Bernie Sanders represents more individual donors than
any other candidate. (Photo: Rebecca Cook / Reuters)
You go about your day and you encounter some Democrats who insist,
“I’m for Biden, because he’s electable,” but when you convince these good souls
to cut that out, to forget the “electable routine” for just one minute, and instead,
credit the candidate closest to their value set, these good souls will
invariably say—about nine times out of ten—Bernie Sanders. We’ll get to Bernie’s
electability in a minute. Hold the line, please.
I don’t happen to dislike Joe Biden as vehemently as some hardcore
liberals do. On paper, he presents remarkable credentials: Vice President for
eight years, Senator forever, working class advocate, et cetera. He likes Amtrak.
I like the train, too. Apparently, Trump fears Biden the most, or so we’d imagine,
owing to the entire impeachment thing—maybe you’ve heard of this?— that’s been predictably
stubbed-out by Senate Republicans.
Yet Biden can be maddeningly error-prone. He seems to be
running—as Hillary Clinton twice did—because he wants to be president, rather than because he can communicate a
compelling vision for his presidency.
In any event, the mainstream media has been searching for a younger, less baffling
version of “Sleepy Joe.” They have tried to champion Pete Buttigieg and Amy “Comb-uchar”
but it’s hard to know what either of those two candidates really stands for, aside from the DNC talking points.
Noting that the Democratic electorate is of two minds—OMFG
if the party should actually nominate a genuine liberal—the mainstream media has
also been searching for an alternative to Bernie Sanders: left, but not left-wing.
Some outlets have championed Elizabeth Warren. Maybe it’s just me, but every
time I look at footage of Warren, I feel as if I’m about to get a C+ on my term
paper. It perpetually appears like she’s detecting a sour odor, which does
conjure the teaching corps in higher education (her former metier.) I know, I know, she has a plan for that sour odor.
Bernie’s in his upper seventies. He’s suffered a
well-publicized heart attack. He represents a state that will likely vote for
the Democrat no matter who leads the ticket. Some people call him “socialist”
and / or “communist.” All of these fabulous highlights might have disqualified
him during another election cycle, but we here at Blood And Gutstein note that
Bernie’s the only Democratic candidate who’s been broadening the tent, via the
trademark small donations, since 2016. In particular, young people hoot &
holler for him. And if you can say one thing about Donald Trump’s ascendancy,
it’s canceled any conventional wisdom about who might run and who can win.
AOC’s endorsement underscores the sentiments
of young
voters. (Photo: J Pat Carter / Getty)
It’s also clear to us that Bernie isn’t just spinning yarns
because they might “play well” among voters. He’s been advocating many of the
same policies now for decades, and his pledge to drive-out big money from
American politics is the single most identifiable policy among all candidates
for the Democratic nomination. His vision is clear and courageous. We also
admire his zeal in campaigning with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is one of the
most dynamic politicians in the world.
The Republican presidential nominees often succeed in
positioning themselves as “tough guys” (even as many of the same “tough guys” deftly
evaded military duty when called upon to serve) and toughness does resonate
among voters in November. Should Bernie win the Democratic nomination, he’ll
have to project toughness, not only in standing up to the forthcoming negative
barrages from the right, but in leading during an era of unprecedented global challenges.
Before that, however, it’s voters like you and me who must demonstrate toughness, by
making the correct choice—Bernie—in 2020.