Clinton Iowa Volunteers Train When To Push Backers To O’Malley — To Block Bernie

[Contrary1]

No big surprise here. I think it speaks volumes as to character. And Sanders is the one running a dirty campaign?

"Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president is instructing its Iowa caucus leaders to — in certain cases — throw support to former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, with the goal blocking her main opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, from securing additional delegates.

The tactical move is rooted in the complex math of the Iowa caucuses Monday night, where the campaign is looking to defeat Sanders in a state whose caucus-goers have historically backed progressive challengers.

A precinct captain, Jerome Lehtola, confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the campaign has trained precinct captains to release supporters to O’Malley if the move can make him “viable” without hurting Clinton. A Clinton aide said the campaign has trained more than 4,000 volunteer precinct captains to handle a host of different scenarios, including ones where caucus-goers are released to or recruited from another camp.

“Our precinct leadership teams have worked hard to get to know as many people in their precincts as possible and they’ll use those relationships to maximize Hillary Clinton’s delegate count depending on which groups are viable on caucus night,” the aide said..."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/hillary-bernie-math#.wh9GOPMYBV

[djean111]

1. Shit like this - I doubt I will be able to vote for Hillary, if she is the nominee.

And, from a different direction - next door neighbor says if he has to choose between Hillary and Trump - he will choose Trump.
He is a Democrat, but is sick of the Clintons and the Third Way crap.

[EdwardBernays]

2. Amen

Subverting democracy for personal gain is not something I can support.

[Gregorian]

4. A friend said the same thing, and I'm furious with him. But still, it does say something.

The trump part, that is.

[djean111]

5. When I asked him why he would vote for Trump, he said he thought Trump would

change things, and that Hillary would just make things worse. He does not like the TPP, and thinks the ACA will never go far enough to provide actual affordable health care to all. He had always been registered as a Democrat, but changed to not affiliated last time he renewed his driver license, because he is sick of the Democratic party acting like Republicans. He will vote for Bernie, but I will have to work on him to get him registered as a Democrat so he can vote in the primary.

[Gregorian]

3. She was against it before she was for it. No way Bernie would do this crap.

Isn't this coercion? I thought that was illegal.

[thereismore]

6. That's fine. As long as that's legal, whatever. But you can tell they are

trying to claw out any fraction of a %. Bernie will prevail anyway.

[awake]

7. The problem maybe that it gets so close in a caucus that Hillary's may not be able

To afford the lose of the voters from their own ranks so by trying to up O'malley's numbers hers may drop below Bernie's

[Bernin4U]

8. Are the numbers even close to being there to make it work?

It's an interesting strategy on paper. But if MOM, who needs to be at 15% to survive, is really only at about 5% in a typical room, than what are the chances that Hillary's side can afford to give up 10% to save him (and thus, herself)?

It would be one thing if he were getting into the low teens. Then the HRH supporters could in many cases, be more likely to afford being able to give up some people to go astroturf with MOM, while safely maintaining the HRH ranks.

But if MOM is not even getting halfway there, then it's just too big of a burden for HRH supporters to make up the difference. The MOM group will get broken up, and Bernie will likely be the bigger beneficiary.

And apologies to MOM supporters if this sounds condescending. You know that we'll be after you, just as HRH supporters are. But at least I don't see that we'll be doing it by pretending to be on your side.