More of the Melodrama

(From L) Democratic presidential hopefuls Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former US Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren arrive onstage for the fourth Democratic primary debate of the 2... (From L) Democratic presidential hopefuls Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former US Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren arrive onstage for the fourth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season co-hosted by The New York Times and CNN at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio on October 15, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) MORE LESS

November 5, 2019 12:42 p.m.

We’re back to another round of the Democratic woe-is-me, contending polls psychodrama. Jon Chait has a follow-on on yesterday’s NYT/Siena in which he sees those perilous numbers in key swing states as a sign that the Democratic presidential primaries have slipped into an echochamber in which no one realizes or cares that the leading candidates are pushing a policy platform that is simply not popular with most voters. As Chait puts it, Trump is “right on the cusp of victory.” Meanwhile, this morning, WaPo/ABC has a new poll out showing the Democrats holding thunderous margins against Donald Trump nationwide. Both of these soundings cannot be true at the same time.

This is a members-only article

Small Team. Big Results.

We’re proud of what our small newsroom has accomplished and it’s not hyperbole when we say that without our members, none of this would be possible.

Become a TPM Member

Free memberships available for students and those experiencing financial hardship.

Already a member? SIGN IN