I’m just catching up on the New Hampshire primary. I don’t know what percentage of the votes are in, but most news outlets are calling it Sanders 58, Clinton 40. Not close, in other words. This was expected. I’ll come back to Sanders and Clinton in a moment.
On the Republican side, Trump is way ahead with 34 percent of the votes. Second is Kasich, at 15 percent. Toast! and Ted Cruz are currently tied at 12 percent. Little Marco, who was the establishment hope a few days ago, got only 10 percent. And Chris “Big Chicken” Christie, whose bashing of Marco possibly cost him a nomination, got 8 percent. Poor little Marco.
Kasich could be a genuine threat in the general, and he’s a nasty little right-wing toad, but I’m not sure he’s let’s-eat-bugs-on-toast crazy enough to win in the South.
Sanders was indeed expected to win New Hampshire, so this win should not be a shock to anybody, but the Clinton campaign seems to be taking it hard. The Editorial Board of the New York Times (which, I believe, has endorsed Clinton:
Eight years after she went over the line in attacking Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton’s team, notably her husband and some prominent supporters, were making tone-deaf attacks on Mr. Sanders, who has proved a tougher opponent than they had expected but was the odds-on favorite in New Hampshire.
On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton sent an email to her backers, thanking them, asking them for $1 and complaining that Mr. Sanders “went to the extraordinary measure of outspending us on the airwaves three-to-one here in New Hampshire.†Mrs. Clinton knew she was going to lose the first primary. But she has no reason to panic since she remains well ahead in the next few contests and has plenty to say about herself rather than allowing her campaign to attack Mr. Sanders and, especially, the motives of his supporters. …
… As the days ticked down to the New Hampshire vote, events resurrected bad memories of unsavory drama from Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 run. The Clinton campaign once hoped to hold Mr. Sanders to a single-digit win, but that looked impossible even before Tuesday morning, and rumors of a coming staff shake-up (candidates always blame the staff first for losses) struck a demoralizing blow to her team working long hours in New Hampshire.
At Mrs. Clinton’s get-out-the-vote rally on Monday night, Bill Clinton seemed to be second-guessing the campaign’s ground game. He joked, using a rather bizarre turn of phrase, that sometimes he wished he and Mrs. Clinton weren’t married, ostensibly so he could vent his spleen about her challenger even more than he has. On Tuesday, David Brock, the Clinton Svengali, said on CNN that because the senator from Vermont was from a neighboring state, he held some kind of automatic (read: don’t blame us) 15-point advantage, and made the dark prediction that “he’s going to be brought down to earth.â€
Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign worked to tar Mr. Sanders with news that he’d attended vacation retreats sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — which, like most such committees, accepts corporate contributions — and “was even once spotted chatting sociably for close to an hour with a financial services lobbyist who was in a hot tub while the senator sat nearby.†Pressing that story seemed pointless, and probably damaging to Mrs. Clinton.
Over the past few hours social media has gotten absolutely toxic with the screechings of Clintonistas about the evilness of Bernie Sanders and how his supporters hate women and a vote for Bernie Sanders is a vote against Planned Parenthood, or something.
They’ve gone completely off the wall, in other words. I expect tomorrow to hear that Sanders used to keep slaves and likes to bite the heads off puppies.
Another interesting bit from the New York Times:
Senator Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton among nearly every demographic group in the Democratic New Hampshire primary, according to exit polls.
He carried majorities of both men and women. He won among those with and without college degrees. He won among gun owners and non-gun owners. He beat Mrs. Clinton among previous primary voters and those participating for the first time. And he ran ahead among both moderates and liberals.
Even so, there were a few silver linings for Mrs. Clinton. While Mr. Sanders bested her among all age groups younger than 45, the two candidates polled evenly among voters aged 45 to 64. And Mrs. Clinton won the support of voters 65 and older. And, though Mrs. Clinton lost nearly every income group, she did carry voters in families earning over $200,000 per year.
Rubio allegedly “represents” a state that will be wholly underwater in his lifetime, yet, instead of lifting his little finger, he jumps on the climate-denier shtick. Let the b*stard drown, or become a tasty Cuban-style shark treat.
I’m pleased with the outcome – not surprised. To me, the GOP & democratic primaries both represent a potential rejection of party politics and party control that only the leadership of the RNC and the DNC actually *get*.
Donald Trump has made it clear that if the GOP doesn’t play nice, he will screw the GOP by making a 3rd party run. Trump supporters may have bought the racist arrogance, but Trump is truly out of the control of the GOP machine. The boiling cauldron of hate that Trump has tapped is the MOST angry at the GOP machine which serves the rich and delivers on none of the rhetoric. The main difference between The Donald and the rest of the GOP pack is that, though all spout hateful rhetoric and dog-whistle racism, Trump is really and truly NOT a welcome member of the GOP machine.
Bernie hasn’t been a dem for most of his political career, though he’s caucused with them. Clinton IS an old-school machine politician who is a willing tool of the DNC puppeteers. She promises a continuation of the Obama presidency and she’s pledging fealty to the democratic corporatists. Clinton looks to me like all the GOP toadies who suck up to the billionaire class. I’m unmoved by the promise that the puppet masters who rule the democratic party are less oppressive.
And when you look at the renegades in the race, you have to admire what Bernie stands for and wonder what Trump stands for. The rhetoric isn’t Trump – it’s just for amusing the rubes – Trump’s not in it for money – and he’s truly unloved for the party. What does a parson believe in who is driven solely by ego. And what might that person do as president?
This election, regardless of outcome, sends a clear signal that the control by the parties is at an end. The voters have rejected the system where decisions will be made by a ruling class and handed to the voters for a rubber stamp ‘vote’. Whether we evolve into a representative democracy or evolve into whatever a Trump regime would produce remains to be seen. But we’ve turned a corner and I don’t think were going back to what it was.
I am absolutely loving this!..To watch Marco get knocked on his ass like he was gives me such a thrill. Ever since I first started watching Rubio I’ve had a growing frustration in understanding how such a substanceless politician could be foisted on the American public. I guess I should have realized that he’s the product of the Florida GOP political machine where the only requirements are to follow the party line, purge yourself of initiative, vote as you’re told to vote, and collect a hardy paycheck… And check your soul at the door!
When I look at Rubio an anger wells within me..I feel disgusted that a country such as ours that has been built on a foundation of great men and women of character can so easily allow a vacuous individual like Marco Rubio to even come close to getting his hands on the reigns of power.
Maybe he does win the swimsuit competition, but when Florida voters turn him out for lack of substance in their upcoming primary, I hope he has enough sense to throw in the towel and try his hand at some other vocation.
I’m glad Christie knocked his dick strings loose.
Unity Ticket!
What if after the primary’s become secondary Hillary is long gone, Marco and Jeb are lining up donors for 2020, Christie’s due in court. Bernie and Trump announce that the election is over. There aint gonna be a vote in November it’s July and the show is over. It’s Sanders – Trump so sit down now. Get off the stage!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8UTaJsNrbk
Jeb! didn’t lose last. The consultants live another week, time to do some more laundry!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZQdmihb_Kc
Hearing the N.H. Trump supporter this morning, explaining his vote because the barista at Panera Bread speaks Spanish in front of him…. If I ate breakfast, I would’ve lost mine.
While I’m glad Marco got put in his place, excuse me for not getting overly excited about the Iowa and NH results, since they’re both mostly rural, predominantly white states.
I like both Dem candidates fairly equally, and haven’t yet decided who to support.
But I will. And I’ll work to GOTV in my area – by phone, sadly… My door-to-door days, are done.
And I loath all of the GOP candidates fairly equally, and wouldn’t vote for one of them with loaded gun to my head!
And on that side, I fear Trump least of all.
While the others will work hard to please the “Christian” rubes and their grifting leaders – to the detriment of every one else – Trump’s about as religious as the deceased ferret on the top of his head.
Jeb Bush finally finds his message: He’s the anti-Trump
But he’s still going to get run over.
“Trump’s about as religious as the deceased ferret on the top of his head.”
Even a live ferret is better than an evangelical or evangelical enabler.
Well, here’s one watery eyed, crepe skinned and quivering chinned, shaky old white man who’s going to throw his lot to the momentum of the youthful spirit that’s lifting Sanders’ message ever higher.
I’m feeling the Bern!
Jeb reminds me of Dandy Mott in American Horror Story. Especially when his mother is trying give him everything he wants..unrestrained privilege?
“Oh, Donald Trumps says bad words.. and he says them all the time “. As Mommy gives Jebby a pat on the head for being a good boy.