This time eight years ago, Barack Obama was polling at approx 25% in the Democratic Primary...

[brooklynite]

...and was slowly moving up. Today, Bernie Sanders is polling at 5%.

By comparison, Clinton was polling at 35% and is at 60% today.

If people want to imagine that Obama knocked Clinton off, so Sanders can do the same thing, I'd say he's going to need to start doing something more serious than just talking about running.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. Bernie Sanders is a great Liberal, but he'll hold NO appeal with Generation X. The feedback I get is

that he's "too old-looking" and he comes across "too angry".

Back then (and now) Hillary Clinton enjoyed name recognition and people yearned for the Clinton presidency after six years of Duhbya Bush in the White House that resulted in two wars and a crashing economy, thanks to Republican policies.

Barack Obama had(s) that "cool" that attracted younger voters to him back then. His campaign volunteers were all younger people, too, and they were fanatical. But then again, contrary to Bernie Sanders, Barack Obama back then was working toward actually running in the primaries, and doing so in earnest. I don't get the sense that Senator Sanders is seriously contemplating running.

[stevenleser]

2. But...but...but... inevitable! And, um, third way DLC wharrgarble!

Of course, they are now three years two late in getting whoever they hope to run against Clinton the kind of positive national exposure Barack Obama had before edging out Clinton by the very narrowest of margins. And they keep forgetting the kind of special speaker Obama is and his ability to energize an audience across the political spectrum with his speeches.

Then again, the folks about whom we are talking aren't really good in the doing department. They are world class complainers and talk a good game, but in actually making things happen, not so much.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Of course in 07 both had announced at this point, Obama Feb 10 and Clinton on Jan 20

This time eight years ago, three Democrats had already announced, this year none have done so. So the analogy is far from complete.

[brooklynite]

4. ...except that one candidate is gearing up to run and one is not...

Clinton is hiring serious campaign staff (including veterans from the Obama campaign) and RFL has scored commitments for tens of thousands of volunteers and millions of dollars in contributions. Sander's meetings with students in Iowa will likely get him some followers, but he's going to need to scale up substantially to be competitive.

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Yeah, all that gearing up is often part of the problem. Well, the problem is in thinking that

energy spent gearing up and raising cash is the same thing as strategy, policy or platform. Too much preparation tends to cause people to panic when the moment arrives and it is not the moment they anticipated and prepared for. Current major money politicians on all sides would do well to notice and to remember that they are as sick that surfeit with too much as those who starve with nothing.

[wyldwolf]

5. The first step would be to remove that 'I' after his name and replace it with a 'D'

I mean, Democrats can be stubborn when it comes to NOT voting for non-Democrats.

[FSogol]

6. I agree.

[snooper2]

8. where is Martin O'Malley polling

That's who I want to run

[brooklynite]

11. Currently 1-2%

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_democratic_presidential_nomination-3824.html

[snooper2]

12. I guess I'm in the 1% now :)

[geek tragedy]

9. Bernie would be running to push his ideas, not because he wants that job.

He has my vote if he runs as a Democrat. He won't win, but someone needs to push the envelope in the primary.

[Orsino]

10. It would take the appearance of another electrifying personality to challenge the Clintonbucks.

I would say that such a personality must by now have already appeared, and that Clinton is therefore a shoo-in.

[Thinkingabout]

13. Bernie is a self declared socialists, wonder how much the GOP could make out of this.