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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDon't be fooled by the Clinton-Sanders feud, Dems are united
BY MARGIE OMERO, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR 09/21/17 11:00 AM EDT THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL
Maybe, like me, your personal feed is still filled with Hillary Clinton versus Bernie Sanders squabbles, with hardly any break since spring 2016. Seemingly every story has the potential to cause a flare-up, like the greasy meal before the pimple: news of a Russian companys Facebook buy, Clintons new book, Sanderss Medicare for all plan, and a constant stream of 2020 stories. Even news of Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez teaching a course at Brown caused a Bernie/Clinton fight between my Facebook friends and their friends friends.
Its exhausting. But is it real? That is, are Democratic voters overall not just paid operatives and the most active of activist still divided? The polling suggests not. In fact, Democrats are far more united than Republicans.
First, Democrats are overwhelmingly united in their opposition to Trump, while Republicans are more mixed. From his first days in office, Trumps numbers with Democrats have been abysmal. Gallup notes even recent presidents have not had such low numbers across party lines so early in their first terms. And Trumps numbers among Democrats have barely budged.
Much was made of this and similar headlines about Sanders/Trump voters, seemingly validating a common pundit theme that Sanders and Trump voters are nearly identical. Yet in the careful analysis of George Washington University Professor John Sides, we learn these voters were more likely motivated by the racial anxiety stirred up by Trump, rather than something unique to the 2016 Democratic primary. Further, there were actually fewer Sanders/Trump voters than there were Clinton/McCain voters in 2008.
Meanwhile, Republicans are more divided on their own partys leader. Trumps approval numbers have softened somewhat with his base since he took office. Pew even found a majority of Republicans either dont like or have mixed feelings about how Trump has been conducting himself as president.
more
http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/351722-are-clinton-and-sanders-dividing-democrats-not-if-you-ask-me
samnsara
(17,665 posts)...from all I have read they are small groups and the Dems are united.
leftstreet
(36,119 posts)Not a bad opinion piece, but that's weird
LostOne4Ever
(9,302 posts)Demsrule86
(68,825 posts)Maybe it will be in the future...but not now.
LostOne4Ever
(9,302 posts)DK504
(3,847 posts)Sen. Sanders had waited a week so his bill wouldn't have coincided with this death bill.
Demsrule86
(68,825 posts)the ACA using reconciliation are over.
ismnotwasm
(42,028 posts)But Democrats are united
Wounded Bear
(58,792 posts)All the chatter makes for good headlines and copy, but I don't see a lot of real Dems going over to the dark side in the near future.
The reality is that Bernie lost the primary vote. Most of his wins came in caucus states, where a vocal minority can swing the numbers. Actual citizen votes went to Hillary.
I tend to avoid most of the H/B debates as being unproductive, like most on-line discussion. When next year rolls around, I will support Dem candidates and vote accordingly. I suspect most of my liberal colleagues will do likewise.
Willie Pep
(841 posts)I guarantee that you will find more intense Sanders vs. Clinton fighting online than in real life. Most Sanders and Clinton supporters have similar views on most issues and all of them are strongly opposed to Trump and the Republicans.
The Democratic Party is actually more ideologically homogeneous now than say ten or twenty years ago when you had many more Blue Dogs and conservative Democrats.
emulatorloo
(44,274 posts)Johonny
(20,965 posts)Eyeball_Kid
(7,440 posts)Sewing confusion and discord are exactly what Russians are intent on doing.