I disagree with considering one particular factor. Super delegates want to win and Bernie is the most electable.

In a blazing headline this month, Huff Post said, "In Nearly Every Blue, Purple, and Light-Red State, Bernie Sanders Polls Better Against Trump Than Hillary Clinton." These states include Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, No. Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Hillary Clinton wins in only one, Florida. And it's not only super delegates; the Bern could close that 300 deficit with California (June 7 primary) alone which has 546 delegates.

Add to that Oregon and New Jersey coming up and this fight is a long way from being over.

Bernie Sanders broadside on super delegates

It isn't important that Bernie Sanders said in the past he wouldn't need the superdelegates, because the 2016 election has taken so many surprising turns it is hard for anyone to keep up, even the candidates. What is important is the fact that he now realizes he needs a new strategy to get the nomination. On MSNBC his campaign staff said...

"...that he may not be able to catch Hillary Clinton through the primary/caucus delegate process, but the campaign might come close, at which point Team Bernie might ask superdelegates to give Sanders the nomination anyway, even if he’s trailing Clinton after voters have had their say."

This is why they might be taking this new tact. Back in October of 2015, The Hill said, "Since their only goal is electing a candidate capable of winning the White House, it's highly doubtful Clinton's alleged 60 percent support among superdelegates will remain until the end of the primaries. Like his surge in the polls and the Clinton campaign's continued decline, superdelegates will flock to Sanders for a number of reasons."

The first reason is no longer valid since the Bern's momentum was slowed down by the early Southern states and the black votes for Hillary Clinton. But the momentum is far from gone when we know that Sanders out-raised Clinton in January and vastly out-raised her in February. Second, even though the energy created in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan has dwindled, Bernie is still within 10 points of Hillary nationally.

Third, superdelegates want to win. In the general election, Bernie Sanders will win against all three current Republican candidates and significantly. Clinton loses against Kasich big time, would have lost against Rubio, barely winning over Cruz. There are 10 total reasons the Bern will get the superdelegates you can see here. Another is 57% of Americans don't trust Hillary and swing states Florida, Ohio, Penn., Colorado, Iowa and Virginia have negative favorability.

So all of you folks that doubt the outcome of the Primary results, perhaps rightfully so, perhaps, when your candidate changes their strategy that differs somewhat from the past, rest assured that Bernie Sanders is in control and knows full well what he is doing.

Arizona, Idaho and Utah...be sure and vote today. For Bernie.

Bernie Sanders roars into March 15 Primaries #sanders

Here are the latest Democratic Primary polls by state from late Monday afternoon:

Quinnipiac - Ohio

     Sanders-46%
     Clinton-51%

Quinnipiac - Florida

     Sanders-34%
     Clinton-60%

CBS -Illinois

     Sanders-48%
     Clinton-46%

Public Policy Polling - Missouri

     Sanders-47%
     Clinton-46%

Huff Post - No. Carolina

     Sanders 34.6%
     Clinton-54.8%

Bernie Sanders leads in Illinois (Clinton's home state-does that tell you something?) and Missouri, not a big one but a lead is a lead. He is close in Ohio (5 points) but still has work to do in Florida and No. Carolina. From here we are on to Arizona, Idaho and Utah for March 22. More on that later.

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David Axelrod chides Hillary Clinton on misleading comment in Flint, Michigan debate #sanders

David Axelrod was a senior adviser to President Barack Obama when Bernie Sanders supposedly voted against the "auto bailout bill," according to Hillary Clinton. Not so says Axelrod. To begin with it wasn't an auto bailout bill, rather an extremely unpopular Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) -- the emergency funding requested by the Bush administration to help stabilize reeling banks and financial institutions.

Bernie was against this as he has said repeatedly during his candidacy.

Axelrod continued, "It was true that the TARP funding financed small bridge loans to help Chrysler and General Motors survive temporarily and give the new administration a few months to decide if and how the iconic companies could be saved." Clinton purposely turned this into a Sanders "vote against the auto industry bailout." She later qualified her statement, sorta, but continued to confuse the two programs with no real clarification.

Obama's former adviser says he understands why Clinton would be reluctant to identify the bill she supported and Sanders was against because TARP was and is one of the most rejected bills to ever come out of the Congress. Apparently Axelrod pissed off some Clinton supporters doing this because in actuality TARP did eventually provide the much needed funds to save the auto industry.

It's just the way she went about the whole thing in the implication that made Bernie Sanders look like the bad guy and Hillary Clinton the good girl. But apparently it didn't work. The Bern came from a 20-point deficit to win the Michigan primary. He plans to do the same thing in Ohio and Illinois.

Is Hillary Clinton flustered over Bernie Sanders continued campaign success? #sanders

Bernie Sanders feels that his opponent, Hillary Clinton, is upset over his ability to keep winning primaries...like coming from behind in Michigan (20 points) for a solid win. He doesn't say but implies that momentum in the campaign has always been on his side. As a matter of fact it seems that most of the strategy of Clinton's candidacy has been to stop the Bern's momentum. In other words, one would have to say that much of the time she is fighting back from behind.

Surprises like Michigan, if played over in states like Ohio, Florida and Illinois, or any one of the three, could throw Hillary Clinton's campaign completely off balance. She started with the notion that Bernie Sanders was only a flash in the pan but quickly learned that he could become a formidable opponent. He did. Many asked even then if he could continue his early successes. He did. So Hillary has every reason to be nervous going into next Tuesday's primaries.

Hillary Clinton steps up BS on Bernie Sanders record #sanders

I just got an email from Bernie Sanders that points out the stepped up distortions Hillary Clinton is making on his past record. Read the following quote taken from a Washington Post article:

"But it's striking that, as Clinton has doubled down on the attacks, she has with some regularity played pretty fast and loose with the facts.

"She'll take a vote Sanders has made during his 25 years in Congress and gloss over most, if not all, of the details about it. The result is a carefully worded insinuation or even outright accusation that Sanders has voted against his base on everything from immigration to the auto bailout to fossil fuels."

This is a mark of a running-scared campaign that has been completely diverted from the issues to attempt to stave off the recent surges in the Bern's campaign...like his coming from behind (20 points) and winning Michigan. Something he plans to do again in Ohio and Illinois.

Coming tomorrow, David Axelrod faults Hillary Clinton for doing the very same thing as above in the Michigan debate, this time re. Bernie's vote on the TARP bill/Auto Bail Out.

FLASH: Bernie Sanders wins right to 17-year-old vote in Ohio #sanders

If you're 18 on election day Nov. 8, 17-year-olds are eligible to vote in the Ohio primary on March 15. "Franklin County Judge Richard Frye determined that Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, erred when he ordered that Ohioans who are currently 17 but will be 18 on Election Day in November not be allowed to vote in the presidential primaries," according to CNN. The decision was legally challenged by Bernie Sanders and overturned.

This age is an important demographic for the Bern improving his chances of pulling off a Michigan upset here. Along with the fact that Clinton's black support dropped before the Motor City election, the Sander's team hopes for more of the same. Demographics in the two states are very similar, and Bernie bases his new-found success on the fact that the black community, formerly in Clinton's court, are learning more about him and changing their minds.

The Super Delegates will be there

Bernie Sanders said today his lack of super delegates to date didn't worry him because the states involved heavily favored Hillary Clinton. He was more concerned about those states to come in the West like California, Oregon and Washington. Through a little research I found that coming down the home stretch Hillary began to lose super delegates to Barack Obama in 2008, eventually losing the nomination to the current President.

It's a matter of choice, says Nate Silver in his FiveThirtyEight blog, commenting, "Superdelegates were created in part to give Democratic party elites the opportunity to put their finger on the scale..." Isn't this a part of Bernie Sander's promise to balance the inequality in the U.S.? As Silver also remarked, "If you’re a Sanders supporter, you might think this seems profoundly unfair. And you’d be right: It’s profoundly unfair."

Not being a Democrat, the Bern has no control over this process, but something tells me that somewhere in the future the Party will re-think this maneuver.

Bernie Sanders winning in Michigan

Hillary Clinton won Mississippi but it does look very good for Bernie Sanders in Michigan, a much more important state. The Bern didn't expect to win much of the South and thankfully we have those states out of the way now. At this writing, Bernie led Hillary in Michigan 51% to 47%, 81% reporting. This will be a key win for Sanders for Michigan is a diverse state and the Detroit population, its largest city, is heavily black.