What Is Hillary's Next Step to Neutralize the Bern?

image
Author: David Yee
Published: 06 Apr, 2016
Updated: 16 Oct, 2022
2 min read

After losing 7 of the last 8 contests (including Democrats Abroad), Clinton's got a big problem.

It's not a problem that she's somehow likely to lose the whole thing; it would still take a minor miracle for Bernie Sanders to pull off the come-from-behind victory this late in the primary season.

The problem is all about damage control, unity, and general election prospects of going home the winner.

She has to campaign to win, but also do it in a manner that doesn't embitter the entire following of Sanders.

So 'going negative' is most likely not going to work for her, though she may be tempted just because it's the 'political' thing to do in this scenario.

As a Democrat, you simply never gain much in campaigning by 'going negative.'

But how much further toward Sanders' progressive platform can Clinton move without really making herself look like a spots-changing leopard?

Sanders has already taken significant jabs at her reversals on issues, including her new found support of the $15/hr minimum wage.

The problem is, Clinton's traditional Democratic platform isn't ringing true with voters across key demographics. The younger Democrats have fully embraced this new Progressive movement, and have no intention of backing down.

IVP Donate

Clinton's campaign message must evolve into a unity message. Win or lose, she has to stay focused on the unity of the party above all else.

With some concluding that a convention slug-fest is inevitable within the Republican Party, the Democrats need to employ a unity strategy to ensure victory -- let the Republicans crumble and fragment, a unified Democratic Party would pick up an easy win.

A large part of this unity message must be about SCOTUS nominations, keeping pressure on the failed Republican tax experiments in Kansas and Louisiana, and increasing the pressure on the Republican contenders -- all while handling these late campaign losses against Sanders with poise and perhaps even a degree of planned indolence.

In the hearts-and-minds battle of the Democratic primary, it's all about how well she can promise to improve lives, protect them from both foreign and domestic (including political) threats, and whether or not she can actually be the one to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

That's a hard task to fill--and is definitely why 'going negative' would be the easier route.

Photo Source: AP

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read