The first Democratic debate of the 2016 presidential election season saw hardball questions from Anderson Cooper on electability, gun control, and a range of other issues. While media organizations like Politico claim Clinton won by a landslide, online polls at Facebook and Slate show Bernie winning by the same. Dennis Goldford, political scientist at Drake University, claims the issue lies in representation.
"The internet is not representative of the electorate as a whole--."
"I would note pundits aren't either," Rachel Caufield, fellow political scientist at Drake, cuts in.
"It's much younger. It skews much younger," Goldford continues. "The situation of Bernie Sanders, and pardon the comparison, is not unlike that of Ron Paul in 2012. He has a floor below which he's not likely to drop, strong avid supporters. But he has a ceiling as well."
Goldford says the floor and ceiling were apparent in the debate.
"The question is whether Bernie Sanders can raise the roof and get above his current ceiling. What I saw last night was nothing that indicated Sanders, last night, raised his particular ceiling. That may come but I haven't seen it yet."
On this Politics Day edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer also speaks with Goldford and Caufield about the disarray in the Republican party over the Speaker of the House.
