Does one really think employers would continue to provide healthcare benefits if the government provided a more affordable or no cost option? The Ross Perot (RIP) “giant sucking sound” would be the sound of those rushing to the government option from their private insurance. Does one really think employers would increase wages if unyoked from the cost of healthcare benefits?
The BIG (Texas size) question is, can Bernie beat Trump in Texas? Probably not. In fact he may be furthur away from carrying the state than Hillary did. That's my guess. I hope I'm wrong.
"Is Texas Big Enough for Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders?"
Nope. Its time for Beto to run against him again and help Bernie in Washington. Ted is an intellectual, fiscal and moral midget. Yes I know he went to an Ivy league school but what did he learn there? apparently how to kowtow to Trump, quite possibly the most ignorant, misogynistic, racist and corrupt President this country ever had.
I am hoping the Democrats led by Bernie will send him and his coterie of bumbling, corrupt cabinet colleagues and administration appointees packing.
2
All Dem consultants in Texas are at this point basically professional losers whose opinions on what might win statewide haven't been correct in three decades. Maybe voters should begin to listen to other folks.
2
I just don't get the notion that Bernie Sanders will somehow "scare moderate voters away from the polls." Why would those moderate voters just throw in the towel rather than show up to vote against Bernie and for the down-ballot candidates they favor?
Similarly, if the Democratic nominee is a man like Biden who's known for playing well with the good ol' boys, what's to stop the "Never Trump" crossover voters from voting for Biden AND an otherwise straight GOP ticket?
Seems to me we're all too clever by half in projecting how these so-called "coattails" will work.
1
As a Sanders/Warren supporter, Bernie's biggest problem is his mislabeling. He calls himself a socialist but what he advocates for is social democracy. Socialism is the collective (usually) ownership of the means of production and distribution. He did advocate for that in 1970. Many of us were more Utopian radicals back in that day.
Socialism is not about health care (our current system is better than China's) or free college (is Britain socialist?) It is about economics.
Nothing that Bernie says now, or in recent decades since is compatible with the meaning of socialism. There is a video of him on the internet saying directly, in 2015, that he is not for nationalizing American companies. Any historian (or Wikipedia) can make that clear. Now it is hard to find any policy differences between Bernie and Elizabeth Warren, who calls herself a capitalist.
Why he can't let go of his old self-branding would be a question for his psychoanalyst- if he had one, which I doubt. But he is shooting himself in the foot. Obama can say Cuba accomplished a lot with education and health and is a dictatorship (as he did) but Bernie can't. To some extent it is his fault for branding himself with the same label as Venezuela, North Korea, etc. Just adding the adjective democratic doesn't change that perception.
1
Why in the world are the NYT and other MSM still looking for a moderate Democrat? I have news for them. There are only Republican, Republican Lite and Democratic Party candidates and when the Democrats run a Republican Lite candidate the Republicans win. Wake up folks, the moderates in both parties are extinct driven there by the deliberate divisiveness of the GOP in their quest for a permanent majority.
2
Guess we'll all have to wait until all of the polls close, Ms. Swartz. But for everyone's sake, and with all due respect, I hope you're wrong. If Bernie wins Texas, anything is possible, yet far from projectable.
Texas in the 70's was conservo Dem. Then the tax break for corporations came to town. It seemed over night that major corporations were coming and bringing everyone. These guys quickly co-oped the cowboy/gun/church culture. (It's Texas)
Fast forward to now. Casino Oklahoma is the new Texas. Oh, wait....maybe Kansas.
For three decades I have met with Republican congressmen and senators in Texas. Discussing any issue with them is like talking to a wall. Their base is often in the mega churches Texas is known for, and a county like Montgomery county north of Houston has always baffled me because residents tend to be rural, poor, and needy of healthcare, but they keep voting for Republican congressman, Kevin Brady, who should have been swept out of office decades ago. The day Montgomery county turns blue will be a glorious day for Texans, but I don't see it coming unless more out-of-state people move here.
3
“Maybe I am out of touch, but a candidate who calls himself a democratic socialist, promises to end fracking and savages oil companies wouldn’t seem to be the likely savior of Democratic politics in Texas”
Texas is not only about oil. A lot of people need actual healthcare that they can afford and Medicare for All lets them do just that by paying for it as part of their taxes. A person making $60,000 would only pay only $100 a month for proper medical care, dentist and eye care - that is a bargain. 530,000 bankruptcies in 2019 from healthcare debt - that crosses parties. A new Yale Study shows Medicare for All will prevent 68,000 unnecessary deaths and will save $450 billion - each and every year.
24
I was there when Texas transitioned from traditionally Democrat (all the older people in East Texas had pictures of FDR and JFK hanging in their homes) to Republican.
Texas A&M school newsletter ran only articles from George Will and William Buckley and other very conservative opinion writers.
Many of us, from farms, resonated with the lies that Ronald Reagan spread like: "I will cut spending and be fiscally responsible".
The state transitioned to become a Republican state under the heavy weight of "Trickle very little down" and "fiscal responsibility". Both which were lies.
However, even by 1986 I could see that Reagan was lying about "cutting spending" having agreed to spend ONE TRILLION Dollars on STAR WARS technology. Money that was spent, but, nothing but graft can corruption delivered.
So, Texas began a slow transition away from Republican lies in the late 80's by those willing to pay attention.
Over time, more and more people have paid attention.
"W"'s destruction of the middle east, based on more lies, and his creation of millions of refugees has not gone entirely unnoticed.
Folks in Texas, also, are more and more not from Texas.
So, times are a changin.
32
Greetings from South Texas, Mimi, and no. I do not think you are out of touch. The problem is that you are assuming that a strong showing in the Texas primary equates to a strong showing the the general election. However...
Many Texas Democratic candidates have generated a great amount of militant fervor in their victorious primary campaigns and gone on to lose the general election. Bernie's predecessor in this regard was Jim Hightower, who ran unsuccessfully for state-wide office on multiple occasions and who loved saying that the only thing in the middle of the road was yellow strips and dead armadillos. What succeeds in a Democratic primary has failed in the general elections for two decades.
16
@Quiet Waiting Jim Hightower actually was elected Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and served for eight years (1983-1991). So there is at least a small space for progressive politics in Texas.
5
@RS
You are correct - he was elected to statewide office on one occasion and that was twenty-nine years ago. So while there is space for maneuver, that space is not very big and unless Bernie takes an unlikely turns towards the center to get into that space, Texas will remain in the red column for 2020. Perhaps for November the primary focus should be on Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Sanders effect down ballot races, right before redistricting, will be devastating in Texas. That will put off the state even taking on a purple hue for another decade.
And, that means a state government that drastically underfunds schools, environmental protections, and healthcare. Meanwhile, because of highly regressive property taxes that hit the poor significantly harder than they hit the rich, people are literally being taxed out of their homes.
26
@f "Sanders effect down ballot races, right before redistricting, will be devastating in Texas."
Do you have any proof or evidence to bease this on, or just your "feeling"? Of course you don't, because there is none.
If people show up to vote for Sanders, they'll also vote for the Dems down ballot.
Instead of letting your fear dictate your voting, try voting your convictions. Ask yourself: Why are MFA, and a $15.00 MW, and addressing environmental damage, and a massive infrastrture initiative, and justice reform, bad things to be feared and opposed? Is the Status Quo really better?
A lot of people don't think so.
14
"If people show up to vote for Sanders, they'll also vote for the Dems down ballot."
@Kingfish52 I think you missed the point: plenty of Texas voters *won't* show up to vote if Sanders is on the ballot. And speaking as a native Texan who's intimately acquainted with the state's political peccadilloes, I think he's probably right.
Btw I say that as someone who fully supports MFA, a $15 MW, the Green New Deal, and nearly all of the rest of Bernie's proposed agenda. Unfortunately I can't say the same for my state's populace on whole. While Texas is nowhere near as conservative as many non-Texans thinks, it's also nowhere near as progressive as you appear to be suggesting.
3
@Jeff
And Biden will win Texas? Dream on.
1
Good grief. So much hand-wringing over a "socialist."
I am a fifth generation Texan, and my grandparents, until they days they died, swore by FDR as the savior of the country,
I looked forward to doing the same With Elizabeth Warren, but will also do the same with Bernie Sanders.
Just quit it; Republicans have done their best to ruin this state and this country; we don't need Republican-lite on the Democratic tickets anymore.
42
The massive income and wealth inequality that burdens the middle class and working poor in the US is no accident. Republicans cut the path, but establishment Democrats beholden to various big money donors are complicit. At best, they passed legislation to ease the pain, while leaving the knife in the patient’s back.
So, it’s easy to see why establishment Democrats think of Bernie Sanders as the devil incarnate. It’s not about the possibility of losing a Presidential election or the House (they have plenty of experience with both). They’re afraid of Bernie changing their business model and of various big money donors taking offense at having to surrender even a small portion of the massive tax privileges they enjoy at everyone else’s expense - privileges they paid politicians to obtain.
The worry and frustration of establishment Democrats seem to grow by the day. Many in the middle class and working poor might well say, “Welcome to our world. How nice of you to join us”.
60
I think Bernie will win the democratic primary in Texas. However, the minority vote in Texas is not yet strong enough to elect a democrat president, no matter who the nominee is! Also, if the Texas republican party leadership thinks there is a chance of that happening they will find a way to keep likely democratic voters from voting like what was done in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004.
2
Clinton, a moderate lost against Trump, ok the popular vote and all. The Speaker Nancy Pelosi lost the house, another moderate and all over the landscape of the great US of A so many small time local government seats from school board to Mayors went to the Republicans because the Dems were timid afraid of being bold and moderate. They have not legislated in years to better the minimum wage, to build more affordable housing. The time for moderate has come and gone, I truly hope Texans realize that and will make a new choice, bold and totally different. Just my two cents.
78
@Hulagirrrl
As a 30 year resident of San Diego (1970 - 2000), I can really appreciate and enjoy seeing the city blue...
2
@Hulagirrrl Dems lost congress because of Obamacare. Pelosi lost the house. Then won it again. Bernies bernicrats lost. Bernicrats didn’t win. Pelosi isn’t a moderate. Obama raises the minimum wage as did Clinton. Last I checked Vermont didn’t have a 15 min wage. Please stop being so ignirant
1
@BogyBacall The Vermont Department of Labor sets the minimum wage for the State of Vermont. Bernie Sanders is a Senator.
"Ignitrant?" I won't even go there!
2
Ted Cruz is a politician that would do or say anything to stay in power. After Trump said derogatory things about his wife, Cruz bent his knee to DJT and made phone calls to get him elected. The Democrats could do worse than to put Sanders at the top of the ticket. Polls show him having the best chance to beat Trump, but yet writers in this paper continue to parrot talking points that he will lose to Trump based on 'feelings'. If the top of the ticket wins, then the down ballot wins. Make no mistake, DJT is going to be a formidable candidate, but to put another 'centrist ' candidate at the top will be to ignore the polls and invite another disaster.
96
@Mark Cruz did all of the above – the problem being that he still won *despite* all of it. Your remark at least suggests that (hypothetically speaking) Bernie could've beaten Cruz had he been in the race instead of Beto.
I'm sorry, but this is patently absurd – all the more so coming from a resident of a state with one of the nation's largest, and strongest, working-class / labor-union strongholds, but which nonetheless voted for Rick Snyder (one of the most anti-union Republican governors in modern American history) TWICE in the past decade.
@Mark :
Bernie is anti-fracking. He will loose Pennsylvania.
Bernie is pro-Castro and pro-Chavez. He will loose Florida.
Think he will win in Cheboygan?
The democratic opponents have gone easy on him for fear of alienating his followers. Trump will skin the bark off him. Sixty Trillion Dollars in new spending? Who is going to pay for that?
P.S. Real billionaires can fly their private jets out of Birneyland whenever they think it advantageous.
1
@Jeff
Well since you brought up a head to head with Cruz( because I didn't) let's think about. In 2018 Beto against Cruz, was not that lopsided. The answer is not to place milquetoast candidates on the ballot and hope that people bite. Why don't we give Texans a chance to vote for someone who is actually strong in hs convictions and has the record to prove instead of Cruz who would do or say anything to get elected. Any way the people of Texas will decide it this Tuesday.
1
I’m constantly baffled by arguments that Democrats’ moves should be governed by Republicans’ prospective reactions to them. Where is the promise of democracy in such a system? I think much of Sanders’ support can be explained as a rejection of this concept.
105
@Doug Democratic moves are governed by the perception of what the masses of voters will vote for and what they will not vote for.
5
@Randall - I suggest you read carefully how these arguments are worded. Also, whose perception?
12
You can't call yourself a democratic socialist and say nice things about Communists. This has been the bane of socialists since the 1920s.They found nice things to say about Lenin, while Lenin plotted to undermine and exterminate democratic socialism.
I don't know if the Democrat party is as good at corruption as it was in 2016. I like to think Hillary was peek corruption.
Sanders is a "snake oil salesman" promising almost everyone something for nothing.
His success depends on how many "fools are born every minute".
1
Looks like 2 person race now. Buttigieg most likely to back Biden--The enemy of my enemy is my friend approach.
Shore Up Bernie..Go Positive
Another day with NYT opinion writers dumping on Bernie. But ONLY 4 such articles today. What's the matter? Ms Swartz is, of course, a veteran at this. Watching her score the debates has been quite telling; she wears her prejudices proudly. Or perhaps the jubilation over Biden's SC victory (a state no Dem has won since the Civil Rights Act) has led to fewer anti-Bernie pieces. But there is always tomorrow....
1
Wait -- Ted Cruz is Darth Vader?
Then who's Dick Cheney? ("It humanizes Dick when they call him Darth." -- Mrs. Cheney)
So Bernie's . . . Tommy Douglas, who brought Medicare for All to Canadians? You know, there's statues of that guy, he's a Hero, all over Canada.
(After FDR, conservatives here limited social Democratic Presidents to two terms. We the People are [apparently] too fond of them.)
(Perhaps Dems'll come up with their own Mitch McConnell, who'll make it up as he goes, deny the opposing party of ... whatever she wants, too. Who knows?)
We need ranked-choice voting.
ASAP.
1
I sure like Ted Cruz! He was great in Risky Business and Cocktail and that movie where he gives the seminars for trying to get dates and it rains frogs. I am a Tump suporter just like he is.
Texas deserves better than Rafael Cruz.
On second thought, maybe not!
1
"Maybe I am out of touch"
Yes, you are.
Yes, DeLay was an exterminator, but his nickname was “The Hammer.”
1
If you do not like the way Texas is run, then change it or leave. Frankly, I do not actually care about Texas. Why should I? Don't blame Bernie for "giving Republicans another mandate". That's a joke!
I'm old enough to remember when Texas actually had what would now be considered an oxymoron, a liberal Democrat senator: Ralph Yarborough.
Texans like Ted Cruz, John Cornyn and Rick Perry may well be working furiously behind the scenes to assure that Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic primary on Super Tuesday. They, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin know that Sanders will be much easier for Trump to beat in November.
OK, Boomer. Too bad for Texas neoliberal Dems like you that you are a literally dying breed, replaced ever more rapidly at the polls, cycle after cycle, by the fastest growing demographic in America, the ever-fruitful Latinos, and the largest generation in Texas voting history, the Millennials, both of which groups go for Bernie a lot more than Cruz or Cornyn, or Biden. It was easy for Clyburn's black machine in SC to give Joe his literally last hurrah before his Doomsday on Super Tuesday, but the future of the Democratic Party nationally and in Texas is Bernie and those on his side, not Biden and his rump of black voters. Realist political analysts already realize that black political power in America, even in the Democratic Party, has crested and from now on will be fading. First, because there are half again as many Latinos as blacks in America and the gap widens every day, both through immigration and much higher Latino birthrates. Second, because Millennial blacks will be joining with Latinos and Millennial whites to defeat the economic conservatism behind Biden in black SC yesterday more and more from here on out. At this point, the blacks are the most economically conservative voters in the Democratic Party, except for the Wall St. bankers who have owned and operated the party for the rich since 1992. But conservative economics are doomed in the party in the future as more and more Boomers disappear forever and are replaced by progressive Millennials.
Karl Rove is always Evil, and always very intelligent in political analysis. He has been discarded by the GOP because his Evil is insufficiently Evil, and because he analyzes intellectually rather than (as the GOP now does more profitably) just lashing out mindlessly.
1
Oh Mimi, Texas like the Red River is a mixed up mess of sand, silt, and debris. Think back to the days of LBJ who waged a war on poverty, and passed Medicare for seniors. Really? Yes and the cut-throat Republicans who have ruled Texas for decades know they can’t touch it, as they would be voted out of office in a heartbeat.
Five years ago we had a friend who was as independent and tough as a Texas summer or winter. She lived alone on her ranch with her horse and dogs. She got brain cancer. She had no insurance. We got her to go to Planned Parenthood as no one else would take her case. So the last six months of her conservative driven, Democrat hating life were supported by an organization vilified by the right.
The urban, liberal oasis’s are not Texas, never have been and never will be but in the depths of the depression, FDR’s message came home to people who had lost it all. At some point, there will be another event that throws it all out in the street, and people’s lives are tossed upside down. Be it unstable climate, pandemic, no gas, no food, or financial collapse, it will require a steady hand, and true leadership to solve major problems. The greed and snake oil that Republian’s sell only goes so far.
I do not ever expect to read a more compelling essay on why Texas desperately needs Bernie Sanders but this weekend's Guardian on Cruz's humiliation by AOC comes very very close.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/28/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-ted-cruz-coronavirus
1
Texans are fairly stupid when it comes to politics and more comfortable wit the myth of Texas than the reality.
Cowboys, Frontier Spirit, Don't Tread on Me, Come and Take It are all part of the Texas lexicon but have not passed the truth test in over half a century. Oil and Gas interests rule the State, I mean own it. If an oil company wants to drill in the middle of an established residential neighborhood, then its moving day for the residents. Denton tried to ban fracking in the middle of the city and was overruled by the Governor. Same goes for railroads and big industry, they own the state and the residents have zero voice. But the myth of individual rights struts ahead. Year's ago an old man actually shot a State Trooper, I mean who does such a heinous thing? The State Trooper had pulled him over for a traffic violation but this nutcase did not recognize the authority of the State to stop him. How absolutely off the wall is this? People who believe the myth are much easier to seduce and control, both sides love the relationship. So Texas won't be changing unitl the residents wake up and realize they've been sole a lie, and tell me who wants to do that?
Yes, Bernie would be a disaster. Let's elect Donald the Chump and we get lots of really great weapons, work for thousands of lawyers.
Poor people starving, without health care of decent school is what Makes Texas Great.
Predicting what candidates will win and lose in future elections is not an exact science. It's not a science at all. It's more like a Ouija board. Here's a great question for the New York Times: there were a lot of overpaid pundits at your paper who insisted Donald Trump could never win. They also insisted Hillary Clinton could. Now, they are still on the pages of your paper, insisting that Bernie Sanders can't win. So my question is: how many years in a row can one of your overpaid pundits be consistently wrong before they lose credibility and their job over there? David Brooks has been there over a decade. Has he ever been right about anything ever? Huh.
1
Young Latinos. This is the group that gives me hope for progressive politics in Texas. If young Latinos in Texas are shedding their conservative, Tejano parents racism and xenophobia, then Texas has a chance.
It's malpractice for the NYT opinion editors to allow a writer to postulate wildly about electability without even once mentioning the multitude of polls that show Sanders as the best-performing candidate against Trump in Texas, or to mention the fact that Sanders does better with Hispanic voters (who make up 35% of the voting age population in Texas) than any other Democrat.
Friday The Guardian carried the story of Ted Cruz 's inability to control his hubris by trying to belittle AOC who is infinitely smarter and and infinitely better informed than the Texas ignoramus.
I was like most of the people informed by the US media of Ted's prodigious intellect so when Mr Ted read us Green Eggs and Ham I thought it was a stunt not Ted's favourite read.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/28/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-ted-cruz-coronavirus
I was led to believe that Ted was Bill Clinton smart not Louie Gohmert smart. Maybe Louie should have sung "Mamas don't let your babies to grow up to be elite University law professors."to a young Ted. It might have saved your country having the totally compromised Ted friend Brett Kavanaugh on the highest bench in the land.
May if you stopped the gaslighting you might let us know that Ted, Paul Ryan, Bush, Ronnie, Nikki, Tom and Mitt are most definitely not the best or the brightest. In fact they are so far from the best and the brightest that even the most powerful telescopes don't allow the best and the brightest to be visible from where Cruz stands.
1
Sorry to say but I believe that Texas is a lost cause for Democrats. Guns, gays, abortion, and religion hold too much sway over Texans (and one could say the same about Florida).
As you can see, I live in Texas. I will never be a Texan. Here by family needs, not desire. So many ways an almost third world state.
Anyway, the good news is that the 2018 elections showed what the real division in TX is: Urban vs. Rural. It's not just the big cities that are blue, it is the small ones, too. I live in Williamson County, attached to the north side of Austin. Georgetown, the county seat, and Round Rock are the largest communities. Solid blue.
John "Do Nothing But Meet With Donors" Carter came within an inch of his political life by M.J. Hegar, a decorated (female) veteran. Even closer than Beto in his senate bid. She is now probably going to be the Dem to beat tomorrow aiming for Senator Cornyn's seat.
I voted for Bernie in 2016, Mike Bloomberg already this year. Taking the Texas house is as important as winning the presidency, as noted here, because of redistricting. The dreaded Commy city of Austin is gerrymandered into FIVE districts, each with enough rural area to make sure the Rethuglicans remain in power.
As the old tourist ad campaign says, "Texas. A whole 'nuther country." Indeed. Third World.
This strikes me as yet another timid piece from the Times. (I’m a print subscriber who had to comment). Remember, this is an institution —along with the rest of the press corps—which was so out of touch with the daily lives of most Americans that they believed that Hillary Clinton was a shoe-in. And Joe Biden is the male version of Hillary Clinton— more personable, but not as smart.
He most certainly represents the same-old, same-old —which is what brought us Donald Trump. 
From a senior citizen: stop being so fearful! A future adjustment is at hand, if not this year, most definitely in the next election cycle via the younger generation.
Sanders will take Texas with the help of the Hispanics, and college educated White Texans.This will knock the wheels off Biden The Black vote that saved Biden in SC will not help him in Latino States like Arizonia,
Sanders who is a Dark Horse for President will be a raving Stalion
at the finish line. The Latino's will be the King maker.
My Texas. Still trying to celebrate the past while not screwing up the future. Driving thru rural Texas is not the same as Dallas, Houston or Austin. Confederate flags in small towns and the willingness the defend them without sound reason. Just that, to them, it's their right. That Texas needs to change. Progressive Texas is a warm place that welcomes all people. 6 Flags of Texas used to be a cultural achievement.... sorta. Rural people love Trump and what he promotes. Small town people are NOT winning from his policies. But at least they got the "We make lib's cry t-shirt". Thanks for playing.
2020 is the first post-Beto election. Beto lost to Cruz, but changed Texas by awakening two sleeping electoral giants: the young and the former non-voters.
Don't underestimate the political power of either.
1
Biden will be Mondale, Part Deux.
Or, given how terrible Trump is, more likely Clinton, Part Deux. Trump is awful enough that he won’t get a 49 state victory like Reagan did over “moderate, safe, electable” Mondale. It will probably be a squeaker, but Trump will win.
Why, after all, would anyone wanting change vote for Biden? He’s campaigning against it. A “return to normalcy” he promises. Great. The normalcy that led to the election of Trump?
In the general election, Sanders will pull all the voters that Clinton did... will anyone who voted for Clinton last time vote for Trump this time? Sanders will ALSO appeal to those disaffected Obama-Trump voters. The ones who feel that, in the end, “Change you can believe in” was just a slogan. Combine that with some increase in youth turnout and four years of attrition amongst The Fox News watching set and you have a victory. And a real one, not just another Democratic holding pattern with a discernible drift to the right.
Texas is drifting left... maybe it’s this year, maybe in a few more, but I’m not willing to put off a better society while y’all play catch-up.
If I hear one more "Bernie will lose" apology for Republican fascism, and its little sister, Dem centrism...
This argument is either delusional or cynically disingenuous, as not even the reincarnated Gipper himself could beat the Trump gang. That's because, having stolen the 2016 election, they proceeded to essentially legalize the stealing of elections, as long as Republicans benefit anyway, and will surely steal the next one regardless of the voters' will. There is nothing and no one to stop them. Who dares dispute this?
The argument is garden variety misdirection, and it's a shame so many are taken in by it rather than face the facts. Given that the presidential election is a foregone conclusion, certain to be backed by the senate and supreme court, this primary is only significant as an existential test of the Dem party. Will we do the right thing by nominating a moral, ethical servant of the people to lose the election? Or seal the Dems' doom as a redundant party of center-fascists by nominating a billionaire Republican or doddering grandpa who may as well be Ronald Reagan?
Beto, though he lost to Cruz, awakened a sleeping giant in Texas: non-voting citizens who expect government to work for the 99%.
Do not underestimate Beto voters in 2020.
1
No, but it's big enough for Biden and Cruz.
1
Too bad Beto let his presidential ambition trump his usefulness to the Democratic Party by deciding not to run against Conryn this year.
It wasn't so long ago that Richard Nixon's and Ronald Reagan's California was a Republican bastion. Same goes for Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico. Arizona just elected a progressive Democrat as a Senator, and Texas came within a hair of doing so. The country is changing, and so is Texas. It's only a matter of when it flips, not whether.
There is room for everyone in Texas. At the moment most of California has moved to Texas for the jobs, they have made the housing prices go up and strained the infrastructure. Are they Bernie democrats or Trump republicans, I can't tell yet, but they may also be Biden moderates. I just read that Pete dropped out... someone has cut him a deal, Biden please make a statement to Amy in public to let us know you are interested in her for VP as I am switching from Amy to Biden on Tuesday (I feel like such a traitor to Amy...)
Politics makes strange bedfellows. With Republicans crossing over and voting in democratic primaries in order to vote for Sanders, only to then revert back to Reublicans for the general, I wouldn't trust any primary winnings that Sanders racks up.
Republicans are far more ruthless than Democrats, which is why they've solidified power on a far greater scale than the left.
What if Sanders is being set up for a fall in the general on the backs of devious primary switching republicans?
At least with Biden you know that ain't happening, and that whatever he racks up is a better reflection of the Democratic party apparatus in each state.
Yet another alarmist, unimaginative NYT opinion trying to scare people from voting in their best interest, for Bernie. Swartz ignores the multiple polls showing Bernie beating Trump. Swartz ignores his amazing fundraising, his events that attract thousands and his leading in the polls. Nominating Biden would be a devastating mistake as he represents the old and tired democratic status quo and entrenched power that does not really care about the 99%, and he won't do much to change our lives for the better. Bernie clearly is a transformative candidate. Vote for real change, and a better life and future with Bernie.
1
It's not just about turnout. Bernie can do a better job with persuasion than the moderates, because the moderates are hypocritical corporate shills, as any ordinary person can see. By actually presenting a cohesive alternative set of values and policies, the Left has a better chance than the wishy-washy center in any place with an independent streak.
1
The Times is showing today why need other newspapers as argued today by new columnist Ben Smith.
Leonardrdt tells us, it's all over, Sanders or Biden, take them or leave them.
He could at least visit The Guardian today where a strong case is made for looking more critically at Sanders.
As for Biden, at best he will keep us back in mid 20th Century but here in Europe we are well into the 21st.
No problem for me, I am here with FREE universal health care (yes after 85 FREE) renewable energy heating my home and fueling my buses, and a working infrastructure.
But for my 3 great grandchildren?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
I am a Texas socialist and I was appalled at the amount of poverty and discrimination in a rich state, Obama and Biden failed to make the reforms and push during the 4 years of dominance, now we will have to do it, because we have nothing to lose
1
Every so often the Times produces data that is both revealing and overlooked. With the caveat that Texas has issues (similar to those in progressive California, one should add), one clear observation noted in your coverage of Super Tuesday is that Vermont is at the bottom of the US in terms of economic growth and mean income. Sanders clearly has the words, but his own state has languished under his “leadership.” It is hard to believe that Texans will ignore the facts about Sanders and his “achievements.”
1
I know nothing about Texans first hand, but I can easily agree that it is too soon to be seeing Bernie Sanders as the Democratic Party choice for President to be.
I have seen all too much in the Times presenting Sanders as the now most likely choice but this article does not fall into that category:
“Bernie is going to lose and be a disastrous candidate for Texas,” he says. “And as a Texan, that’s what I (KM) care about.”
"That last statement may be the least surprising of 2020.
In times like this we need to listen to new Times Media Columnist Ben Smith, writing in this edition of the Times.
He writes that we must be concerned about the survival of, presence of other newspapers and I am concerned. Therefore I support both The Guardian and The Times with monthly automatically deducted payments.
I rely on the Guardian to consistently give me articles like this one titled:
"Democrats need to take a long, hard look at Bernie Sanders before taking the plunge"
by Andrew Gawthorpe
The Times is not taking that long, hard look in sufficient detail. Until it does, read Gawthorpe.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
All we need is more fear-mongering from establishment Democrats that have the stellar track record of losing 1000 seats in the last 10 years (governors, state houses, etc.). Why are Texas Democrats schmoozing with, and getting their mental framework from, Karl Rove? We Texans need Bernie Sanders and Medicare for all, not more advice from losers.
Ten Gallon hat Sid Miller is the true arbiter of Lone Star who may say, what may come.
Greetings from Abilene, Mimi!
Don't be so hard on the Republicans. They are, for the most part, doing what they were elected to do.
The poor and middle-class of Texas, with low wages, inferior educational opportunities and little to no healthcare like a candidate like Sanders.
The Wall, the interference by the Federal government at the border and with the traditional exchange of workers, is not appreciated by those whose livelihoods depend on these workers.
Trump is going to use imminent domain to take land from families who have owned it for centuries, for his wall.
These families want their land.
Then, there's the environment. Yes, Texas is oil rich. It's a cheap resource, easily obtained and sold. It's also killing the planet. Automakers are making electric vehicles. Plastic, made from petroleum, though no yet a thing of the past, is on its way out.
Fracking uses lots of fresh water at each site, leaving it polluted and unrecyclable after.
But,Texas has lots of sunny prairies, and wind, both ideal for green energy purposes. Fossil fuel barons could turn their money toward developing green energy and products. There's a fortune to be made there, which Sanders would support.
3
@Lilou As it so happens, I'm both a Texan as well as a lawyer who specializes in environmental and land-use law. Trump's "wall" has been little more than fiction from day one. There are literal thousands of individual landowners along the state's extremely lengthy border with Mexico. Eminent domain proceedings can take years, and all of the requisite environmental reviews – which Trump would certainly like to eliminate, but thankfully can't do via fiat – will take years to complete.
While you're entirely correct about the environmental hazards of fracking, I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken if you think Texans would support eliminating it entirely, as Bernie has proposed. Like it or not (and I don't), the state's economy is heavily reliant upon the oil-and-gas industry, and there's not any realistic way to simply "end" fracking within a matter of a few years. It will take decades to develop sufficient alternative energy sources – not to mention electric-powered vehicles and the like – to entirely replace petroleum. (Further, even if we did hypothetically eliminate fracking, Big Oil would simply import more of it from places such as Saudi Arabia & Nigeria.)
Finally, we don't really have many "fossil fuel barons" nowadays. The same global oil-and-gas concerns that run the industry everywhere else on Earth (e.g. ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, etc.) largely control Texas, too, though we admittedly have quite a few independent "upstream" entities.
@Jeff -- thanks for your response. Problem is, the planet doesn't have several years to work out the pollution of fossil fuels, chemicals and the like.
Oil is cheap and accessible, and no oil company wants to give that up. But it won't do much good if everyone prefers electric vehicles and non-plastic products.
Texas is perfectly positioned to make hay out of the sun and the wind, and become a hub for green products. Solar and wind farms. Conversion of homes and buildings to solar power--think of the new jobs. Paper and cardboard packaging, for everything. Texas could design and create this.
Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia will not go willingly into green energy. But waiting for climate collapse before they change their minds is too late. Our lives are at risk.
There are no fossil fuel barons. It was just a fast way to write it.
However, not just Texas, but everywhere, is going to have to start getting inventive and foster green energy and products to stop global warming.
Probably, oil companies are planning for this day and what they'll do, but first, they want to get what they can out of the ground.
The fracking is a danger to Texans' water supply. The fresh water it uses is not going to last forever. Texans will need drinking, cooking and cleaning water. Plus, fracking is a sure fire way to contaminate aquifers.
You do have a handle on things as they are, but environmental necessity demands rapid movement, not years and years of incrementalism.
Let me see. For years, there was no hope for Dems in Texas, despite the moderates running for office. In 2018 Beto running on the progressive platform came close to unseat Red Cruz. Enthusiasm that Beto radiated, translated in victories of Dem several candidates, and yet the author is trying to say that returning back to 'moderate' candidate is a right way to win Texas? I didn't get the logic.
5
Before they vote, moderates would be wise to read the details of Senator Sanders' plans for them should he become president.
4
Everybody seems to assume, during the campaign phase of the election, that each candidate will get exactly what he or she promises. Ergo, if Bernie gets elected, Medicare for all will be the law of the land. And we have a 40-foot tall wall extending from Tijuana to Brownsville to prove the correctness of those assumptions.
Think about this: If Bernie pulls off the miracle, in the coming four years, he will siphon off more support from Trump voters as the months pass, than Trump has managed to convert to his way of thinking(?) and governing(?) from among those of us who voted for Hillary.
The reason is, Bernie will be fighting for everyone's benefit and welfare, regardless of who you voted for, not just for himself. The odds against Bernie delivering Medicare for All are astronomic, but whatever America winds up with in the way of healthcare coverage will be immeasurably better than anything Trump has accomplished.
5
@Glen I agree that the odds against M4A are astronomic, but assuming Bernie could only succeed in obtaining a fraction of what he proposes, why shouldn't voters simply go with a candidate who's essentially already proposing the same type of half-measures?
I also agree that there's no chance Bernie would get much of his grander initiatives passed, but again, this has been true for basically every president to date. The problem with Bernie is his unfortunate my-way-or-the-highway commonality with Trump. While we need bold thinking, it's a basic realities that politics is all about the art of compromise. Many parts of America's infrastructure are literally crumbling because so many politicians – at all levels, not just the presidency – refuse to do so for largely petty reasons. (Consider all eight years of Obama's presidency, and Republican congressional refusals to support his policies in any way – even ones THEY had originally supported before he assumed office!)
I think I am correct that stating that it was the Kaiser's Prime Minister, Otto von Bismark, who first established a "social security"system In Germany back in the 1890's. No wacky liberals to be found here! My experience is that Americans in general have no understanding of "Socialism" - they only know it is "bad". A pity this! Voting for candidates out of ignorance is unfortunate but seems to be fairly common. I think a little education into what "socialism" is and what its history in various nations has been might be a good idea. The differences between "socialism" in Scandinavia and "communism" in Russia should be, I think, an important element in every American's education.
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@Cristino Xirau
Thanks - no wacky liberals under von Bismarck!
I think that Americans of a certain age are hopeless when it comes to grasping the differences, and many are locked into this weird belief that they have the best - despite all the evidence to the contrary. A triumph of education it is not.
1
@Cristino Xirau in the u k too- Gladstone,Disraeli Asquith,Lloyd George,Macmillan - conservatives and liberals have a rich welfare tradition.
1
How many of those non-voting Texans are not citizens? Not just "illegal" immigrants, but also legal immigrants who are not yet voting citizens?
@Jim S. Non-citizens are never a part of Democratic outreach. It's eligible voters that matter. "Illegal" immigrants can't vote! What part of that doesn't the Republican voter not understand? It just doesn't happen!
Texas is a real microcosm of America. That Bernie is more popular than any other Democrat makes perfect sense. He's far in away the leader in national polls. He has the best favorability rating of any candidate nationally, and in Texas.
Texas is awful big. When I read your headline, my enthusiastic answer was, "Of course here is room in Texas for both Bernie and Ted!."
What an excellent adventure we are on!
4
@Sebastian I Bernie's ahead in Texas in ONE poll. Out of dozens. He is neither "far & away" the leader either in Texas or in the U.S.; over the past year most of the Democratic candidates have, at one point or another, been ahead in national polling.
I have no idea where you're getting this stuff about his ostensible favorability ratings, but in nearly all of the polls featuring hypothetical head-to-head matchups between Trump and the various Democratic candidates, the only one who's consistently polled well ahead of Trump in Texas has been Biden.
Finally, it seems like you're only looking at polls among *primary* candidates. The real question, at least as far as Texas is concerned, is which candidate can attract voters who *aren't* self-described Democrats. I'll go ahead & quote the parts of Swartz's op-ed you must've missed:
"[A] candidate who calls himself a democratic socialist, promises to end fracking and savages oil companies wouldn’t seem to be the likely savior of Democratic politics in Texas."
"...traditional Texas Democrats aren’t feeling the Bern. Those who are hoping for a purple if not blue Texas live in fear that Mr. Sanders’s name at the top of the ticket will eradicate the gains made in 2018."
"To these moderate and, yes, old-line liberals, a bet on Mr. Sanders is one Texas cannot afford."
Isn't this the perpetual struggle. Those who are harmed the most with political policy, are the least likely to vote. Most people don't vote with their own best interest in mind. If they ever hear that a candidate is going to raise taxes on the rich, they only hear "raise taxes" so forget about that candidate. Sanders, may do well on Tuesday, but eventually will not win in Texas.
2
@TheniD - Well, it's the mindset that everyone is only a day from becoming a millionaire if only those pesky feds would put down their copies of the Communist Manifesto to let us get rich overnight. The reality, unfortunately, is that not everyone even has bootstraps to pull themselves up with. Also, there is the issue of 'trickle down' economics. We are still waiting for the trickle down effect to substantially increase actual wages. We may have millions of working poor but at least we're not socialist?
9
Many years ago, a number of my relatives in Texas told me how they approached the primaries. They were registered as Democrats (remember that Phil Gramm was once a Democrat, so think pre-Southern-Strategy dems). They voted for the candidate they felt was most likely to lose. They voted Republican in the general election. This was over 40 years ago. That trick is not new.
These were people who were/are of the "Greatest Generation" vintage. Some of them are still voting. I'm sure these practices are still pretty widespread. I suspect that Bernie's fortunes in TX owe some to these tricks. He and Elizabeth Warren are my favorites, but I'm sanguine about how serious any Sanders or Warren voters might be, on Super-Tuesday, in Texas.
In Texas, take the polls with a grain of salt. There is more going on under the surface.
4
Texas has always had a lot of liberal Democrats, just rarely enough to overcome the essential conservatism of so many, particularly in the vast rural areas. Beto came close. Either Bernie or Biden have a good chance of beating the would be dictator in the White House. Texas used to require Civics class in school, which actually taught concepts like checks and balances. I happen to think Biden would have the better chance, since honeymooning in Moscow and defending Castro push the envelope a little far, even for liberal Texans. Either way, Trump is in for a big fight.
3
Texas is big on anyone who is here legally (Cruz), educated (Cruz), and smart and qualified (Cruz and Bernie).
Yes, Texas is big enough for Cruz, Bernie, and more such fine people.
1
Wendy Davis listened to the conventional wisdom- and lost to Greg Abbott.
A Socialist won't defeat Trump.
Anyone who believes that will be very disappointed if he is the nominee.
Mike Bloomberg, the sharpest knife in the drawer, the man who as an engineer figures out how to get things done, as he demonstrated during 12 years as NYC mayor, is the person to lead us now.
He is crisis oriented and as the leader behind the School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins, knows what to do in an emergency.
On Super Tuesday he will amass delegates. He will continue to do this until he gets the nomination.
He will save us from Trump and from a Socialist destruction of our party and nation.
3
Then I guess it’s good that Bernie isn’t a real socialist.
How does the status of someone that might win a plurality of a minority party in a state be an indicator for the entire state? You can click your heels and wish all you want. The numbers are just not there.
1
I think some serious reflection is due concerning the alleged "downballot drag" of a Bernie nomination. In 2009, Obama and Biden were inaugurated with 60 (!) Dem senators and 254 Representatives. They immediately dismantled the DNC (with the help of Tim Kaine and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz); they shifted that money to Obama's pet "OFA" group use to support his loyalists; and they starved the state parties of vital cash to build on their successful legislative efforts. The result? Dems lost the congress in 2010, and 5-6 seats in the senate. Even worse: they lost all whose swing state legislatures they tried so hard to get, which then allowed Republicans to uber-gerrymander congressional seats for a decade. THAT's why those swing state districts are so hard to win now!! Nobody has ever been a greater down-ballot burden to the Democrats than Obama and Biden....just ask the state party chairs from 2010.
4
@JLW Yes, let's not discuss to overt racism towards Obama from the GOP and the undemocratic actions of the Senate led by McConnell. Just keep ignoring how racist we still are as a country.
@k2isnothome Truly, Mitch McConnell is an unscrupulous worm---but he did not take over as Senate leader until 2015...after Obama had squandered the historic Senate majority he was given. Of course there was racism directed at Obama, but that has nothing to do with what Obama did to the Dem party himself, or how he crippled its ability to compete on the state and local levels. Obama's actions led directly to the Republican majorities in many states, and in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania specifically, this led directly to Republican voter suppression tactics against African Americans. This is the ugly reality: Obama's actions against to debilitate his own party enabled racist Republican voter suppression tactics.
As a Texan who just voted on the last day of early voting last Friday -- I just want every Democrat within state boundaries to show up and vote. Numbers suggest that early voting this year was up.
I'm fine with a Bernie vs Biden contest. Just Vote to ensure that Trump goes as far south as the planet allows, and Texas continues to grow as blue as the Texas sky can be.
7
Rather than focusing on TX, the Democrats must focus on states like OH, FL, PA, IO etc. Those are more likely to vote Democratic than TX. We've been through this before with the Hillary Clinton campaign trying to turn AZ blue, and lost PA, MI, and WI. With Bernie at the helm, there'll be a Democratic of presidential candidate Goldwater. Bernie's unbending views are indication that he's now either driven by ego or by fear that his followers will abandon him for being a sell-out. And these views are unlikely to help him win, and if he does, unlikely to help him govern. Bernie has aged into inflexibility, not wisdom.
3
How can Texans win the state legislature without young and diverse (particularly Latino) voters? That's the question moderates never want to answer. You reverse the argument and the same thing is true. Moderates and old-line liberals will be an absolute disaster for down ballot Democrats.
You need turnout to win elections. Turnout requires young and diverse voters. Young and diverse voters skew heavily towards Sanders. You can't win without them. Moderates just won't admit they are the one's sabotaging the ticket again.
Your average 20-something will happily vote for a moderate Democrat in the legislature ... provided the top of the ticket is a candidate they like. You put Biden on the national ticket, you lose all the straight-ticket voters who follow Sanders. The math is that simple.
6
@Andy, but there is no longer a straight-ticket voting option in Texas! Starting this year Texas voters will be required to cast their votes for each candidate in the ballot. Those down ballot candidates will have to actually campaign for their votes. Yes, there will be many who blindly will cast a vote for anyone with and R or D next to their names but many will not. It will be interesting to see what happens.
@CEA I didn't even know there was ever an option to just indicate "straight ticket" without choosing each person.
I *always* simply go down the ballot and vote for anyone who has a D next to their name.
@CEA
The response is metaphorical rather than literal. If a voter goes into vote for Bernie Sanders, they aren't going to check a box for the Republican down ballot opposition. A blank vote on a ballot is a willful protest against that specific Democratic candidate. Not a rejection of the Democratic ticket as a whole.
Most people complete their ballot. Most young voters will vote "straight-ticket" even if there isn't a specific box.
Since Texas has open primaries, no one should be surprised if Bernie wins in Texas. The GOP is trying very hard to make sure Bernie is the Democratic nominee because they think they have a good chance of beating a Democratic Socialist, a Castro sympathizer ( their words not mine) in November. As a moderate Democrat who wants to see a Democrat in the White House, I urge all the Buttigieg supporters to go and vote for Biden. I like Bernie but there is no way he will win in November against the propagandists GOP.
2
@ALN Texas has open primaries? That's news to me.
I've already voted for the candidate that has a track record of actually managing and turning his city around, Mike Bloomberg.
When you momentarily pondered that maybe you are out of touch, I think you were on to something. Most of this article is filled with great analysis and I enjoyed it until the very end. Though your article supports the claim, you didn't say the following:
"Sanders' success in Texas might be attributed to the fact that the socio-economic landscape of the state matches very well with his message. Not only is his message well suited for the state, those who are listening to it are in the majority. As evidenced in both the polling and in the results from previous primaries, Sanders is getting more liberal voters to the polls than ever before. This groundswell of support might be the final wave needed to turn Texas into a Blue State."
Instead, you decided to fear-monger and do it without any support. You essentially said that there are some moderates (who exactly?) that believe that Bernie with lose, will cause the state to turn more Red, and it will be a disaster. How is it that a few moderates are going turn everything Red? They're going to stay home on Election Day cause they're mad Bernie is the candidate? They're going vote Republican? Bernie is turning the whole country more Blue and has been doing it for a while. To suggest he will have the opposite effect in Texas is absurd.
10
Many of these articles talk about the effect of Bernie on the down ballot choices. I think voters are smart enough to continue to mark their down ballot choices. If they don't want Bernie, leave that vote blank, but continue to select the others one wants. After all, Bernie in the WH without the house and senate will not accomplish any of his agenda.
4
The issue for Bernie is if the people who really support him and his policies actually register and turn out and vote. Opinion polls and columnists' opinion do not matter: votes do. The problem with the Democratic party in Texas -Bernie or no Bernie- is that it does not turn out its voters.
6
Yet another ideological commentary that digs no deeper than the "socialist" label without looking at the issues that make Sanders so popular with the working class.
The popularity of the old white guy Bernie Sanders is based entirely on his platform. In addition to the usual Democratic causes offered by traditional candidates, he offers other reforms that are equally bold to the successful reforms of the Roosevelt-Truman era:
1. Medicare for All - one fair policy for every American
2. Free College - for those who can make the grade
3. Support for Labor Unions
4. The Green New Deal - renewable energy jobs
5. Return to higher taxes on the super rich
6. Wall Street regulations to reduce the risks of the boom and bust cycle
7. Trade policies that protect the environment and labor
8. $15 minimum wage - comparable to $1.60 in 1970
9. Removing money from politics to restore democracy
Some of the other candidates have embraced some of these policies only to back off later. These are not radical reforms. Most prosperous European countries have had these reforms for decades.
A return to McCarthyism is not responsible journalism. Commentaries should explore the issues, rather than redundantly repeat the same scare tactics.
22
Sanders seems to do well among Latino voters and Texas has a huge untapped resource in Latino voters, thus it is not surprising that Sanders is doing well among Democrats. Texas is also the home to a lot of wind energy, strangely ushered in by Rick Perry, so there are a lot of people who have the environment on their mind in Texas. As Ms. Swartz pointed out, the biggest issue in numerous southern and midwestern states is voter suppression. Kansas would also have a better chance at having Dems represent the state at the national level if it wasn't for the suppression of the votes of minorities and the poor. The GOP's control of the country and Trump's reign are testaments to the horrible fact that the US is a limited democracy.
7
Many are forgetting the substantial demographic change occurring in Texas, especially with Latinos in which Sanders has courted with significant success. Once again, writers in the MSM and some voters in general are much too obsessed with political labels and ignore the actual policies in which Sanders has made considerable inroads with a large swath of working people of all races and colors even African Americans whom outside of South Carolina, he runs very competitively in that group along side Joe Biden.
otherwise, he wouldn't be in the position he currently occupies.
2
It's premature and wishful thinking to believe Sanders has a chance with the state of Texas. This opinion gives very thoughtful analysis to the choices Texans have this Tuesday, but alas Texas is going to stay red for a very long time.
1
Ms. Swartz, during the years I lived in Texas I never encountered a Texan who was scared away from the polls by a candidate. I did encounter a large number of Texas who were ready and willing to vote for (or against) either a party or a candidate they liked or disliked,
I would say that no Democratic Party presidential candidate can win even a single electoral vote in Texas in 2020. But I am reminded that Trump won only 36 of the 38 Texas electoral votes in 2016. Texans find a way to express themselves whenever they vote.
3
"I would say that no Democratic Party presidential candidate can win even a single electoral vote in Texas in 2020."
@OldBoatMan Just FYI, Trump beat Hillary in Texas by a mere eight points – only four years after Obama lost to Romney, a far weaker candidate on whole, by 16 points here. That was also the margin by which he prevailed in swing-state Ohio. And this was all *before* anyone knew just how much of a catastrophically hot mess his presidency would end up being.
I wouldn't say a Democratic presidential candidate can win a single electoral vote in Texas in 2020, but only because I think one could realistically win ALL of its votes – and certainly so against someone as overwhelmingly disliked as Trump.
5
In 2016, Sanders did particularly well against Clinton in red states. Evidently the democrats who vote in those states find some resonance on the left, or at least with him. Also, if I recall correctly, a suprisingly large number of people who supported Sanders in 2016 wound up voting for Trump. How? Why? Who knows. Maybe they just hated Clinton, or the establishment, pundits and arrogance. Maybe they'll turn out in a Sanders-Trump election, and this time vote more intelligently.
9
"In 2016, Sanders did particularly well against Clinton in red states."
@Danny No, he did well in *some* red states. In Texas – the subject of this column – Hillary beat him by 30 points. And she subsequently lost Texas to Trump in the general by a mere eight points: an identical margin to Trump's victory in the famous swing state of Ohio. All of this strongly suggests that a moderate Democrat could at long last turn Texas blue – maybe – but a far-left Democrat's chances would be vastly slimmer.
As for the "Bernie bros" who ended up voting for Trump in 2016, one would hope that they've seen the grotesque error of their decision by this point, and not opt to revisit it this November regardless of whomever wins the Democratic nomination.
3
@Danny
You have to understand the dynamics of the minority party in red states. The people that stick in the 35-40% are the truly committed ones. They are less representative of the state as a whole.
So, somebody like Sanders can win big in the primary but have little chance in the general election.
5
@Danny Then again, maybe not.
"To these moderate and, yes, old-line liberals, a bet on Mr. Sanders is one Texas cannot afford."
Agreed – which I say with deep regret, as a Texan supporter of both Warren & Sanders. Moreover, we've seen by now the degree to which polls can be wildly off-kilter: similar to the Texas poll showing Bernie within spitting distance of Biden, one taken a week before South Carolina's primary had Bernie trailing Biden by a mere four points. Even the polls barely a day beforehand mostly had Biden at a 12- to 14-point lead; he went on to win by 29.
The biggest problem, however, is one that can't be measured by a Democratic primary poll: the state's considerable number of independents and sensible Republicans – and yes, they do still exist – who were already disgusted with Trump even *before* he took office. Most folks are unaware that Trump's 2016 margin of victory over Hillary in Texas was only 8 points – identical to his winning margin in Ohio, the most infamous of swing states.
I split my time between Houston & Austin, and the large majority of my friends in the latter city strongly support Bernie. I've ended up taking a vow of silence on the topic, because I know what I'd like to say would infuriate them: regardless of what a single poll might've shown, there's virtually no way Bernie could win the general here – even after taking Texans' dislike of Trump into account.
And again, I say that with deep regret.
5
@Jeff
Where were those moderate republicans when Hilary ran? She was as solid and moderate as they come. She had once been a republican. Given the choice between a Republican and a Democrat who acts like a republican the republican wins every time
3
@Mark
Solid and moderate? Clinton was the. worst. candidate. in. history. She offered no recognizable platform and carried way too much baggage to be elected dogcatcher, much less president. Those moderates stayed home or voted "none of the above."
1
And how many times did we hear that there is no way that Trump could win the general in 2016?
If a Democrat wins Texas, he or she will take the White House. The question is: which of the Dem candidates will get out the vote in Texas? It would not surprise me at all to find that Bernie Sanders ticks that box. Moreover, even in Texas, there are plenty of people finding it hard to stomach the current incumbent - it may be that the GOP vote is soft this year.
10
"Which of the Dem candidates will get out the vote in Texas? It would not surprise me at all to find that Bernie Sanders ticks that box."
@Nullius That may be your impression 5,000 miles away in the UK, but most of us here in Texas know that a Sanders win would likely be the most improbable electoral victory in the state's entire history. (And I say that as a Texan whose ideal winner would be either Sanders or Warren.)
2
@Jeff
And I second that as a Never Bernie TX Democrat who would not hesitate to vote for Elizabeth Warren.
Unfortunately, Warren made a critical, perhaps fatal, political error in embracing the Cambridge crowd instead of her TX-OK roots. If she had run as THE corporate, tax reform and anti-lobbyist candidate instead of copycatting Bernie's free-stuff-for-everyone platform, she could have dominated this race in my opinion.
3
@Nullius No offense, but you don't really know what you're talking about. Texas is a far more moderate and tolerant state than most people realize. Trump is not popular here and neither is Bernie. These polls are nonsense.
1
Notice how Latinos are gathering around the Sanders candidacy; surprisingly one might say--not something foretold or expected by anyone. What is this telling us? Democrats are inclined to lump them together with blacks; Dems made a 'success' of blacks, they should be able to use the same tactics to succeed also with Latinos, shouldn't they? But Latinos don't want to be put together with blacks, they don't see themselves as black, they are themselves, they don't have a similar history or agenda. Republicans, while understanding them as distinctly different from blacks make almost the same mistake by labeling them both as 'minorities'. Then along came Mr. Sanders and he somehow for Latinos filled the bill, no one else has or does. What will Latinos do after him? What lessons does this teach, what opportunities does it present to future candidates, both Republican and Democrat?
5
@Ronald B. Duke
Well, ultimately is the policies that are important and appeal to a specific group, in this case, immigration policy is important and because they are working class people, items like healthcare and the minimum wage issues that Sanders constantly speaks about register with them.
The corporate/establishment moderate types (Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar)who want to continue to "tinker around the edges" rather than move boldly on these vital policies just don't click with Latino voters who are the fastest growing group now exceeding African Americans in several key states.
4
@Ronald B. Duke
Hispanics don't vote as a monolith. Within Texas, Hispanics voters in different regions of the state have different perspectives and agendas.
1
@Ronald B. Duke Respectfully, I think you're overlooking several important points. I completely agree that blacks & Latinx shouldn't be "lumped together," but at least traditionally speaking, many Latinx voters trend conservative due mainly to their strong religious beliefs (though the Trump administration's sickening treatment of Mexican & Central American refugees – and demonization of Latinx in general – has undoubtedly swayed many of them into the Democratic fold).
Further, it seems like *you're* trying to lump all Latinx into one bunch as well – a notion many of them would find quite offensive. Texas, for instance, used to literally *be* a part of Mexico, and as such its Hispanic culture differs from the rest and dates back hundreds of years. (Also, George W. Bush made a point of maintaining strong ties with Mexico, both as president & before that as Texas's governor.)
In contrast, most Latinx in Florida have Cuban ancestry – and to state the obvious, Cuba has virtually no similarities with Mexico or Central America – and the largest Latinx blocs in NYC are of Dominican & Puerto Rican ancestry.
To frame it slightly differently, this is roughly the same as lumping various Anglo ethnicities together. Americans with British roots dating back to the Revolutionary War era differ in myriad ways from the likes of those with Italian, Irish, Polish & German ancestry who migrated to the U.S. either through Ellis Island or following Europe's WWII devastation.
Yes, based on several decades of Texas being dominated by conservatism, it does seem strange that Sanders would be leading in the polls, but when you consider the damage done by these years of conservative dominance, it makes a lot of sense.
Maybe the "experts" should stop trying to be smarter than the voters? At least they wouldn't be so shocked by events like Trump beating the "unbeatable" Queen of the Status quo.
15
@Kingfish52
Well, given the history of the so-called experts in their predictions, I wouldn't pay too much attention to them, especially, when in almost all cases they have proven to be wrong.
3
@Kingfish52
As if these polls have proven SO reliable and accurate thus far! NOT ONE POLL predicted that Pete would win Iowa AND lose to Bernie by a mere 1.5% in New Hampshire!
And NOT ONE POLL showed that Biden's win in SC would be such a blowout that Biden now leads the popular vote total! NOT ONE!
2
Texas has open primaries. My uncle was the favorite to win the Democratic nomination and the general election in a gerrymandered congressional district. Then the Republicans crossed over and voted in the Democratic primary and put a real loser in there and he lost. Now a Republican district. And Bernies fans know very well about it. They are among those most militantly opposed to closed primaries in states such as New York. I'm sure it's just that they really believe in all the phantom leftists out there who will finally come out and vote if a major party nominates somebody good.
6
I will not vote for Bernie no matter what.
I dont even understand how people see him as representing the future, when he is straight out of 1960s, And he is not even close to being honest. take his failure to release his medical record after saying he would, or his reversal on plurality of delegates based not on principles, but instead based on whatever is to his advantage. The only way I can understand his support is people being brainwashed by Russians who have tried to support him to invoke chaos.
Buttigieg is beautiful We'l miss his cogent and actually honest voice. I think in the end Biden wil win, as americans wake up to bernies major flaws.
10
@UU
Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale. Hubert Humphrey, etc.
Much like Joe Biden, these were the so-called "safe" establishment centrist/moderate candidates, who have one thing in common, they all LOST. If Biden is the nominee as Hillary 2.0 will, no doubt, add his name to that list.
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@UU Since you will not vote for Bernie, I'll speak for Trump: "Thank you!"
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Beto brought out excitement in voters, whose absence the Knight Foundation's recent non-voter study found to be the primary reason non-voters don't vote. If Bernie does seem to capture excitement, then he can make a reasonable case for not dragging the ticket down. But to hitch the presidency to winning Texas would still be a mistake, as Clinton skipping Wisconsin for Arizona proves.
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@Trey Goodsell
If you knew anything at all about Beto or his campaign in Texas you would know that Bernie is the opposite of Beto!
People here called him OBETO because he was all about inclusion NOT anger!
1
How can health care for all be considered radical?
In most other Western countries it is the norm. On top of the stress of being ill you have to fear for the costs.
But maybe the main idea is, that by keeping most people in permanent fear for economic disaster they are much easier to control.
A German writer - Fassbinder - once wrote a book with the title "Fear eats the Soul", and that is maybe what is happening to you.
So actually FDR was right when he said, that we has nothing to fear but fear itself.
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@Mogens Let's compare realities to realities, not realities to pipe dreams. Pipe dreams will always win on their home field and they'll always lose away games.
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@Robert David South the reason to be political active is to change the politics, you don't like in order to create new realities.
By just accepting the status quo and call all ideas of change for "pipe dreams" you disarm yourself.
How do you think social progress like health care for all, free education, affordable housing ect. came in Europe?
Dom you think it as because of "kinder" ruling classes?
No, it was the result of a century long still ongoing struggle and because we all considered that this struggle is a permanent life condition.
The ruling classes never gives anything to anybody without struggle, and if you capitulate from the start, you end where you are today.
40 years ago the American worker was envied by most Europeans - today we pity you.
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@Mogens I say this as a Bernie supporter, but speaking as a Texan, I can safely say that those who don't support him are already sick and tired of rehashing the merits of Medicare for all.
This comment also has nothing to do with the subject of the column, which is specific to Texas's rather unique political peccadilloes (and despite our alarming number of folks without health insurance, this won't be a make-or-break subject either in this week's primary or - if Bernie manages to win the nomination - in November's general election).
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You referenced the bathroom bill from 2017. Then Beto and his supporters made the general election matter statewide for the first time in a quarter century. And the next legislative session we didn’t see nonsense like that bill.
I think the federal government has become unforgivably unresponsive to the voters the last few decades but state and local politicians are still somewhat responsive. It stands to reason we didn’t see stuff like bathroom bills in 2019 because the 2018 general election mattered, and everything I heard supports that.
But the federal government is still in the grip of Reaganism as practiced by Gingrich and McConnell, and the Ds nationally for the most part haven’t done their job as the center left party for years.
I’m moderate. I like Ike. Al Gore is my president. I think it’s madness to ban fracking as the next step in addressing climate change and there are probably better ways to move towards Northern Europe on health care.
But Bernie and his supporters are mostly doing what Ds should do in a federal election. That seems necessary. If D voters agree the D establishment should happily go along. The federal status quo is untenable.
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"You referenced the bathroom bill from 2017. Then Beto and his supporters made the general election matter statewide for the first time in a quarter century. And the next legislative session we didn’t see nonsense like that bill."
@Jack You seriously think Beto is the reason the Texas legislature opted not to revisit the bathroom bill? I'd suggest perhaps paying closer attention to what's going on at the Texas Capitol. Republicans have gone from having a supermajority in both the House and Senate less than a decade ago, to having a very realistic chance of flipping the Texas House Democratic again this November.
The lege didn't revisit the bathroom bill for the same reason they didn't revisit the "abortion bill" from two sessions ago: there's already dwindling support in the Texas House for divisive wedge issues like these.
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@Jack
There is a HUGE EXPANSE between Reagan Republicanism and Bernie Sanders extremist policies of Dem Socialism!
Do you honestly believe that the majority of Americans, even liberal Democrats, will vote to give FREE healthcare, college, childcare and everything else under the sun to the most affluent Americans AND to undocumented immigrants as well?!? Give me a break!
No country in the world offers what Sanders is giving away and that reality places him squarely in the political hustler category.
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@Elizabeth
I would very much prefer it if the Ds had been doing their job as the center left party these last three or four decades. But they haven’t. So what else is currently on offer as an alternative to Reaganism at the federal level besides Bernie and his movement?
Want a better way? Great. Let’s find it.
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Sure thang, it it comes to that in November, I'd vote for Biden. In fact, I like him a lot more than HRC, whom I also voted for. But, they're both status-quo. And that's fine if you're in a comfortable spot and not paying attention to those who're not.
When I was growing up, my family used to be winter Texans in Brownsville. One thing that impressed was "Drive Friendly." Texas had these two lane roads with perfectly paved shoulders. If someone wanted to pass, you'd pull over to the right and let them pass. Pretty cool. Go get em Buddy!
I'm doing ok, but a lot of us are struggling. We have a ways to go. Bernie is in a hurry to get there. He's kind agressive. Bearing down on our tail. But then again, happy to oblige: Go get em Bernie!
Drive Friendly.
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@Iko Elizabeth Warren drives real friendly. MIght want to vote for her why don't ya? :)
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This may seem off-track, but here is what may happen from my own experience.
I lived in Germany for 30 years. One of the strongest parties was the Sozial-Demokratische Partei - The Social Democratic Party. Then they decided to really try and beat the conservative party and instead of such "radical" candidates as Willy Brand was, they opted for a moderate, Gerhard Schröder. Gerhard won but things started to go south for the party. His moderate views turned real social democrats away. The result has been 4 consecutive terms for Angela Merkel, a conservative who leans left.
I see among young people in the US the optimism and challenged belief in our system. And youth will not be compromised. They must have their own experiences with life.
If we deny them Bernie a second time around or do not at least allow Elizabeth a chance, I believe that we will loose our young citizens' belief in the system. I phone banked for Beto from Florida. (He will one day be a star, believe me! As will Pete.) The young Texans I phoned with excited and talked my ears off with their ardor. Let us support our younger generations. It is their country that we are living in.
I see Bernie as a force, a power, a thinker, a persuader. He has the energy to win - and I think also the votes.
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@Robb Kvasnak
Bernie = four more years of Trump.
Anyone who believes that he would win a national election is deluded.
Denial is not a good strategy for winning in life.
He may get a lot of delegates in Dem primaries but that will be the end of his winning.
Mike is the sane alternative who will rescue us from the right wing and left wing extremists.
Vote Dem, not Socialist.
Mike will get it done.
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@Robb Kvasnak - He is also stubborn. Can he somehow find a middle way and actually win.
@Robb Kvasnak
“Youth will not be compromised. They must have their own experience with life.”
In the private sphere, it is a given that a wise parent or teacher should let a young one go ahead and make his or her own mistakes...
It had never occurred to me that this same concept applies to the public sphere as well.
How stupid of me.
I’m for the truth. All the other things are interference. I wish we could just have the truth in all the agencies. Where is the cdc in giving out info? Could it be they have been dismantled so they can no longer function? That’s what I think. Silence tells the truth. The govt is no longer functioning for the people. If it ever did.
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All true. But Texas gave the US its most progressive president in history; LBJ. The civil rights act, the voting rights act, the fair housing act, Medicare, Medicaid, Headstart, Foodstamps (now SNAP), etc.
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@James Ricciardi LBJ and his family in Texas were the best. Even after he died they hosted barbecues with Lady Bird, Lynda, and Luci sitting at long tables with lots of others who were active in a variety of causes.
They included the foot soldiers who were keeping these things moving forward, not just the leaders. No big splashes in the news but lots of contact with the people on the ground still doing things. Once you do good things, it is still needed that you keep them going forward.
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@James Ricciardi Wasn't LBJ one of those white moderates MLK warned us about? I don't think LBJ favored reparations, so he must have been a white moderate.
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As a former Texan I have never understood their allegiance to a Republican. But now I can never see an allegiance to Bernie. He’s too far out there. I’m left leaning but get real. He’s unrealistic. A little at a time. Middle of the road is great at this moment.
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@Texdeb You know how much force it takes to get a jet plane to lift off? The kind of change we need takes that kind of energy and focus. Personally, I think Elizabeth Warren has that but will support Bernie if he gets the nomination. At this point in time, we don't have time to try to get lift-off moving like a turtle.
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@Amala You have to yank the stick so the nose goes way up in order to get enough "force" to get a plane off the ground. It's all about aiming right at the zenith. Direction equals force. Being more radical is the same as being "stronger stuff" so it's more likely to win elections.
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@Robert David South Thanks for the even better metaphor. I agree!
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Trump and Bernie together represent > 2/3 of America who reject the status quo, either by iconoclasm (Trump) or a serious departure from existing centrist politics (Bernie).
Why on earth would anyone want to run with Biden in 2020, who is the ultimate status quo candidate? Failure guaranteed.
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@Audrey Why on earth would anyone assume Bernie can get anything done in Washington, considering he's nearly as uncompromising as Trump?
Criticize the status quo all you want, but politics – or at least *successful* politics – requires both compromise and consensus-building. While I broadly support Bernie's policy positions in general, that doesn't at all mean I think he can actually get anything *done*.
Finally, like it or not – and to be clear, I do not – most Americans old enough to remember the Cold War era are inherently suspicious at best (and repulsed at worst) by anything resembling socialism. Those who grew up viewing the Soviet Union as a literal existential threat to the Earth's future are understandably concerned by a proudly self-described socialist, regardless of how much Bernie tries to define himself as a "Democratic socialist" instead of an adherent of the Marxist-Leninist variety.
Bringing the subject back around to Texas: socialism is anathema to nearly all Republicans, and likely a large majority of independents as well who could at least possibly vote for a Biden or Bloomberg in November – in sufficient numbers to turn Texas blue. THAT would upend the status quo more than any other circumstance in modern American history – it's effectively impossible to win the presidency without Texas's huge delegate trove – and at least crack open the door for future generations of Democrats more in the AOC mold: ones who can pursue truly progressive policy agendas.
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@Jeff
Condescend much? Some of us in the post counter culture segment of boomers grew up watching our elders, Bernie Sanders and his 70s era bros, GLEEFULLY nominate George McGovern. Then we watched McGovern lose 49 states to Nixon, the Trump of that time.
Those ideological demands placed by Bernie and his left-wing cohort on the DNC set the Democratic Party and its agenda back AT LEAST 15 years, so far back, in fact, that the term "liberal" was polling as a dirty word by the early 90s.
By doing so, they created the political climate that brought about the centrism of Bill Clinton's policies, the same policies so abhorred by Bernie and his "new" bros now. Study history or doom yourselves.
@Audrey Trump and McConnell is the current status quo.
RE: Senator Sanders
Long ago, someone said this about Estes Kefauver, a Democrat who served in Congress from 1939 to 1963: "Nobody loves him but the people."
Same with Bernie.
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@Edward
For those who don't remember that far back: Kefauver did a lot of good in Congress, including breaking up the steel oligopoly.
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@Edward I'm having trouble remembering President Kefauver. Please refresh my memory.
@Edward
You do realize that not all the people love Sanders. His disciples believe no one exists except themselves & wrong-headed doddering old folks.
"unless Mr. Sanders scares moderate voters away from the polls"
In the two states where I have spent the past 50+ years voting, voting for individuals has been easy. If someone were to conservative, I'd vote for someone on the ballot more progressive. If someone were too progressive, I'd vote for someone less so on the same ballot. It was very easy, actually.
Granted, 'tho, Texas is neither California nor Oregon...
3
Bernie will win Texas. His working class agenda (Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage, free college tuition, etc.) is perfect for the majority of Texans, including the 17% (like myself) that don't have health insurance. Instead of looking to establishment Democrats that have lost 1000 seats in the last decade (governors, state houses, etc.), maybe we should try a genuinely populist (meaning for the people), independent-friendly candidate for once. The milquetoast Dems typically offered as candidates year after year have been a disaster. Most independents aren't typically middle of the road. They're fed up, and don't want to support the do-nothing machine. There's definitely room for Bernie in Texas.
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@chris erickson Bernie will win Texas because Texas has open primaries and lots of Republicans will vote for him. Not a myth, this happened to my uncle in a congressional race.
3
"His working class agenda (Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage, free college tuition, etc.) is perfect for the majority of Texans, including the 17% (like myself) that don't have health insurance."
@chris erickson One of the most impressive, and altogether cruel, successes in modern political history has been the GOP convincing working class & rural voters to consistently vote *against* their own best interests. This is just as true in Texas as anywhere else.
I don't know if you've been drinking too much of the progressive Kool-Aid up in Austin, but it's borderline delusional to think Bernie can win any *other* part of the state than yours. (It's called "the blueberry in the tomato soup" for good reason.) And just for the record, I'm a progressive myself, and my ideal first choice this November would be Warren, followed closely by Bernie. Nonetheless, I'm realistic about the fact that the large majority of the state doesn't share my (or our) views.
2
@Robert David South It's true that Texas has open primaries, and that members of opposing political parties sometimes vote in them. I've done so multiple times myself! That said, I think you're missing the point that most of us do so in an attempt to get a candidate on the ballot who's more likely to LOSE, not win.
Put another way, if Texas Republicans vote for Bernie, it'll be because they think he has virtually no shot of winning the general in November. And – unfortunately – they're probably right.
3
Bernie is honest. He's consistent. He's not corruptible. He genuinely wants to help the people of the country and has for a very long time.
In an age of flimflammery, gross corruption and negligence, basic decency goes a very long way. He might not have the best plans or the most likable face, but people want someone real. I really think people are gravitating towards his spirit far more than his platform.
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@Dan
I realize that I didn't address the article directly; I'm wondering why these qualities that are so appealing elsewhere in the country are not catching on in Texas. I don't think any of the other candidates are gung-ho on fossil fuels.
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@Dan these qualities are catching on, but the naysayers keep telling folks every evening on the news how Bernie is a risk or blah blah blah. It is overwhelming to see the media being so biased, this is the first time that i totally opened my eyes to it.
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@Dan Bernie is a politician like all the rest of them. I did research on him in making my decision. He blurs lines between social democracy and democratic socialism. He has Cenk Ughur and the Intercept behind him and some other groups that are objectionable, one with an NDA that is becoming an issue.
He partially supports regimes that are objectionable, saying their main problem is that they were too autocratic. The problem here is that if you have populism it too easily becomes autocratic, taken over by autocrats waiting in the wings. Bernie is 78 and in poor health, not in a good position to lead his populism to a non-autocratic future long-term.
I don't find this to be honest. Sure, all the candidates have skeletons but if you are running on honesty people like me will look more closely.
That's why I went with Warren. She looked less corrupt and more competent at getting the same platform (that I favored) passed. Unfortunately, she is not ahead. She did not have these groups behind her candidacy, nor would she since they are blatantly sexist.
What I'm hoping, if Sanders loses either the primary or the general is that the progressive wing of the party in the future will look a lot more like Warren and a lot less like Sanders. Less a cult of personality and more about getting things done that those who are suffering will need done.
Of course, I'll vote for Sanders in the general, but will hope his populism is replaced by something that can work.
18
"...the head spinning-est thing I have witnessed in a long time is Bernie Sanders’s rise to within spitting distance of victory..." (in Texas)
Could it be that people haven't been given enough choice in the past?
I have puzzled over the politics in Texas since I was a college student and, at the same time, a working professional journalist in the Dallas area. My Texas born and bred relatives have, as far as I can see, always followed the traditional Texas route of voting what the establishment throws up for their approval. What if they had more choice? What if all of Texas had more choice? Also, what if they had strong and reliable information about the other choices?
Voting is a herd instinct game. One acquaintance in far south Texas who went from far right to moderate liberal told me he had basically just been going along without thinking. How many people do that? Maybe most.
Do you want to feel like an outcast for going against what your tribe says? If you sense the tribe is shifting, can you easily shift with them or at least consider something new?
Those in the traditional economic middle class and lower in Texas defer to the ruling elite, perhaps a throw back to the days of slavery and post where there was no other choice. They had to.
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@Doug Terry Texas has open primaries and lots of Republicans cross over and vote for the weakest Democratic candidate. Lining up straw men has been in the Republican playbook for ages. The Watergate break in was about getting George McGovern nominated.
2
@Doug Terry
I wish more Americans would know about the Creel Committee.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-woodrow-wilsons-propaganda-machine-changed-american-journalism-180963082/
It helps understand why the USA is 48th in Press Freedom and why right wing politics are your only acceptable politics.
How hard can it be to send a news team Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver to see the reality of our system that covers us all at half the cost.
3
Texas is the state that once had a moderate liberal US senator and a right wing senator as well. It is the same state that gave us Lyndon Johnson, the son of the New Deal, government programs to install electricity in rural areas plus lots of efforts like Social Security and Medicare. Much of the oil money flew right out of the state to New York, Conn. and other rich areas but otherwise a a major portion of the modern version of Texas was built with federal tax dollars. They have never forgiven us for that.
The upheavals of the 1960s and '70s were thoroughly exploited by politicians in Texas to pump up the natural tendencies for hard right positions among voters. Does that mean voters were locked in forever? Given the chance to express it, people can show how they have changed.
27
It seems obvious except to the uncompromising hardcore left wingers who support Sanders that he would be a disaster for Democrats when it comes to winning a majority in the Senate and maintaining control of the House. And the reason itself is obvious. To have a chance of winning the presidential election Sanders has to bring out large numbers of "Bernie or bust" supporters who normally don't vote because they believe both parties are corrupted by corporate money. In a large majority of races they won't vote for Democratic House and Senate candidates. This will occur not only in Texas but all over the country except in safe Democratic districts.
10
@Bob
"It seems obvious except to the uncompromising hardcore left wingers who support Sanders that he would be a disaster for Democrats when it comes to winning a majority in the Senate and maintaining control of the House."
It's not obvious to the polls.
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@Bob And in those safe democratic districts they will primary anyone slightly to the center of them. I don't think Warren would do this and still can't imagine why she's not in front of Sanders. Probably because there are lots of behind the scenes with Sanders that we rarely hear about and sexism.
8
I dug into one the Sanders beating Trump polls. The poll did not show any surge in progressive turnout. What it did show was 87% of Bloomberg voters (e.g. moderates) willing to vote for Sanders over Trump in a general election.
How confident are you that the 87% figure will continue to hold up, once Sanders becomes the presumptive nominee and the Republicans start hammering him with attack ad after attack ad?
7
Could be that's it's gotten bad enough that some of the Dem Texas primary voters now see Sanders has a point.
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@Cool Dude Maybe, but merely "some" primary voters won't cut it, and Bernie *definitely* won't cut it with the state's millions of independents and moderate Republicans who are generally displeased with Trump – but not displeased enough to vote for someone so far to the left.
If Ted Cruz has any sense, he will endorse Bernie Sanders and campaign for him in the primary and general elections.
25
This piece goes against the grain being pushed among readers here and in the outside media too. That is that Sanders is actually popular enough to win in places we'd least expect. The reality is different and not a surprise.
31
Only a "moderate Democrat" would torture herself, and encourage others to do the same, over whether a candidate, who would register as "centrist" in any other industrial democracy, is going to destroy any chance for a slightly less right-wing state house.
The success of the Republican party over the last 40 years has apparently been lost on legions of timorous, trembling Democrats, deathly afraid of the obvious benefits universal healthcare or of pointing to the ongoing class war.
Of course, it's always to safer to run on nothing. That way you won't upset anyone and no one can accuse you of breaking your promises.... It worked great for Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, Kerry and Hillary.
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@jrd But it did work for Carter (initially at least), Clinton (twice), and Obama (twice). So no clear conclusions about that.
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@Larry Figdill
Carter won after the economic shocks of the 70s and Nixon's resignation; Obama during the financial crisis and Iraq war blowback. Clinton also, at a time of high public dissatisfaction, and a third party candidate which disrupted the usual American two-party voting pattern.
It apparently takes a catastrophe or s deus ex machina to elect a status quo Democrat. Whether Trump suffices, if Biden is the nominee, remains to be seen.
Republicans have been selling themselves all these years, no matter that it's all lies. Democrats, meanwhile, live in fear of giving offense -- mostly to their donors.
15
@J
Didn't you have your candidate of choice of 2016? What did she do for the Texas House?
Democrats don't seem to want to understand that this fear and trembling approach to governance doesn't work.... It's enough to suggest that while Dems like power, they're content with Republican public policy, and will not run against it in a way which would oblige them to make real changes.
4