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Seven Reasons Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Care About #Demexit And Is Ignoring Progressive Threats

Published on: August 2, 2016 at 5:38 PM
By Toni Matthews

Hillary Clinton is in a far better position than some would suggest. In fact, despite the tireless warnings and angry fist-shaking, there’s no sign whatsoever Hillary Clinton is even remotely concerned about #Demexit, the progressive movement created out of frustration over the treatment of previous Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders.

Is it arrogance? Is it ignorance? Or is something else behind the alleged disinterest Hillary Clinton’s camp and the DNC have demonstrated towards progressive anger and #Demexit?

Well, apparently there are several reasons why Hillary Clinton would overlook gripes progressive liberals have against her — and why it might not hurt her chances in November.

1.) Poll Numbers

First and foremost, it’s important to note that despite protests and anti-Hillary hashtags such as #Demexit taking over Twitter, July was an outstanding month for Clinton. According to USA Today , Clinton’s campaign raised more than $90 million. The DNC helped Hillary enjoy her best fundraising month thus far. By comparison, the RNC allowed her Republican rival Donald Trump to benefit from $35.8 million in additional funds.

It was also revealed that Hillary Clinton enjoyed a sizeable post-convention bump. CNN reports that Hillary now leads Donald by seven points in the national polls. Before the DNC, it was Clinton who was trailing.

2.) Moderates

This is a major reason as to why Hillary Clinton isn’t as concerned about #Demexit or progressive threats as some might expect. Most of her votes will probably come from the center, rather than the far-left. If Clinton is focused on electability, then logically speaking she’ll be courting the majority. A 2003 Gallup poll revealed that most Americans identify as either moderate or conservative. In 2013, MSNBC reported that nearly 51 percent of Americans viewed themselves as moderates.

How is that bad news for liberal progressives? It means that as far as Hillary Clinton is likely concerned, the #Demexit faithful’s threats are hollow at best and a minor annoyance at worst. If Hillary Clinton moves to the right to get elected, it means that her odds of reaching the White House increase.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump moved as far to the right as possible in his bid for the presidency. Unlike Clinton, this backfired in a big way.

3.) Donald Trump’s “Foot-In-Mouth” Problem

It appears that Hillary Clinton is quite fortunate to have Trump as her opposition; his words alone seem to be enough to allow her to enjoy higher poll numbers. As the DNC was wrapping up, Donald found himself on the wrong end of a couple of major controversies.

Donald Trump publicly asked Russia to hack the U.S. government in the hopes of producing “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. Some might consider Trump’s statement to be subversive, if not an outright act of sedition .

Donald also upset American voters when he disrespected the family of a fallen U.S. soldier. Mocking Muslims isn’t new behavior for Trump, but the loyalties of a man who died in service to his country and the suffering of his family are topics that most would consider off limits. Not Donald Trump.

Thanks to antics like this, Hillary Clinton doesn’t have to do or say much to make herself the most logical alternative on Election Day. Progressives do have alternatives of their own, in the form of Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Indignant conservatives are likewise looking to Libertarian Gary Johnson.

The #Demexit movement has aided Jill Stein’s overall recognition, but there are signs that opposition from the left isn’t as dangerous to Hillary Clinton as opposition from the right happens to be for Donald Trump.

4.) The Third-Party Candidates Aren’t Hurting Her Numbers

CNN observed that Hillary topped Donald in a two-way matchup 52 percent to 43 percent. When third party candidates were added to the mix, things got interesting.

“In a two-way head-to-head matchup, Clinton tops Trump 52 percent to 43 percent, and in a four-way matchup including third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, Clinton leads 45 percent to 37 percent with Johnson at 9 percent and Stein at 5 percent.”

As liberal disillusionment takes hold, those numbers can (and probably will) fluctuate. However, consider that Hillary Clinton and Jill Stein’s 50 percent logically represent the left with Trump and Johnson combining to represent 46 percent of voters on the right. Immediately, one gets the impression that more voters are leaning left than right overall.

Then consider that Johnson has taken a larger chunk out of polled voters than Jill Stein. Stein continues to dodge vicious accusations that she’s the new Ralph Nader . However, if these numbers or the pattern behind them holds, that title might actually go to Gary Johnson, with Donald Trump finding himself the Al Gore of 2016.

5.) The Presidential Debates

Yet another reason Hillary Clinton may be ignoring #Demexit and progressive-specific woes? She may feel confident she can bring voters around during the presidential debates. Given Trump’s penchant for offensiveness and making himself look terrible, it’s understandable why she’d feel confident. Although, for this to happen, Hillary would actually have to get Donald to debate her on camera. The Atlantic has suggested there’s a chance her Republican rival might pass on the entire thing.

Trump opted out of debates during the primaries, and it didn’t hurt him. During the general election, it could work strongly against him, construed as disrespectful not only to Clinton but toward the voting American public. Ultra-conservative voters and dedicated political trolls do not make up the majority of the country — even if they’re tirelessly active on the internet.

The debates could prove to be what ultimately decides everything.

6.) Support From “Never Trump” Republicans

As reported by Syracuse.com , House Republican. Rep. Richard Hanna of New York broke ranks to denounce Trump and throw his full support behind Hillary.

Said Hanna, “I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he the guy you want to have the nuclear codes?”

The New York Times writes that Hanna became the first Republican official to break ranks and openly defy Trump by supporting Clinton. It’s entirely possible that more Republicans could opt to stand behind Hillary in an act of open defiance. Their support, combined with the dedicated grassroots efforts of staunch Democrats, could make Hillary Clinton’s journey to the White House a relatively smooth one.

7.) Trump’s Utter Unelectability

Since he first announced his intention to run for president a year ago, Donald has repeatedly made statements that are outright racist, xenophobic, and sexist. His supporters have committed or threatened to commit acts of violence against protesters . His ignorance on political manners (Russia?) suggests that he not only is woefully unqualified to lead but that electing him could be the equivalent of an unnecessary national security risk.

And so these are the reasons Hillary Clinton is probably not too concerned about #Demexit. With high poll numbers, millions in donations, Donald Trump’s gaffes (and his bigotry), Republican and moderate voter support, and a series of debates to look forward to, Clinton seems to be the far stronger candidate at the moment. Third-party candidates aren’t even a sizeable threat to her aims.

Of course, things change. It’s possible that growing social media support for Jill Stein and growing distrust among progressives could lead to a noticeable drop in poll numbers. However, it appears that Hillary Clinton isn’t going to worry about #Demexit and similar issues until they represent a serious threat to her presidential ambitions.

The question now is whether or not Hillary Clinton would be able to course correct before it would be too late to avoid defeat.

Do you think Hillary Clinton should be worried about her chances in November? Share your reasons why or why not below!

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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