Bernie Sanders: Too Far-Fetched?

Bernie Sanders: Too Far-Fetched?

With all the noise coming out of the Republican party with their 17 (now 16) candidates, it’s hard to remember that there is actually another party that needs to select their own candidate. Up until recently it was almost a foregone conclusion that Hillary Rodham Clinton (HRC) would waltz onto the stage at the Democratic National Convention come July 2016 to accept her party’s nomination. Then, HRC would proceed to wallop whichever Republican survives Donald Trump, if and when he fades out. But since April 2015, a new player has shaken up the status quo, and he goes by the name Bernie Sanders. Below is our attempt at making sense of the man that could turn the US leftwards, no matter the election’s outcome:

Who is Bernie (aka The Bern)?

“If I run, I want to run to win,” he has said. “I will not be a spoiler…There are ways to do this, but let me make it very clear. I will not be a spoiler and elect some Republican.” Sanders has been in politics since 1981 as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, then went on to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990, all the way to the Senate beginning 2006. Despite his long tenure, he is still somewhat of a political outsider. At an impressive 73 years old, Bernie Sanders is Congress’ longest running Independent politician. The “black sheep” socialist worries both parties as he gains support for his presidential campaign. Sanders presents a chance that an openly leftist politician could have a shot at the Democratic nomination.

What are his views?

A self-declared pragmatist, Bernie Sanders holds thought-provoking and sometimes radical views. His entire platform lies on the ideal of “equality for all”.

• Minimum wage: Sanders would like to basically double the current wage to $15/hour. In his opinion, this will decrease the rate of those living in poverty with the currently federal rate of $7.25/hour.
• Taxes and Education: To cover tuition, Bernie would tax the rich and Wall Street (classic promise). He promises legislation to make four-year undergraduate education government-funded. Who doesn’t like free stuff (especially broke students)? First he has to convince the smallest yet most politically powerful 1% to start giving up 90% of their fortunes…
• The Fed: He believes that banks should not be an oligarchy and the Federal Reserve should demonstrate more transparency regarding monetary policy. This way, small businesses may have a bigger role in the US economy.
• Foreign Policy: The Bern doesn’t like free trade agreements. He believes NAFTA made the rich richer while hollowing out the middle class, and he believes the Trans-Pacific Partnership will do the same thing.

A Washington man unlike any other

The tortoise that is Bernie is slowly closing the gap with the Hillary hare. Despite starting from so far behind the front runner, Sanders pulled ahead of HRC in swing-state and early primary state New Hampshire. Throughout his political career, he has remained uncompromising in his views. In college (aka 50 years ago), he defended women’s sexual freedom and led a protest against segregation. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is accused of flip-flopping to climb the Washington ladder. Given how unsatisfied Americans are with America people are clamoring for an unsullied figure. However, he emphasizes that he is not an underdog fighting against a favorite, but a veteran pitbull who is ready to fight the big contenders (we have dramatized this for effect, he is a 73-year-old senator after all). Technically, Bernie isn’t a socialist in the “traditional” sense. While he supports more governmental presence and action, he strays from nationalisation and a “classless” society (whatever that meant). The Senator offers provocative, leftist ideals for a usually reluctant American electorate. He is creating a ripple in the usually calm waters of the two-party system, annoying Hillary who has had to flip flop even more to align with him. Republicans are also confused about this. During the last election they would insult Obama by calling him a socialist… Bernie seems to love the label (they also probably can’t call Bernie a Muslim either). But how does the Bern raise money if he is a “socialist” that hates the banks and all things financial? Quite simply, from all the other people that hate the banks.

• 76% of his campaign contributions are from small donors;
• The majority of his fundraising stems from donations of less than $200…for a total of $10.5 million.

Why are people funding his campaign?

Because he is relatable to a lot of people who feel alienated by both parties (similar reason why Trump is so popular but not everyone can relate to inheriting a fortune from their dad and being a billionaire). Minorities, immigrants, and the working class, could potentially see a representative in Bernie as one of “them.” People are also fed up with the American political dynasty. Seriously Bush vs. Clinton? What is this, 1992? I mean, as Trump pointed out, even Jeb’s mom didn’t want a third Bush in the White House. Americans are also upset with how this whole “Great Recession” thing played out. Ever since the 2008 crash the stock market has more than doubled while median wages have stagnated… Finally, young people like him. Even Rapper Lil B The Based God (obviously a trusted reference for political issues) has dropped his support for HRC for Bernie in light of his support for Black Lives Matter, and as The Bern says, “These kids are going to vote.”

Will Bernie last?

All is well in the fairytale land of free tuition, no poverty, and equal opportunities for all… But are Bernie Sanders’ propositions feasible in the current US economy? The short answer is No… and Kind of. Even as an explicit left-wing politician, Bernie has a strange advantage in the Democratic field: Republicans like him, both the party and the voters. Very unusual because in writing he is the polar opposite of what the GOP believes in. However, American voters all agree that the economy needs fine tuning and sometimes the Democrats offer reasonable policies.. Another element attractive to Republicans is his lax attitude towards gun control during his political career, although that may change during the presidential campaign. HRC is no longer resting on her laurels. Initially, she welcomed Bernie into the presidential race with open arms in a tweet, until she realised that he may actually have a lot of traction with her potential voters. The race of the Democratic nomination is clearly Bernie vs. Hillary… for the moment (Biden? O’Malley? Who is O’Malley?) With a long history in politics as the Senator of NY and the Secretary of State, she doesn’t mold as well with the common people as Bernie, and she is very aware of that. Doesn’t help that biggest sources of money for her campaign are all big corporations, exactly what Sanders wants to destroy. Despite his right-wing support, it does not seem feasible for many decisions to be made if he gets elected. Both the US Senate and Congress are majoritarily Republicans, and Bernie is very verbal about his social ideals (something the Republicans do not agree with) which could be problematic when getting a bill ratified. Even Obama, who has tended to the center, is having difficulty achieving anything with the legislative branch. Also, his experience with race in the small, white state of Vermont has yet to be effective on the larger federal scale. Most recently, a Black Lives Matter protest broke up his presidential rally in Seattle. When asked why BLM would disrupt their “biggest supporter,” activist Marissa Johnson countered that conception and challenged Bernie to speak openly about minority issues. He has since responded by adding a “Racial Justice” tab to his campaign website and elected a black woman, Symone Sanders, as his national press secretary. He is leftist, but we can’t forget that Vermont is infamous for lack of diversity. While Bernie Sanders defends those alienated, he has yet to completely win over minorities. Even if Americans would like to believe they have an objective perception of politicians, name recognition is extremely important. Bernie Sanders has been in the news for over 30 years, but he remains a regular Joe in Washington. Clinton, Bush, Trump, all names voters know and have followed over the years. Can Bernie stand out from the rest despite this disadvantage? Finally, Bernie’s Achilles’ heel is also his biggest appeal: he is very idealistic. He inspires the electorate, but fails to prove himself in reality. Free tuition is fantastic, but who will pay for it? $15 an hour minimum wage seems great, but where will the funding come from? Studies have shown this model is unsustainable due to dramatically different economic situations in different regions and states of the country. The Wall Street Journal estimates his policies to amount to a modest $18 trillion dollars…In addition, Bernie pays his own staff only $12 an hour. There is a lack of consistency and if he cannot apply it to his own people how will he change it for 310 million Americans? Sanders desires a tax on Wall Street and a 90% tax on the richest 1%… yeah, OK. Idealism can only go so far. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton rides the leftist wave and proposes her own initiatives, such as reduced tuition and a realistic increase of minimum wage that would not trigger inflation.

So what’s going to happen?

Without a doubt, Bernie Sanders can effectively appeal to voters around the country. His success is slowly becoming visible and he influences every politician in the race. Some believe he will fade out due to his extreme platform, like Donald Trump. Others think America is ready to take a chance and step out of its comfort zone with “safe” presidents. Whatever the results in 2016, Bernie Sanders’ campaign will have jolted the typical electorate with his ideals. Will America #FeelTheBern?