Posted by Nolan Dalla on Jan 20, 2016 in Blog, Essays, Las Vegas, Personal, Politics, What's Left |

Where Are All the Hillary Clinton Supporters?

A puzzling void has emerged within the 2016 presidential race which is this: I can’t find a single voter who enthusiastically supports Hillary Clinton.

Oh, I’m sure they’re out there — in the millions. According to recent polls, she’s still the most popular candidate in terms of overall national support. The trouble is, I can’t identify a single soul by name who openly supports her. It’s sort of like trying to find someone who will admit they watch a bad television show. Call it a political closet case.

The questions are — could it simply be me? Or, could it be something else? Might Hillary Clinton have an enormous problem on her hands as the primary season gets underway?

I’m truly privileged to know people from just about every corner of the political spectrum in all parts of the country. About a third of my friends claim to be either conservatives or libertarians. Another third (perhaps slightly more) are self-professed liberals. The rest are moderates. I can rattle off the names of multiple Facebook associates who are supporting Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, or Rand Paul. I also know dozens of Donald Trump supporters. I’m certainly aware of a great many people who say they intend to vote for Bernie Sanders. So, what I wonder is this: Where are Hillary Clinton’s backers?

There is some valid explanation for this mystery. The demographic which uses social media regularly tends to be far more politically active than the average voter. Activists also tend to be on the outer extremes. Sanders attracts lots of support from younger voters, who are far more engaged on a wide spectrum of interactive platforms than so-called establishment candidates, including Hillary Clinton. Moreover, far-right anger appears to be much more pronounced than what we hear from average citizens, which means Trump’s backers might be more prone to post messages on websites and engage in fiery political discussions. Truth is, we’re not nearly as likely to hear from the quiet civil servant who’s supporting Hillary Clinton and doesn’t get out much socially speaking. It’s the squeaky wheel that always gets the grease. What I’m saying is — the proportions of enthusiasm for various candidates could be grossly disproportionate when it comes to what we observe on social media versus the real world.

Fair enough.

Nonetheless, for Hillary Clinton to still be the odds-on favorite to win the 2016 presidential race at this point, yet seemingly so lacking in boosters who publicly profess their support could be the recipe for an epic political downfall the likes of which we haven’t seen since, well the last time Hillary Clinton ran for president.

Admittedly, Nolan Dalla (that’s me) sometimes wears thick blinders. Maybe a blindfold. He doesn’t always see the much broader spectrum, nor does he understand the sophisticated political machinery of Democratic Party politics which clearly favors Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Indeed, I have no clue what’s going on right now in Black communities, which still apparently support Hillary Clinton by such overwhelming percentages that the numbers should be shameful. Yes, I’m somewhat clueless because I haven’t been exposed to the groups most likely to vote for her.

But here in my home city of Las Vegas, I’ve seen dozens of bumper stickers plastered on cars pledging endorsement for Bernie Sanders. I’ve also seen quite a few bumper stickers for Trump, as well as various indications of support for the other candidates. I’ve even seen some “Ben Carson for President” signs and stickers. However, I’ve yet to see a single bumper sticker or sign anywhere for Hillary Clinton where I’ve driven in any state. Not one. Not in California, either, where I visited last week. That even includes an entire week spent in Debbie Wasserman- Schultz’s territory down in South Florida last month, certainly a bastion of Clinton backers. Perhaps they too remain closeted.

Okay, so much like social media, bumper sticker politics doesn’t paint the real picture, either. So, what about social gatherings and community functions? Perhaps that’s where Hillary Clinton’s supporters are all hiding.

Once again, I’ll call upon my admittedly limited and biased personal experiences over the past six months at various wine dinners while meeting new friends, at charity events, at a volunteer organization we belong to and attend regularly, during conversations with neighbors, in bar talk, while engaged in poker table chatter — you name it. I’ll say this — if Hillary Clinton is counting on votes from the dozens, if not hundreds of people I’ve met casually all over the country during the past half year, she’s in for a big surprise. They don’t exist.

I hesitate posting these questions because all they do is open up a giant shit bag full of hate for Hillary Clinton (log on to Facebook and watch the wolves come out at the scent of red meat). Yeah, she’s got some serious trust issues to deal with. She’s going to have to win over some supporters who don’t particularly like her at the moment. Nonetheless, she’s put on a couple of stellar debate appearances. She campaigns relentlessly. And, Hillary Clinton — despite her obvious faults — remains one of the most extraordinary women in American political history. If she’s elected, I’m convinced she’d be an acceptable president for most of us when it comes to advancing an agenda that’s good for most people. She’s wickedly smart, highly-experienced, and certainly as well qualified as anyone who’s run for the White House in recent memory. So given all these positives, why aren’t we seeing more love?

It’s becoming readily apparent that for all her political advantages, she still lacks what’s arguably the most important fundamental quality needed, not just to be elected to national office, but to succeed once she’s in office. Without a passionate following willing to proudly carry the torch of political and social conviction, Hillary Clinton is going nowhere. Brace yourselves for a possible rendezvous with history. For the Clinton campaign, it could be 2008 all over again.

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