The states of Alaska, Washington, and Hawaii held caucuses yesterday and Bernie Sanders won by huge margins of 82-18%, 73-27%, and 70-30% respectively.
In Madison, Wisconsin where there is a primary on April 5, he announces his win in Washington that was just whispered in his ear by his wife Jane (not a little bird like yesterday) while he was giving a speech and the crowd goes wild.
While Hillary Clinton still has a big lead among the delegates, especially the so-called superdelegates of the party establishment, these results show just how brittle her support is. She racked up a lot of her big delegate wins in the South, which the Democrats tend to lose in the general election, and this should be a source of concern for the party.
The next primary election in Wisconsin on April 5 should be interesting. It is a quirky state, with a long progressive history and the home of Robert (“Fighting Bob”) La Follette but yet has twice recently elected an extreme reactionary governor in Scott Walker (mercifully eliminated early from the presidential race) and a Republican legislature. But the state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984. The Republican anti-Trump forces are pouring resources into the state, in yet another attempt to stop him steamrolling his way to victory and it seems to be having some effect, though this poll was taken before the Cuban Mistress Crisis, as the Cruz sex scandal is being referred to.
Currently strong progressive Russ Feingold is running to take back his Wisconsin senate seat from Republican Ron Johnson. That is an important race. Feingold has not endorsed either Clinton or Sanders (which is understandable) but his politics are definitely closer to Sanders and I have contributed to his campaign too.
Our family participated in the Washington caucus yesterday, it was interesting (and more fun than filling out a ballot and mailing it). We contributed 3 votes for Sanders. Our precinct had 16 for Sanders, 7 for Clinton, 1 undecided. Both sides tried to persuade the undecided person, but they remained so.
Sanders needs to win about 1400 of the remaining 2000 delegates, but it’s not impossible given where the states are and how public opinion is shifting. The corporate media have tried to avoid Sanders, but his message is still getting through.
If only the corporate media were as interested in Clinton’s email and “speaking fees” (read: pandering to the 1% for
bribescampaign donations) as they were about Benghazi….More about the caucus: The Sanders supporters trended younger than the Clinton supporters, but they also included an elderly woman in a wheelchair. She was part of a 3-generation family that came to support Sanders, and Clinton supporters did include a younger man and a younger woman (unrelated to each other).
Good, this is what happens when people put aside lorn’s defeatist silliness and Hillary’s electability silliness.
In more news from Washington, Bernie Sanders backers demand Washington superdelegates feel the Bern