Feeling the Bern
Bernie Sanders is exciting young people across the country, but can he change the Democratic Party?
(Feb. 12, 2016 — Source: Marc Piscotty/Getty Images North America)
By Priya Sarma
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
BERNIE SANDERS IS THE MOST EXCITING AND POPULAR CANDIDATE for young voters this presidential race. I have friends who adore him: some love him because he’s a cute old man, while others believe he is the candidate who is capable of creating an America that will benefit our generation. I live in Portland, Oregon, a very liberal and socially progressive place, a city where Bernie is definitely gaining traction. Portland is a city where most democratic events are related to canvassing/phone banking for Bernie Sanders, or marching against Monsanto to propel the ideals of Bernie.
During the summer months, when candidates where announcing their bid for the presidential election, I was convinced that Bernie Sanders would not be able to last long in the race. Many of us believed that Hillary had the clear-cut nomination and Bernie would just enrich the primary, the way Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee did. I was wrong, like many others. Bernie Sanders has not only enriched the Democratic primary but he has attempted to redefine the Democratic Party.
Bernie Sanders is forcing the Democratic Party to reevaluate its ideals. The mission to combat stagnant incomes, income inequality, expensive college tuition and influence of money in politics does not just belong to the Liberal faction of the Democratic Party; it is the new motto that Bernie Sanders proposes for the entire party. Bernie Sanders refers to his campaign as a revolution. Revolution has a very different connotation and the presidential campaign may not be considered as one. But it does not negate the fact that his way of addressing the prevalent issues is striking a chord with the millennials who have been inundated with student loans and more often than not feel that they are at the mercy of Wallstreet. Many believe that unless there’s a dramatic change in the political discourses, the American Dream may be an elusive dream for many. Their massive and enthusiastic presence in the rallies that Sanders holds appears to give the campaign a revolution like feel.
That does not necessarily mean his ideologies and his solutions run in tandem. Unfortunately, he has not been able to offer specifics to address the concerns. Most recently, Sanders has laid off hundreds of staffers from the states where primaries have already occurred. He plans on shifting his focus to California, the state that has the potential to make or break his campaign. But, how is that any different from the layoffs in corporate America that he is so opposed to? His strategy of laying off people to consolidate and change focus in his campaign is not a far cry from the corporate practice of layoffs in effort to reorganize and retool.
In these regards, Sanders seems to almost demonstrate hypocrisy. In the beginning of the race, he promised to run a clean campaign without much attacks on candidates. He was a candidate who seemed moral and ready to discuss policy and issues. However, as Sanders has been lagging behind in the race, he is starting to shed the idea of a clean campaign. Much of his attacks are launched towards Clinton, and during debates he is quite dismissive of her. But in politics, is there anything called a clean campaign? Bernie Sanders is simply trying to defend and promote himself in the Democratic Party.
The most prominent problem with Bernie Sanders is his inability to deliver specifics. Sanders is great at riling up a crowd with lines such “as the top one percent of the one percent”, and “we are moving toward an oligarchic form of society.” These lines are great for a crowd to yell their support in unison but are highly vague for undecided voters in the Democratic Party. People want to know what Bernie Sanders will do to break up big banks, and how he plans on implementing free college. SNL addressed Sanders’ ambiguity by having Sanders’ spoof Larry David say “Once I’m elected President……I’ll go to the big banks, I’ll sit them down and yada yada yada, they’ll be broken up.” Looking at the last five primaries results, I think voters are paying close attention to the “yada yada.”
It seems that Bernie Sander’s morale has lowered tremendously. He is now even discussing the possibility of not winning the Democratic nomination. His numbers are far behind Hillary, and reality is slowly starting to dawn on him. Even though winning the nomination is his primary goal, he has alternative plans prepared. Even if he does not secure the Democratic nomination, he plans to get as many delegates as possible and “put together the strongest progressive political agenda any political party has ever seen.”
Bernie Sanders has enriched the race in the Democratic Primary. He has introduced new and refreshing ideas, and discusses the issues that are of great importance to voters. He is not the typical politician who panders to special interest groups in order to gather votes/delegates. Bernie Sanders is honest and speaks truthfully about issues. But however noble truth-telling is, in politics, experience and specificity of the messages are equally as important. Sanders’ realization of this fact has made him edgy and forced him to gear his campaign towards attacking Clinton. Unfortunately, Bernie Sanders has not been able to find the proper balance in his campaign and the clock is starting to tick.
