Hillary Clinton has beaten Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina about 270,000 to about 96,000 (73.5% to 26%), winning a plurality among men, women, whites, blacks, conservative, moderate, liberal and very liberal. The polls reflected a wide margin of victory but the actual victory was better than indicated.
According to CNN Politics, in 2008, 55% of voters were black, but now African-Americans made up 61% of voters. In 2008, 78% of black voters went with Obama and 19% backed Clinton, according to exit polls at the time. But this time, 84% of black voters went for Clinton and 16% went for Sanders. It has been said Hillary has a strong advantage among black voters.
According to Politico, Sanders had already written off South Carolina, instead of traveling to Massachusetts, Virginia, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma instead. As we mentioned just yesterday, Sanders’ momentum has perhaps halted he needs some kind of boosted to have any hope of beating Mrs. Clinton.
Commentary: It occurred to me when I was listening to Sanders’ campaign speech (with the same drivel as always) that perhaps there is a subconscious to America that suspects the truth. That we actually know that the mortgage meltdown was caused by Congress and the President, not Wall Street. That Congress won’t solve immigration and Democrats cannot solve climate change and aren’t really trying. That our trade deals have been badly negotiated. That the action we expect as a result of elections is becoming more rare. That fresh and innovative ideas are almost non-existent.
In our innermost minds while we appreciate our system of democracy, we know that gridlock is now the norm, leadership is not bold, and conceptual understanding takes a backseat to myopic petty interests of ambitious individuals.
This could be the reason why a socialist and a billionaire outsider have been so popular in this election season. Bernie’s solutions to problems are insane, but his message is resonating because he brings up new problems and describes them from a fresh perspective. Trump’s message is resonating because he states things in bold and absolute terms, spitting in the face of political correctness.
Both are outsiders with no vested interest in the status quo power bases in Washington. They are both able to look at Washington and say “hey this is screwed up” without destroying relationships or coalitions formed over many years.
Perhaps this subconscious is on to something. I hope the RNC and DNC are paying attention.