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The first reason is no longer valid since the Bern's momentum was slowed down by the early Southern states and the black votes for Hillary Clinton.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.

Elizabeth Warren looking good in the polls

August 27, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Why is Elizabeth Warren moving up in the polls?  

Elizabeth Warren 2020

The question would have been moot a week or two earlier when Joe Biden looked like a sure thing. Apparently a few gaffes and a couple of misstatements have convinced some of the left that he may not be the right candidate. Monday's Monmouth University poll revealed surprising results...

"It found a virtual three-way tie among Biden at 19% and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who each had 20%."

However, the "Real Clear Politics’ aggregation of polls still shows Biden well ahead, at 28.8%, followed by Sanders at 16% and Warren at 15.4%." If we are to believe Monmouth, and it is a credible pollster, then might we expect the same trend to begin in other polls? Jennifer Rubin, a conservative writer for The Washington Post says, "There’s a reason Elizabeth Warren is surging," and that is because she is appealing to "ordinary" Americans.

We know there are a lot of ordinary Americans out there that have had absolutely no voice since Donald Trump entered the White House. And my guess is that there are many ordinary Americans supporting T-rump that must be having second thoughts now. Not the core, but the fringe. Rubin comments...

"she’s not telling exactly the same story as she did earlier. Using family stories she has gotten 'looser' and funnier. She interacts with the crowd more. She has less anger, more determination and more confidence. She is high-energy."

Elizabeth Warren gaining momentum...

But, it would appear that the voting public still favors a candidate who can win over one who is heated in the issues, for example, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. And it is interesting to note here that even after all the rhetoric, talk of being a socialist, and losing the primary to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Bernie Sanders is yet able to hold on to the second position in the 2020 Democratic Primary. I still say a Sanders/Warren ticket would be dynamite.

For some reason, the media is now beginning to focus on a two-way race between Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, With Biden's recent gaffes and misstatements, he could easily lose the edge, and Bernie is still suffering over his age, which I find ludicrous. Here's the current scenario...

"She [Warren] drew an estimated 15,000 people to a rally in Seattle after holding an event nearly as large in Minneapolis last week. Biden spent the weekend talking to small gatherings in New Hampshire and Iowa. This led to a new meme: the rock star versus the rock."

Here are some more of the latest...

"Warren is doing better than Sanders in Iowa but the reverse is the case in New Hampshire. The most recent polls out of South Carolina show Warren and Sanders essentially tied in a distant fight for second place that might not even give either of them any delegates at all, and the two most recent polls out of Nevada disagree about which of them is doing better."

I still have a hankering to see a Bernie Sanders surge that takes him to the top capped off by winning the primary. But I am not naive, the primary thrust of the left in 2020 is beating Donald Trump. And there is still a year to go.  

Bernie sanders looking good in Iowa

In the latest Quinnipiac poll released yesterday, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton by 4 points, 49% to 45%. By demographics Bernie trounces her with men, trails slightly with women, way ahead on the age group 18-24, trails slightly on 45 to 64 year-olds and is way behind in the 65+ age group. An earlier Quinnipiac survey this month...

Clinton and Sanders are not far apart among women. Sanders has a net favorability of plus-81 with women; Clinton's is +69. Among men? Sanders is +88 and Clinton is +29 — a massive gap.

Should Bernie bring more women over to his side, he would have two major groups along with the young. Not sure he'll ever get the older folks 65+ and I believe it has something to do with Sanders Democratic Socialism; they remember Joe McCarthy and his fight against Communism and just seem to mistakenly put the two together. Another factor is that Sanders's support is far heavier among the third of poll respondents who've never been to a caucus before.

But The Washington Post cautions there are red flags. One, in 2008 fewer men voted and traditionally young people don't vote. I say, with the enthusiasm Bernie is getting from men in Iowa, and the fireworks this Presidential election has created, they will go to the caucuses on Feb. 1. And that goes double for the younger vote.

Oh, by the way, The Huff Post combination of several national polls had Bernie Sanders at 35.8% against Hillary Clinton's 51.0% as of January 24. Bernie's up from 33.3% and Hillary's down from 54.8% since January 1. Pretty significant for less than a full month.

Robert Reich says Bernie Sanders is electable

Six ways to convert Bernie Sanders skeptics...

Robert Reich, who is an American liberal economist, professor, author, and political commentator, who worked for Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, has six ways he feels will convince Bernie Sanders' skeptics.

1. “America would never elect a socialist. P-l-e-a-s-e. America’s most successful and beloved government programs are social insurance – Social Security and Medicare. A highway is a shared social expenditure, as is the military and public parks and schools. The truth is we have already have socialists." A point that has been made hundreds of times and think about it, the Bern's programs have a majority support in the U.S.

Why is Bernie Sanders electable?...

2. “He’d never beat Trump in the general election. Wrong. The best way for Democrats to defeat Trump’s fake anti-establishment populism is with the real thing, coupled with an agenda of systemic reform. This is what Bernie Sanders offers, and it’s what the polls are reflecting." Biden beats Bernie by over nine points in the primary, understandable, due to recent dropouts and their endorsements for Joe Biden. But Robert Reich is looking at individual ideology more these days, and Sanders' candidacy is becoming more desirable.

3. “But how would he pay for it?" A question asked over and over when it seems no one muses, "Funny that they never ask how we’ll pay for endless wars or bailouts, tax cuts, and subsidies for the top 1 percent." Reich continues, "Bernie’s campaign just released a detailed memo outlining how they plan to pay for his policy ideas." When you consider what we are paying for and the results it will yield, the whole effort is put into perspective.

There are three more: 4. “He couldn’t get any of his ideas implemented because Congress would reject them.” - 5. “He’s too old.” - 6. “He can’t unite the Democratic Party.” I really recommend you read this article by one of the leading liberal political analysts of today, Robert Reich.

      

Clinton campaign whines on and on and on...

Hillary Clinton had just won 58% of the New York Primary vote to Bernie Sanders 42% when the Clinton talking heads started grumbling over the fact that Bernie is not playing fair. Seems that at the time exit polls gleaned from respondents that 46% felt the Clinton campaign was more unfair, only 34% for Sanders. In added comments, "...66% of Democrats said the primary contest is 'energizing' the party," according to CNN.

Chief whiner, Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, says that "...the Sanders campaign 'has been destructive' to that point that he is 'not productive to Democrats' and is 'not productive for the country.'" What she is really saying is that the Bern is an Independent, not a Democrat, and the fact that he has won so many primaries against Hillary is embarrassing the party. What she fails to mention is the fact that Bernie Sanders is consistently committed.

But the numbers are that Sanders won 106 delegates in New York to Clinton's 139 for a total of 1,199 pledged to 1,452 respectively. Clinton has 489 superdelegates to Sanders 41, a hefty lead that could be whittled down with the upcoming primaries. Bernie's position, and it is a reasonable one, is that superdelegates will start changing their mind if he continues strong in future primaries, starting with Connecticut on April 26.

Another superdelegate factor includes states whose delegates have voted for Clinton where Sanders was the choice of the popular vote. Sanders adviser Tad Devine said, referring to the Clinton campaign whining, "I hear what they're saying, but what they're saying is being refuted by the voters themselves." One thing is clear, Bernie Sanders has started a revolution that the American public has connected with, and it has upset the Democratic Party process.

Bernie Sanders Can Win Because He Is Authentic

Bernie Sanders is as real and genuine as it gets but will that land him the Democratic nomination for 2016? CNN is still saying don't count Bernie out, even though he faces enormous popularity and financial odds against Hillary Clinton. I did the numbers once, 30 million Progressives and another 40 million Democrats, not necessarily Progressives. Sanders can't count on all 30 million Progressives and he can count on taking some of "Hillary's" 40 million Democrats. And throw in a few thousand moderate Republicans making the pot pretty massive for someone. Bernie Sanders' biggest problem is that in a recent poll, only 1% of voters haven't heard of Hillary Clinton. And In a late Clear Politics national poll Clinton has 62 percent support from Democratic voters, Sanders only 5.6 percent. He also can't expect a lot of establishment endorsement since he is an outsider doing his own thing. But that is what the grass-roots folks love and why so many of them love Bernie.

There are reasons for the candidate's growing popularity, primarily his "frontal assault on the political system and a pledge to directly combat the billionaire class.” Also, with the level of distrust in Washington at its peak, things are ripe for Sanders' damn-the-system revolution. Bernie Sanders has Jimmy Carter's "Peanut Farmer" appeal but with more substantive issues in his playbook.

According to Bernie Sanders' campaign, Michael Bloomberg is an "oligarch"

Nina Turner - Bernie Sanders

The mud slinging between Bernie Sanders' campaign and Michael Bloomberg had to start sometime with the former New York Mayor crashing the Primary with everything he can muster. Bloomberg's focus has been on Donald Trump with a minimum of attention directed against Democratic opponents. But Sanders' co-chair, Nina Turner, decided to start the action going by labeling Bloomberg an oligarch. 

Her concern was about, "'the oligarchs' being able to buy their way into elections." Bernie, of course, believe there is a huge inequity between the rich, like Michael Bloomberg, and the poor and middle class, and he would be right. But you have to consider what Bloomberg has done with his billions, from fighting gun violence to attacking the climate change issue. Besides, Turner's real problem is letting the billionaire into future debates. Here's the scenario...

"The Democratic National Committee is drastically revising its criteria to participate in primary debates after New Hampshire, doubling the polling threshold and eliminating the individual donor requirement, which could pave the way for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to make the stage beginning in mid-February."

Here are the new qualifications...

"Candidates will need to earn at least 10 percent in four polls released from Jan. 15 to Feb. 18, or 12 percent in two polls conducted in Nevada or South Carolina, in order to participate in the Feb. 19 debate in Las Vegas. Any candidate who earns at least one delegate to the national convention in either the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary will also qualify for the Nevada debate."

Those who haven't yet hit the polling threshold are: Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer. Those who are over are: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The new criteria eliminate the individual-donor threshold, allowing Bloomberg to participate after New Hampshire. It also makes the way for his participation with his philosophy of not accepting any donations, using his own money, to prevent any problems with donor influence.

This might very well be the new starting point for the Democratic Primary with replenished hope for a successful outcome that will beat Donald Trump.
READ MORE...

Bernie Sanders has surged in national polls in six months

The Huff Post has combined a number of national polls starting in January of 2015 through this January, showing the phenomenal growth of Bernie Sanders' campaign. As an unknown, he polled a low 4% on January 12, 2015, Hillary Clinton 60.8% and Martin O'malley .09%. Today, Sanders is 37.5%, Clinton 51.6% and O'Malley 2.7%.

Since Clinton has lost 9.2 points, O'Malley has gained only 2.6, that would indicate to me most of the 33.5 additional points Bernie Sanders has added are from formerly undecided voters. The interactive Huff Post also shows just under a twenty-percent increase for Bernie in just one month; Dec. 2015 31.4%, Jan. 2016 37.5%. In that same period Hillary lost 4.1 points. If you believe in polls, and keep in mind this is a collection of several, this is significant.

The Iowa Caucus is February 1, New Hampshire Primary following on the 9th. And then there are the Nevada Caucus and South Carolina Primary on February 20. It has been said that, even if Bernie Sanders wins Iowa and New Hampshire, and he is ahead in both, he will fade in Nevada and South Carolina and beyond. I say that is no longer true, based on the fact that his national recognition has grown by at least 20% since starting his campaign, and the last month continued to confirm that this will continue and play heavily in all future primaries.

South Carolina is already showing promise for Bernie Sanders but Nevada is uncertain at this point. More on this tomorrow.

Obama talks 2008 and Bernie Sanders

Just today it was reported on MSNBC that "Obama doesn’t see Clinton vs. Sanders as a repeat of 2008." He goes on to confirm that Hillary Clinton is establishment and Bernie Sanders is, well, too focused on one thing. Admittedly, Bernie started his campaign and has continued to emphasize America's inequality, but under that heading falls all of issues also being promoted by Clinton:

Campaign finance reform
Climate change
Criminal justice reform
The economy
Gun violence reform
Health care
Immigration reform
Voting rights  

There are more but the above shows just how close the two campaigns really are. It doesn't point out, however, the differences which make Bernie Sanders the choice of voters who want real change. Like in 2008. Bernie wants a $15 minimum wage, Hillary only $12. Bernie wants honest, single-pay universal health care, Hillary satisfied with Obamacare. Bernie wants to control the wealthy and Wall Street, Hillary is a part of it. There's even more.

Hillary thinks that we must work within the framework of the current political system, Bernie wants a revolution to change that and do away with the current disruptive government. Hillary wants to modify the educational system, Bernie wants to change it to free education for all. Hillary not clear on how she'll pay for her proposals, Bernie will tax the wealthy, large corporations and Wall Street. The last is perhaps the most significant in the separation between the two candidates.

President Obama, along with the rest of the Democratic establishment, is protecting the party favorite over the Independent candidate. Bernie Sanders will finally put this kind of thinking to rest.

It's Official...Bernie Sanders' Revolution Goes National

This sign says it best: "People for Bernie." They're sitting on it, the grass roots of Bernie Sanders campaign, showing their admiration and support. It all happened in Burlington, VT, but he has every intention of taking the revolution national, and it is people like these who will help him do it, eventually winning the Democratic nomination. To start the revolution he said:

“Today, with your support and the support of millions of people throughout this country, we begin a political revolution to transform our country,” he said. “This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders. It is not about Hillary Clinton. It is not about Jeb Bush or anyone else. This campaign is about the needs of the American people, and the ideas and proposals that effectively address those needs.”

 The time has come for these American people to put their support where their mouth is and come out for the man who is fighting for their needs. Bernie Sanders has started cropping up repeatedly on my Facebook and Twitter pages recently, an indication that more folks are becoming aware of his presence in the race and just who he is. The latter has a direct effect on MSNBC's question of whether he can successfully take his revolution national and adds a national revolution is longer than a longshot for Sanders. But he did it once before and won the office of Mayor in Burlington, in another longshot.

One of his former staffers "...attributes Sanders’ later successes to reality catching up to Sanders’ rhetoric." The hope is now that reality will catch up with the American public and put this man of the people in the White House.

Shouldn't we listen to Vermont to tell us about Bernie Sanders?

Bernie Sanders Vermont shop tattoo

Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane came home to some 4,000 screaming supporters congratulating him on his Super Tuesday success. And rightfully so since he carried the four most diverse states. And the Bern won 86% of the Vermont vote yielding all 16 of the state's delegates. Who in this country knows Bernie Sanders better than the people of Vermont? This man wins elections by tripling his opponents' vote.

From Mayor of Burlington to the U.S. Senate, Sarah A., a 10th-generation Burlingtonian said, “He put us on the map for more than just weed and Ben and Jerry’s.” The Revolution started in Burlington, and Rebecca Haslam exclaimed, now “We are at ground zero of the political revolution.” Poetry professor at the University of Vermont who co-wrote Sanders’ autobiography commented,
“He has been dramatically important to the redefinition of the state.”

It is true that Vermont is a "tiny homogeneous state" almost all white but since starting his campaign, the Bern has shown the he can understand the problems of the black and Hispanic populations. His background in civil rights is not to be questioned. Besides, if you have the passionate urge to help people, all people, like Bernie Sanders does, and have 30 years in government experience to back it up, it would be hard to vote for anyone else for President. Right?

Bernie Sanders would have trampled Trump in 2016

Donna Brazile would have replaced Hillary with Joe Biden

Bernie Sanders has his faults, like weak on gun control, soft on black issues, and light when it comes to women's rights. But his popularity soared in 2016, while Donald Trump struggled to maintain his position. Yet, Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the race for President. The Bern's campaign group says they now have proof that the DNC was favoring Clinton, and Donna Brazile said she seriously considered replacing Clinton with V.P. Joe Biden. Sanders says in Rolling Stone Dems should concentrate on bread and butter issues like healthcare and the economy, not Robert Mueller's investigation, but Bloomberg reports the Russia baggage will follow Republicans into 2018. In my earlier blog today, Half of America thinks Trump guilty of criminal acts, 53% convinced of broad wrongdoing in Trump Russia case, and 58% of public thinks Trump investigation is right on.

Bernie Sanders would have beat Trump in 2016...

Definitely proven the 2016 campaign was rigged against Bernie Sanders...

Donna Brazile almost replaced Hillary Clinton with Joe Biden...

Bernie Sanders not sure Robt. Mueller investigation Dems' focus for 2018...

Bloomberg says Russian baggage will follow Republicans into 2018...

What's next for Bernie Sanders?...

The smile on Bernie's face is because he was able to raise over $45 million in February. He did it with 2.2 million donations which, "surpassed what any Democratic candidate had raised in any full three-month quarter last year." Is it good enough? It will be if he can garner the vote of color, reports The Guardian. With Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg both out of the race and endorsing Joe Biden, Tom Steyer out with no endorsement yet, here's the scenario...

"The first four contests of the Democratic nomination have concluded, and it’s clear that whoever wins the nomination will owe their success to the love and support of people of color."

With Bernie versus Biden from the first four primaries, it shows...

Sanders [in Nevada] leading among white voters (31% to 18%) but running away with the contest among Latinos, who made up 17 % of all voters. Among that critical demographic, Sanders beat his opponents by at least a 3 to 1 margin (51% to 13% according to the entrance polls).

Blacks did the same for Biden in So. Carolina...

"where African Americans comprise the majority of all Democratic voters, exit polls showed that African Americans gave 61% of their votes to the vice president of America’s first black president, propelling him to a nearly 30-point victory."

 Joe Biden "denied there was an organized effort around the dropouts," but it was reported that Buttigieg met with Jimmy Carter the day before his decision. Like a good Democrat, Klobuchar followed suit and made her exit. Surprising Warren hasn't yet done the same since she performed like a good Dem in 2016 by not endorsing Bernie Sanders when it was clear even then she was in his Progressive camp. Of course, there is still time.

Here's CNN take on Super Tuesday...

Super Tuesday (today) stacks up on Nate Silver's 538 revealing Bernie Sanders ahead in nine out of the fifteen primaries, some the Bern leads in substantially, with California 91% to 7%, yielding Sanders total primary delegates of 540 to Biden's 395. Bloomberg and Warren are insignificant. The latest Univision poll of March 2, shows "42 percent of Hispanic voters in California intend to vote for Sanders, while 15 percent favor former Vice President Joe Biden."

Is the left targeting the Hispanic vote?...

USA today says Hispanics flocked to the Bern in Nevada, and in their latest March 1, poll...

Sanders was at 35% among likely Democratic primary voters, well ahead of former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg at 16%, former vice president Joe Biden at 14% and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 12%.

Have Latinos finally awakened to the fact that going to the polls doesn't guarantee them a trip back to their country of origin? Or are they just so pissed at Donald Trump they have finally decided to turn on him and help the left vote him out of office? They are both possibilities, but the end result is their showing up at the polls in November, and it looks like they finally will. Welcome to the USA!

HEADLINE: After Bernie Sanders' landslide Nevada win, it's time for Democrats to unite behind him

If the Democratic establishment doesn't get behind Bernie Sanders soon, we are looking at four more years of Donald Trump. It is as if the old die-hards are saying, we'd rather see the Oval Office lunatic re-elected than give in to a Progressive. Are they jealous of the Bern's squeaky clean record, when most of them can't boast anything of the same. The leaders of the left, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi must start the ball rolling and do it now.  

The Guardian says...

"No other Democrats can beat him at this point. But, the liberal establishment is still struggling to come to terms with Sanders’ inevitable nomination."

The word has been out for some time that Bernie "could attract left-leaning young white people, but was incapable of drawing in a diverse coalition." Not so. One of the candidate's major sources of support in Nevada was people of color. In fact...

"he received the majority of Latino votes. Entrance polls showed Sanders winning “men and women, whites and Latinos, voters 17-29, 30-44 and 45-65, those with college degrees and those without, liberal Democrats (by a lot) and moderate/conservatives (narrowly), union and non-union households.”

Here is a long, but very accurate description of the current status of the Democratic Primary...

"Michael Bloomberg fizzled completely in his big debut, and Democrats would be out of their minds to enrage every Sanders supporter by nominating a Republican billionaire. Joe Biden has lost badly in all of the first three contests, and it’s very clear that he can’t run an effective campaign. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign has nearly gone broke and in desperation she has resorted to relying on the Super PACs that she previously shunned. Pete Buttigieg can’t win voters of color or young people (and has accurately been described as sounding like 'a neural network trained on West Wing episodes')."

The media was so sure with Sanders' avalanche of votes that he was predicted to win with only 4% of the vote in. If this is any indication of the Bern's attraction, the skeptics can rest assured of his strength. Chris Matthews of MSNBC declared the primary "over." Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post commented that it might be too late to do anything about him. This is the kind of language that pisses me off...why would we want to do anything about a winner?

Look, Bernie has built a solid grassroots organization with known ability to bring in plenty of money; he raised a massive amount of $25 million in January alone. Just think what he can expect now with the Nevada win. And, RealClearPolitics currently shows Bernie Sanders ahead of Donald Trump 49.7% to 45.3. On the socialism issue, American do consider it unfavorable by 58% to 28%. However...

"Democrats and, more specifically, progressives view socialism favorably. Half of Democrats said so, while more than two-thirds of progressives did."

The Nevada strong win by Sanders will be considered by many Democrats as a disaster for the party, as it continues to lean farther to the left. But that's where the new Democratic Party is and these old hands had better get used to it. The Guardian exclaims...

"All in all, Nevada was an inspiring moment for American democracy, proof that ordinary working people of all races and incomes and genders can come together around a robust progressive agenda."

The people have spoken. Now it's time to listen!   READ MORE...

Bernie Sanders v. Elizabeth Warren

He said...She said...There is much to explain in Tuesday night's debate

Bernie Sanders

Elizabeth Warren's campaign has accused Bernie Sanders' campaign of sending volunteers out door-to-door trashing her. Bernie, of course, said he had nothing to do with it and apparently the cause was some over-zealous volunteers. We are talking about in Des Moines, where the Iowa Caucuses will be held on February 3, and a Democratic debate was held last night. More on that later today. The script in question "described Warren's appeal as limited to the highly educated and financially well off."

Bernie's press aids never denied that the document existed and the candidate commented...

“We have hundreds of employees. Elizabeth Warren has hundreds of employees. And people sometimes say things that they shouldn’t.”

First of all, is the statement in the realm of being accurate. If there is any accuracy to it, Warren's campaign may be pushing the envelope. She has been dropping in national polls of late. One page actually "included attacks on the electability of Warren, as well as Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg." If Bernie is playing tough now against his own people, it will hopefully prepare him to deal with Donald Trump in the coming election.

And then, there is a meeting that occurred around a year ago when Warren accuses of Sanders saying a woman couldn't win the election in 2020. My immediate thought is why it is just now coming to light now. Bernie denies saying it but Warren says there were witnesses. Here's Bernie's actual statement...

"It is ludicrous to believe that at the same meeting where Elizabeth Warren told me she was going to run for president, I would tell her that a woman couldn't win.”

Tuesday night in Des Moines was probably very interesting.   READ MORE... 

Bernie Sanders takes New Hampshire handily

Early New Hampshire results

The last I heard last night the vote count was 60% for Bernie Sanders, 39% for Hillary Clinton. If it weren't for Clinton's super delegates, Bernie would have a huge lead in this area. Here's the way it stacked up overall:

Sanders won 83 percent of millennial voters under the age of 30-
Sanders won 66 percent of voters who describe themselves as very liberal-
Sanders 72 percent of self-described independents-
Sanders won huge with voters who were looking for a candidate they saw as honest and trustworthy (91 percent)-
Voters said Sanders cares about people like them (82 percent)-

But what is even more significant is that Bernie Sanders won the women's vote, 53% to Clinton's 46%. This, apparently, Hillary did not expect.

Next victories Nevada Feb. 20, then South Carolina Feb. 27 

New polls show Bernie Sanders in double-digit lead

Bernie Sanders is up 9% in the polls to 31% nationally with Bloomberg second at 19%, then Biden 15%, Warren 12%, Klobuchar 9% and so on in the new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. It is this poll that qualifies Bloomberg for the Nevada debates, which should determine his competition with Bernie going forward. There are two problems here: the Bern must increase his base to win this election; Bloomberg must address the accusations of women’s allegations of profane, sexist comments. READ MORE...

I am not talking about the Primary when it comes to Bernie, he can probably win that with his base due to the "fragmented" support of other candidates, according to Politico. Here's the scenario...

"While few expect that Sanders can carry more than a third of the vote in Nevada, nearly everyone believes that will be enough to win in a field where the moderate vote remains splintered. It is becoming a source of celebration for Sanders' supporters and an urgent problem for those who want to prevent him from claiming the nomination."

The Washington Post reports the Vermont Senator "is powered by a loyal base, but results in Iowa and New Hampshire show the movement has limits." Here's the thinking...

"A core base of young, liberal and working-class voters inspired by the Vermont senator's calls for a political revolution powered the self-described democratic socialist to an effective tie atop the Iowa caucuses and an outright win in this week's New Hampshire primary.

"Yet the early returns show that Sanders's loyal army represents a limited slice of the party, accounting for just over a quarter of the vote in each of the first two states. And one of the central premises of his campaign — that it is built to activate legions of new voters and spur record turnout among young people — has not been realized."

And that isn't good for the Bern. But the accusations of Bloomberg's conduct are also not good, and the two questions remain if Bernie can get his act together and widen his support outside the far-left and if Bloomberg can clear up this mess he has created. Something must happen, because, without these two, Democrats are way up the creek without the paddle. This would mean four more years of Donald Trump and a vast number of Americans don't want that, including some Republicans.

There is one more angle when it comes to Michael Bloomberg's candidacy, his close connection to Wall Street, which, both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are fighting against. But CNN says "the billionaire is nonetheless vowing to crack down on the financial industry." Some might say that the self-made billionaire would be reluctant to go against his former cronies but look at the gun control issue. He is a leader with his Everytown for Gun Safety group.

And, that may not be exactly apples and apples, but it does show that Bloomberg is willing to buck the system and do the right thing. His attacks on Donald Trump so far have been right on and seem to be getting under the Oval Office lunatic's skin, which is just more heat to drive Trump over the edge. As I said earlier, these two (Bernie and Bloomberg) are a must for the Dems in November when it comes to beating the White House maniac. Nevada debate February 19, on NBC/MSNBC.

Time to dump the Democratic Party...as we know it

The Democratic National Committee fired its entire staff. That even includes longtime Dem pundit, Donna Brazile, who just recently owned up to the fact that she had slipped Hillary Clinton debate questions based on her connections with CNN. Brazile had earlier fired Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was responsible for the Party being in the shape it is today. She stood by with her finger in her nose while Republicans took over political seats starting with city, county and state, all the way to the House and Senate, resulting in a loss of the White House. These people are a disgrace to the Party.

As The Blaze put it, "... a humiliating rout in an election that pundits widely believed would fall their [Democrats] way..." I am not sure just what good this will do, considering the guy doing the firing is a Dem hardliner. The Party couldn't see past their noses when Bernie Sanders tried to tell them that Keith Ellison was the man for the DNC job. They are, of course, both Progressives. And that brings me to the title of this blog, "Time to dump the Democratic Party...as we know it." As Kenny Rogers put it, "ygot to know when to hold 'em / Know when to fold 'em." Now's the time to fold 'em."

We need to revive the Progressive Party in the format of Bernie Sanders Our Revolution and make it a viable political movement that will give disillusioned Democrats/liberals a place to organize and establish a platform that makes sense to the modern day left. That said, did you know the Progressive Party was first organized in 1912 by Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the nomination of the Republican Party to his former protégé, President William Howard Taft. The Bull Moose version of the Party was dissolved in 1916. No more real activity until 2016 when the Bern came on the scene.

An early attempt at continuing the political positions of Bernie Sanders is by Cenk Uygur, founder of the Young Turks, who has started a movement called, Justice Democrats, whose goal is to put a significant number of Justice Democrats in the Congress. You can see their platform here. And to show how grave the situation was, here is Uygur's comment, "I was hoping someone else would do this, but when no one else was, somebody had to do it.” And of course there are the Progressive Democrats of America, who also mirror the Bern's movement. But so far, we're disjointed.

To correct this there must be a coordinated effort to officially structure a party apparatus that will withstand the organizational challenges of the developing members and the constituents. It will take a strong leader, and, of course, who better than Bernie Sanders? I do not think Sanders is too old to run in 2020, but if the consensus is that he is, there is Elizabeth Warren, and as a dark horse, how about Chuck Schumer? The Senate minority head even supported the Bern's pick of Keith Ellison to head up the DNC, who, unfortunately lost.

If we are to be ready for 2020, things must get moving pretty soon and it will take Bernie's organizational skills to ramp it all up. I will be a constant supporter from my blog and am sure there are many others like me, including the Young Turks. The cry is out there senator Sanders and only you can answer the call.

Sanders takes lead in Iowa and thunders to new high in New Hampshire

A new Quinnipiac University poll out today places Bernie Sanders with 49% of likely Iowa Democratic Caucus voters with Clinton at 44%, a five point lead. Just recently Clinton led Sanders by three points.  The men are 61 to 30 percent for Bernie, the women 55 to 39 percent for Hillary. And Sanders favorability with this same group is 87-3 compared to Clinton's 74-21. Hillary Clinton does lead Bernie Sanders when it comes to who would win in the general election, 85% to 68%.

In the New Hampshire Primary, Bernie has taken a significant lead of 14-points over Hillary, 53% to 39% in todays Monmouth University poll. With 52% of New Hampshire primary voters completely decided on who they will support, in addition to the 53% currently supporting Sanders, "... another 20% of primary voters say they could end up voting for him on February 9th instead of their current choice.

For the General Election in November, Bernie Sanders against the GOP leading candidate, Donald Trump, 51 percent to 38 percent, but Hillary Clinton only 44 to 47 percent, both Quinnipiac polls.

Now, onward to South Carolina.

Millennials rule and they are for Bernie Sanders

There are 71 million Millennials and 41% of them support Bernie Sanders and stand 50/50 on going to the polls in November. That's almost 30 million voters tops, 15 million minimum going in the gate. Sanders opponent, Hillary Clinton, is losing voters under age fifty, trailing his 41% at 35%. But it would seem that the enthusiasm we have seen during Bernie's rallies is likely to bring out the majority of his supporters to the voting booth.

Clinton "has lost significant support among Democratic women, with her lead over Sanders shrinking from 45 points to 19 points in that group. Her support went from 64%-19% last month to 54%-35% now." With approximately 52% of the American electorate female, that puts another significant group in Bernie Sander's corner. As an example, there are 688,450 Millennials in Iowa of which almost 49% are women. The question is, how many of these are evangelical?

Of course Sanders can't depend on just these demographics to win the primary. And if he doesn't win, the hardcore Democrats are fearful Bernie's supporters won't come over to Hillary's side. After all he did call for a political Revolution and that does mean a fight against the Washington establishment, and Clinton does represent that faction. Considering the fact that the Bern did bring all these young voters out of the shadows, the Dems certainly can't afford to lose them.

The only answer is to nominate Bernie Sanders as the Democrat's candidate and elect him to the presidency in November.