Comparing polls of Hillary vs Trump with those of Bernie vs Trump is extremely silly.

[Nye Bevan]

Everyone in the country knows all of Hillary's negatives; they have been drummed into us ad nauseam since 1992, and are already built into those poll results. But many fewer people are aware of Bernie's negatives; given Hillary's big lead over him in the primaries she has never needed to go for the jugular, and Trump and the rest of the Republicans have more or less ignored him, focusing their attacks on Hillary, their overwhelmingly likely opponent in November.

So many more people responding to these polls are unaware of many of Bernie's negatives. How many know that he is a proudly self-proclaimed "socialist", for example? Or that he fought for immunity from criminal prosecution and civil liability for gun makers? Or that he wrote some essays in his thirties that many people, especially women, may find deeply offensive? A lot of respondents in the "Trump vs Bernie" polls probably just see Bernie as an affable old gentleman who is going to stick it to the rich and to Wall Street. But the results would change significantly if his negatives were as well known as Hillary's.

[merrily]

1. Riiiight.

[KittyWampus]

5. #1. Sanders' failure in Veterans Affairs Committee where vets were dying.

#2. Sanders voting to dump nuclear waste on a minority community in TX.
#3. His wife getting a seat on the board involved in dumping that nuclear waste in TX
#4. His failure to release full taxes
#5. His wife claiming they can't release taxes yet use Turbo Tax AND then claiming they use an accountant
#6. His wife's major role in putting one college in financial peril and the TWO lawsuits that are pending due to her malfeasance.

[merrily]

6. All half truths at best, but thanks for playing and thanks for proving

that he's not been vetted is a huge lie.

[Fast Walker 52]

7. OMG! They sound positively criminal, and nothing like Hillary at all

[Fast Walker 52]

9. You do know that Sanders is very popular among vets and was trying to do the right thing on the

committee?

[Armstead]

13. Are you familiar who got the ball rolling on the Texas waste disposal agreement between states?

[Trust Buster]

2. Many polls had Romney beating Obama ONE WEEK before the last election.

In addition, Sanders is not our nominee. Pollsters have to make a living I guess.

[TeacherB87]

3. A very valid point

In addition, the Democrats have not put much firepower into attacking Trump for his myriad problematic statements and actions. Since I he media hasn't done so either, what we are seeing in polling is probably close to a high water mark for Trump unless Hillary crashes and burns...which is unlikely given her extensive experience in politics.

[ljm2002]

4. What nonsense...

...and we all know that if Hillary were polling better against Trump, you and the Hillary supporters here would be trumpeting it from the rooftops. But the thing is: it's BERNIE who polls better against Trump. Must be galling for you, but there it is.

[Fast Walker 52]

8. can you just face the freaking simple fact that Hillary is a flawed and unpopular candidate?

It doesn't mean there aren't reasons to vote for her, or that she's a bad person. She just has a long clear, public history that is difficult to erase from people's memories.

Bernie's weaknesses, as you cite, will NEVER have the resonance of years of Hillary's record in the public.

[Dawgs]

10. LOL! The only negatives you could come up with aren't even negatives.

Try again.

[Jarqui]

11. "Everyone in the country knows all of Hillary's negatives"

I think that's the fatal assumption.

A whole generation doesn't know about Whitewater and all the 90s Clinton scandals. Others have forgotten.

Obama and Bernie have been pretty decent to her relative to what the GOP are about to hand her. The GOP are going to rip her to shreds. They have been test marketing adds against her since 2014.

Hillary has not been vetted on her emails, the Clinton foundation and some of her time as Secretary of State.

The biggest arguments in the GOP are not going to be about whether they like Donald Trump or not. They'll be about which swiftboat ads to run against Hillary because they'll have so many darn good ones and so much Koch money to spend to buy the presidency.

I think America is about to see something the likes of which it has never seen before - a lambasting of a candidate of epic media proportions.

Hillary's already been vetted? Not a chance. Mark my words. This is going to get very ugly and the "stop beating up the woman candidate" gender line isn't going to save her. Dishonesty, lying, deception and flip flopping - all trademark characteristics of Hillary supersede gender because there is no good excuse for those qualities no matter what gender a person is. Trump will come to represent change and I worry, the less offensive alternative (as perceived by the public because that's a conclusion I would never reach).

[Nye Bevan]

12. What makes you think the Koch money will go to Trump?

Trump scares the hell out of many corporate types, especially with his policies on trade. I expect a lot of support for Hillary from that direction.

[Armstead]

14. Oh Joy -- more corporate and billionaire shackles for the Democrats

[Jarqui]

19. Trump has no soul like many on the GOP. He's a deal maker

He likes money. What does he have to do to get Koch money? Not nearly as much as Hillary because he's coming at it from the GOP side.

Like many Dems in this election, thinking of Hillary as president is a sickening notion while thinking of Trump as president might give one a heart attack. For the GOP, it's the opposite - they hate the Clintons.

The Kochs will hold their nose and give Trump money just like many Dems will hold their nose and cover their mouth while dry heaving as they support Hillary.

Many people feel these are two terrible candidates. I don't disagree. When the dust settles, many will be on their usual side of the party lines and such will be the case with the money.

[silvershadow]

15. I would rather compare labor records anyway. Third way vs Democrats. People vs. Corporations. nt

[Nye Bevan]

16. The vast majority of corporations in the US are just fine.

And the average salary of CEOs in the US is in the low six figures.

This "people versus evil corporations" thing has become way overblown.

[silvershadow]

18. No it hasn't. nt

[Tarc]

17. Bernie has a higher margin in those silly polls because the GOP doesn't talk about him

Like, ever. He was never considered a viable opponent by and candidate over there, so they spent no time doing opposition research.

If by some miracle he winds up with the nomination, the Republicans will trot out every tiered and false meme about Communism that they can, and those ballyhooed margins will shrink in a heartbeat.

[ljm2002]

20. 'How many know that he is a proudly self-proclaimed "socialist"'?

Er, just anyone who has ever watched a mainstream news show that talked to or about Bernie, that's how many.

Practically every interview with him, practically every commentary on him, whether in print, on the radio or on TV, has used the phrase "self-proclaimed socialist". Yet you think no one knows that? Of course, given the utter contempt that Hillary supporters have for Bernie supporters, it is no surprise. You believe the only reason anyone could support him is ignorance, or that they just want "free stuff". Okay -- maybe no you, personally; but that is a common thread among Hillary supporters.

What they may not know is that he is a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, a la the Scandinavian countries. But when he talks about policies, it turns out that a lot of people agree with those policies. Especially when he points out that other countries take better care of their people than we do. We, who are the richest country the world has ever seen, can't provide education without saddling students with a lifetime of debt. We can't provide health care for all. We can't do anything about the homeless, or about children who don't have enough to eat. But by Gum, we're the Greatest Nation Evah! Just because!!

[Persondem]

21. Exactly this. You are actually being kind in how you mention his negatives.

I have had posts hidden for stating truths backed up with links. In the harsh light of a general election Sanders would fade like a daisy in the desert.

K & R