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With
less than 440 days until the 2020 Presidential election, and even fewer days
until the Democratic primary, one of the most important periods of American
history is fast approaching.
In
this multi-article guide, I will focus on the presidential candidates that have
a significant chance of winning, since that will simplify things immensely. Namely, I will focus on the following five candidates: Joseph Biden, Elizabeth
Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg.
These candidates at the time of this article’s drafting were the top five in poll numbers.
These candidates at the time of this article’s drafting were the top five in poll numbers.
Per
most recent poll numbers, Bernie Sanders is now in second place, trailing
Joseph Biden. To read my profile on Biden, click here.
Bernie Sanders
 |
| Bernie Sanders on the Campaign Trail, April 15, 2019 (Courtesy of Getty Images) |
Having run an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2016, the U.S. Senator from Vermont is making another bid for the presidency in 2020, equally as ambitious as the first. Sanders is viewed by many as a ‘revolutionary candidate’. And this is not without cause.
A
self-described socialist, Sanders was an active organizer and participant in
the Civil Rights movement. He joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) and marched as a student at the University of Chicago to
protest racial segregation at that institution.
He
even participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and freedom and
witnessed Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech
from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
In
his near 40-year political career, Sanders has remained a staunch leftist and
an outspoken critic of wealth inequality and corporate influence in American
politics.
His
2016 campaign famously refused to accept any donations from wealthy donors or
Super PACs. Instead his campaign worked to sustain itself on small individual
donors.
This tactic proved phenomenally successful, and Sanders was able to raise 73 million dollars in 2015 alone.
This tactic proved phenomenally successful, and Sanders was able to raise 73 million dollars in 2015 alone.
Though
originally from Brooklyn, New York, Sanders moved to Burlington, Vermont in
1968.
It was here that he began his political career, upending the local political establishment when he beat the incumbent democratic mayor of Burlington by just ten votes in the 1981 election.
It was here that he began his political career, upending the local political establishment when he beat the incumbent democratic mayor of Burlington by just ten votes in the 1981 election.
Since
then, Sanders has continued to defy expectations. When elected to US Congress
in 1990, he became the first independent to have won a congressional seat in
forty years.
During his tenure in the US Senate, Sanders became among the most popular US Senators in the country, at one time boasting an 83% approval rating.
During his tenure in the US Senate, Sanders became among the most popular US Senators in the country, at one time boasting an 83% approval rating.
His
2016 campaign for president was also met with unprecedented success, winning 46%
of pledged delegates. Ultimately, Sanders endorsed his main democratic rival,
Hillary Clinton when she became the democratic nominee, much to the chagrin of
many of his supporters.
In
many ways, Sanders can be considered a pioneer of progressive democratic
politics in America. Many of the hallmark progressive policy goals such as the 15-dollar
minimum wage, cancelling student debt, college for all, Medicare-for-all, were
popularized by Sanders’ 2016 campaign.
Bernie
was able to tap into a new galvanized voting base of young liberals who have
grown disenchanted with the moderate democratic establishment. He achieved this
by doing exactly what the establishment has long abstained from: focusing on extremely
relevant, but politically inconvenient issues which the party leadership often neglects.
A
consequence of this is that Sanders has succeeded in bringing many of these
issues to the mainstream, though they may have been considered fringe-issues in
the past. This
in turn has encouraged some democratic candidates in 2020 to adopt similar
policy. Sanders’ stance against growing wealth inequality has only increased
his popularity.
This is especially true during a time of rising power among a super-rich class of Americans has been dubbed a “Second Gilded Age”.
To many Bernie Sanders is the antidote to the hated career politician, whose long tenure in office has caused them to become subservient to corporate interests. Despite his long career in politics, Sanders is still dedicated to holding big banks accountable, rejecting corporate influence in politics, and publicly standing up for the little man.
The
S-word
 |
| Bernie Sanders, May 7, 2019 (Courtesy of VegNews) |
However,
Sanders’ record on certain issues isn’t as clear cut as it might initially
appear. Despite Sanders’ extensive involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, he
has had a chequered past when it comes to race.
As
a US Congressman, Sanders voted for the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act, the same bill drafted by then Senator Joe Biden.
This bill ultimately exacerbated the crisis of mass incarceration in the United States, an issue which disproportionately affects people of color. Sanders was vocally critical of these aspects of the bill, justifying his decision to vote for the bill because it included the Violence Against Women Act.
This bill ultimately exacerbated the crisis of mass incarceration in the United States, an issue which disproportionately affects people of color. Sanders was vocally critical of these aspects of the bill, justifying his decision to vote for the bill because it included the Violence Against Women Act.
Despite
this, Sanders also voted in favor of another bill in 1998 which enforced
mandatory minimums for anyone in possession of a firearm upon arrest for a
felony. To make matters worse he voted "no" on a bill against police
militarization in 1996.
Both
in 2016 and in the current race Sanders has struggled to reach people of color,
evidence of a clear disconnect between Sanders’ actions in the 60s and 80s and
his actions now.
Nowhere
is this better demonstrated than in the 2016 primary results. Hillary Clinton
won almost 80% of black voters during the democratic primaries, trouncing
Sanders in this field.
By
focusing so rigidly on class, Bernie often seems to neglect the additional difficulties
people of color in America must contend with due to their skin color. Because of this, he has left potential supporters alienated by not
addressing these race-specific issues directly.
This
is crystallized in Sanders’ opposition to reparations for the descendants of
slaves, despite one of the stated goals of his campaign being to promote racial justice.
On
multiple occasions, Sanders has hearkened back to his Civil Rights past, but the
response from his audience has often been ‘what are you doing now?. Sanders
apparent inability to answer this question, combined with his lack of
sensitivity when discussing race has continued to be a barrier to his
attempts to reach black voters.
"Socialism is still a dirty word in many corners of American society."
Additionally,
while Sanders is today a vocal supporter of gun control legislation, he has not
always been. It was pointed out in 2016 that he voted against the Brady Bill
five times, despite the fact that this bill mandated background checks for
handgun purchases.
But
Sanders’ bigger challenge can be summed up in the following sentence: ‘Socialism’
is still a dirty word in many corners of American society. And in a country
where Socialism has been trumpeted for decades as the ‘gateway drug to
Communism’, this is a massive obstacle to surmount.
In
fact, a recent study found that just 39% of Americans had a positive reaction
upon hearing the word.
Sanders may evoke shining examples of Democratic Socialist countries such as
Norway and Sweden – countries which have demonstrably benefited from socialist
policies – but many Americans perceptions of socialism are still dominated by more
negative examples.
The
chaotic scenes seen in Venezuela today, or those seen during the collapse of
the Soviet Union a generation ago, or darker correlations with North Korea
are still what many Americans identify with socialism.
And
while Sanders’ socialist policies have accrued the support of Millennials, Sanders
will have to sell his ambitious ideas to a wider base of voters. This is imperative
in a country where gerrymandering and other disadvantages make it doubly
difficult for Democrats to win the presidency.
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FURTHER READING
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryancbrooks/black-voters-bernie-sanders-mlk-2020
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/politics/bernie-sanders-black-voters-2020/index.html
https://votesmart.org/bill/2993/8132/27110/juvenile-justice-bill#.XWGhFehKiUl
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