When I first heard Bernie Sanders' announcement that he was running against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, I though it was a noble gesture intended to make Clinton think about some things from a more populist perspective...a beau geste, but something more in practical terms. Sanders said from the beginning that, even though he serves in The Senate as an independent, he was running for the Democratic nomination only. He said from the beginning that failing the achievement of that goal, he would not run in the Presidential election as an independent...a concession to his opinion that any Democrat was a better choice than any Republican. And since I share that opinion, I was very happy to see the advent of Sanders' campaign for its potential to bring Hillary Clinton to the realization that there are principles in politics, and that sometimes they effect who gets elected, albeit maybe not this time. Sanders stated his platform very simply by pointing to his motivation for this run; we have become a nation characterized by economic injustice by virtue of the accretion of most of the nation's wealth in the hands of the very few, and social injustice is ineluctable in such circumstances. That position is not quite an anomaly in American politics these days, but no one except Bernie Sanders has been willing to put his credibility on the line to vindicate the point, and thus I thought that his campaign would be like a bumper sticker rather than a genuine rallying cry. That was alright because he wouldn't be the kind of spoiler that candidates like Ralph Nader have been. It's hard to say this with any assurance, but we probably got George W. because of Nader. At least he didn't help to prevent it. With Sanders campaign being self-limiting in that way, I felt that some few of us would be sufficiently empowered to advocate for him and at least make a point before Hillary took to the presidential election forum. But as it turns out...well, not so fast, Hillary.
Sanders has been attracting unexpectedly large crowds, one in Minnesota number 3,000 or more, and RSVP's for one upcoming in Denver number about the same amount, and that along with the sincerity of his quest have also garnered him a considerable amount of press coverage, both electronic and print. In fact, though Clinton declared her candidacy first, We've heard more about Sanders over the past month or two than we have about her. In fact, that is probably why she decided to give her own policy speech last weekend: Bernie was stealing her thunder. Though there is a third candidate in the race--a former governor of Maryland named O'Malley--I've heard his name only a couple of times on the news, and that was on the day he announced his candidacy. Sanders gets mentioned more than either of his two announced rivals, not that that means anything in particular, but it can't be a bad thing.
All in all, my perspective on the candidacy of Bernie Sanders is that it can only serve a noble end. His forthrightness on the issue of social stratification based on accreted wealth in the hands of as few as 10,000 families is compelling, and if nothing else, Hillary Clinton, who professes to be aware of that inequity and against it with a willingness to take policy steps directed toward reversing the upward flow of money, is going to have to address the issues with some practical suggestions as to how to effect a change. If she does, the ardor of Sanders supporters will be diluted and Hillary may be able to assuage the concerns of not just the majority of Democrats, but the majority of American voters as well. But if she doesn't, she may see the tide turn against her despite her current seemingly insurmountable advantages just as she did in 2008. In that event, Sanders might just get the Democratic nomination by default, somewhat the same way as George McGovern did in 1972. That could be a good thing or it could be a bad one, but as long as the Republicans have their foot-shooting pistol drawn--I don't believe there is a one of the 11 Republican candidates announced, nor of the many others who surely will follow them into the fray who can be considered a shoe-in, even against Sanders--there is a chance that we will see the election of President Sanders in 2016. I would love to see that, and with Bernie's promise not to help a Republican get elected, the Democrats seem to be on a winning course. Thank you Bernie Sanders.
Your friend,
Mike
Leave a comment