Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has never been a registered Democrat, but he is exactly what the party needs to save itself. A race against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries would be a tough one, but if anyone can shine a light on her pro-Wall Street, pro-wealthy, pro-big business tendencies, it’s Sanders.
Sanders has been making the rounds – an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, a trip to Iowa, etc. – discussing his possible run in 2016. In Iowa, the self-proclaimed socialist called for a “political revolution,” Vox reported.
“He’s a ‘small s’ socialist,’” said Sanders’ longtime friend Garrison Nelson, a professor at the University of Vermont. “He’s not ‘Let’s totally revamp the government, break up the corporations, create five-year plans.’ He doesn’t get too far out on an ideological limb.
And while Sanders’ ideals don’t seem that radical to the average American, they scare the crap out of both the Democratic and Republican establishments.
“I have nightmares that someone like Bernie Sanders will catch fire and cause trouble for Hillary,” a pro-Clinton ‘operative’ told MSNBC earlier this month.
But one Democrat’s nightmare is another’s dream come true.
Sanders supports a single-payer healthcare system, which Vermont became the first state to adopt in 2011. He calls “entitlement reform” a code for “cutting Social Security and Medicare.” He actually supports expanding Social Security, along with increasing payroll taxes on the wealthy. He says America needs to consider making college free for students, thinks the government should spend more on infrastructure to create jobs, and wants a Constitutional amendment that would essentially strike down Citizens United.
Sanders not only hates the Koch brothers’ policies that have corrupted the GOP, he actually talks about them.
“The Republican Party right now in Washington is highly disciplined, very, very well-funded, and adheres more or less to the Koch brother position,” Sanders told Vox. They’ve “moved from being a right-center party to a right-wing extremist party.” He “doesn’t believe they can be negotiated with on major issues – only defeated.”
Democrats win elections because of their appeal to women, racial minorities, and young voters. Their main problem comes with winning the older, white votes. Sanders, however, has won 14 elections in the second whitest, oldest, and rural state in the country, Vox noted. The demographics in Iowa aren’t too far off from Vermont, and if the support he garnered from the crowd to which he spoke is any indication, he might be able to win back the voters the Dems have lost in recent elections.
After addressing the audience, one woman said “I have a very simple question. Will you please run for president?”
Yes, Bernie, will you? America needs that political revolution, and we need you to fight for it.
Now, before it’s too late.
