Less than 24 hours after Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump and his Democratic counterpart, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, both landed decisive victories in the New Hampshire primary, pundits and columnists began dissecting the outcome.
Is this a case of “it’s just New Hampshire, we have long race ahead of us, a lot can change before Novemeber!” ? Or, alternatively, “the American electorate has spoken; the populist movement is here!” ?
Hard to say. What we do know is that the establishment money machine is a bit gobsmacked. They know Trump doesn’t need or take their money, and Sanders relies heavily on individual contributions. They also know what New Hampshire’s exit polls tell us: namely, that young people really like Sanders over Clinton – and that Trump supporters are willing to show up and vote.
It’s not just a reality show anymore.
New Hampshire Proves Americans Hate Politicians
John Poderetz – New York Post
The New Hampshire presidential primary has launched America into uncharted political territory. We’re flying blind here, people. Trust no analysis. Believe no prognosticator. Nobody knows anything….
The politics of resentment won Tuesday night. It hasn’t had a showing like this in the United States maybe since the 1890s.
Donald Trump and Sanders have a remarkably similar and remarkably simple message, and it’s this: You’re being screwed. They agree that international trade is screwing you, that health care companies are screwing you and that Wall Street is screwing you.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (R) is greeted by the Rev. Al Sharpton in the Harlem section of New York a day after winning the New Hampshire primary. (Reuters)
Sanders, Trump Stun America
Timothy Stanley – CNN
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump winning is not a big surprise; both polled ahead for weeks. Yet these results still feel revolutionary.
These two men have defied their party establishments, done everything they weren’t supposed to do, and still won victories with substantive leads. Politics won’t be quite the same again….
Perhaps people are looking for generational change and substantive differences between parties. A Trump vs. Sanders race would give them both. It would also probably give them Michael Bloomberg running as an independent and one of our most divided and definitive elections since 1992.
Trump and Sanders Win: We Are Witnessing a Full Scale Revolt, America
Douglas E. Schoen – Fox News
We are seeing a full scale rejection of the political establishment. This is a threat that we did not take seriously enough over the past few years, as evidenced by the fact that most rejected Trump as a clown and a joke.
Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks to supporters in Manchester, N.H. on Feb. 9, 2016. (AP)
We are living in a time when trust in American institutions has collapsed. A recent Pew survey shows that less than 20 percent of Americans trust the government always or most of the time. And a CNN poll showed that 60 percent think the American Dream is unachievable today.
Against this backdrop, it’s no surprise that America is in revolt.
Honesty and trustworthiness matters more than whether a candidate has experience or can win in November according to voters. And the establishment isn’t delivering anything resembling what the American populace desires in their political leaders.
Hillary Clinton’s Woman Problem
Ellie Hartleb – USA Today
Bernie Sanders has captured the hearts of Millennial voters with his inspirational and emotional promise to bring the nation “a future to believe in.” Although 74-year-old Sanders is a lifelong politician, his off-the-beaten-path campaign and perpetually disheveled aesthetic seem to be just the fresh (if wrinkled) face many young Democrats are looking for.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally on Feb. 9, 2016 in Hooksett, N.H. (AP)
That’s even true of the women, and particularly young women. Sanders won women under 30 by about 6 to 1 over Hillary Clinton in Iowa.
He nearly matched that Tuesday in New Hampshire and, even more sobering for Clinton, nearly seven in 10 women under 45 chose Sanders.
Overall, Sanders won 53% of the female vote in New Hampshire to Clinton’s 46% — a reversal from Iowa, where she carried women, and one that could reflect a troubling trend for her campaign.
John Kasich’s Second-Place Finish in New Hampshire Is a Nightmare for the GOP
Josh Voorhees – Slate
After finishing second place in the Granite State—ahead of Marco Rubio and his two other party-approved rivals—it’s clear Kasich isn’t going home. He’s going on to South Carolina.
The problem for the Republican Party, though, is that Kasich is unlikely to go much further than that. In the meantime, he’ll siphon off momentum, media attention, and money from his fellow party-approved rivals who are actually in a position to capitalize on a post-primary bump….
Kasich’s bigger problem is just how out of line his (relatively!) moderate worldview appears to be with that of the Republican voters he’ll need to unite. He doesn’t just have a history of going against the conservative line—he has a history of unapologetic conservative apostasy, often seeming to take great joy in telling conservative voters that they’re wrong.
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich beams at the crowd with his wife Karen (R) at a presidential primary night rally in Concord, New Hampshire on Feb. 9, 2016.