Sanders is out of the gate with a trove of advantages that no other candidate has. In an atmosphere of identity politics, and the politics of feelings, Sanders can garner support from the far right to the far left. Plus, he has a powerful secret weapon up his sleeve.
He might not, however, want all the support he gets. Likewise, people voting on identity politics might not like the policies they get, after electing a Democratic Socialist.
Sanders takes the cake, and can serve slices up to everyone…but will anyone want to eat it?
Across the Political Spectrum
The Far-Left
The only self-described Democratic Socialist in congress up to now, Sanders captured the hearts of far-left voters in the 2016 campaign.
Sanders’ rhetoric against the 1% matches perfectly with the sentiments of Occupy Wall Street, and the growing anti-capitalist movement. His rhetoric has not changed in 30 years. For the left, this is his bona-fides that he will be true to the new left movements to ‘democratize wealth’ and expand state control of vital institutions like healthcare, and education. Check!
Nudging across the political spectrum slightly, The Green Party had their most successful campaign in 2016, largely due to many of Sanders’ high level staff defecting to the Greens, after losing the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton.
Now, in 2019, the Democrats have absorbed The Green Party’s platform, and the Green Party doesn’t seem to mind. One might conclude that Bernie, Democratic Socialists, The Greens, and what has become of the Occupy Movement have made a pretty powerful takeover of the Democratic party.
Are the far-left coming to Sanders’ party? Check!
Centrist Democrats
If centrist Democrats fight against Sanders again, and exclude his far-left followers, Dems likely will not motivate a winning coalition.
A centrist Democrat might win some conservative, and some independent votes, but man-hating and “white” hating has de-motivated many of those voters. I don’t think they can back-track on that one, either…without alienating the far-left.
So, centrist Democrats, if they want to benefit from Sanders’ secret weapon, and not be the victim of it, should vote….Sanders! Check!
Independents
Awwww! Coooo! Sanders is also ubiquitously labeled an Independent, from the Independent State of Vermont.
Independents, at over 40% of registered voters, are the group the winning candidate needs to motivate in the general election.
Dan Hopkins, of Five Thirty Eight, reporting that Sander’s garnered support from 75% of independents in New Hampshire in 2016 marked that:
“Sanders won Democrats by 4 percentage points while winning independents by nearly 50 percentage points, a split we’ve seen repeatedly since then.”
Are independents in the mix? Independents are a main ingredient, and Sanders has a plentiful supply.
Check!
The Far-Right
Sanders might not actually match the symbolism these groups are attracted to, but he is an attractive symbol of identity for them.
Sanders checks a lot of boxes for the far-right including "white" male, Jewish, and pro-Israel.
As far as “white” men go — there is not another more socially acceptable “white” man, who‘s also written about women’s ‘rape fantasy’, and known for being a jerk, than Bernie Sanders! No one’s got “Bros” like Bernie.
No one wants "white" men's votes anyway, except Trump.
No one wants "white" men's votes anyway, except Trump.
The religious right might be pulled in too.
Breaking Israel News whose tagline is “Latest News Biblical Perspective”, predicted in 2015 that Trump would usher in the ‘messianic’ age, according to ‘religious numerology’.
The article also suggests that Clinton is an evil woman to be avoided at all costs, and that, though Sanders might be bad for Israel, he also might be instrumental in “the dark … anticipated necessary step immediately preceding the Messiah.”
The article also suggests that Clinton is an evil woman to be avoided at all costs, and that, though Sanders might be bad for Israel, he also might be instrumental in “the dark … anticipated necessary step immediately preceding the Messiah.”
Extremely orthodox Christians might also find it difficult to not vote for Sanders. Why? For the same reason they are the largest base of support in the U.S. for the nation state of Israel — because the Bible says they should…or be damned!
Whether Sanders wants the votes or not, he might get them because many evangelicals believe that, as one Christian put it for Christopher Connelly on Public Radio International:
“God blesses those who bless the Jews, and God curses those who curse the Jews. And if we want God to bless us and God wants us to bless America, we’ve got to bless the Jews.”
Nevermind that Evangelicals really don’t like Sanders’ sympathy toward Palestinians, nor that Jews generally would rather not be pegged to this religious dogma.
And let’s not forget Sanders’ laudable campaign through Christian Conservative Colleges in 2016.
Not only has Sanders already extended his hand across the far-left/far-right chasm, offering respectful deliberation — he succeeded in converting an Evangelical Pastor who attended Sanders’ Liberty University speech into voting for him, because he said, Sanders is ‘just like Jesus’.
Far-right pulled into the celebrations? Check!
Sanders takes the cake!
He is rich, and he’s for the poor
He is Jesus and Jewish (also not very religious)
He is a misogynist, and an advocate for women
He is a “white” man, and a minority
He both supports Palestinian’s rights, and votes to give land to the nations state, Israel
He is the messiah on the left and the right
He is a celebrity, and an outsider
He is a Socialist, a Democrat, and an Independent!
And, that is to say nothing of Sanders’…
…Secret Weapon!
Political Capital
Vilified for decades as a crazy independent from the popular state of Vermont, ousted by the Hillary Industrial Complex, begged by the invigorated Green Party, and a fellow victim of old white male derision, Sanders is a bolder on top of a steep cliff, about to make its leap. The breadth and force of the fall has little to compete with.
Sanders mobilized a lot of people politically in 2016, and when he lost to Clinton his voters spread themselves out across the political spectrum. They have not had time to cool off since 2016, and have likely been super-charged by Trump’s influence since.
Sanders had the numbers in 2016, and his numbers are even better now--whether he wants the support or not, and whether or not his voters like the whole policy package Sanders will bring to the table.
This is a big, boisterous party.
Sanders can dole out slices of the cake to everyone, but will anyone want to eat it?
Sanders can dole out slices of the cake to everyone, but will anyone want to eat it?
……..
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B.A., B.S., International Politics/Agriculture
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