Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the US President is well and truly launched. The media are now treating him as a serious challenger after he held Hillary Clinton to a draw in Iowa yesterday.
It’s now a two horse race. The radical versus the establishment candidate. Sanders funded by donations from 3 million Americans. Clinton campaigning on corporate money. Sanders addressing rallies of thousands of enthusiastic young voters. Clinton drawing support from a more conservative older age group.
Most commentators predict Sanders will win in New Hampshire and then stumble in states with a bigger Black and Latino population. But these pundits are missing a crucial thing. The more Black and Latino voters are exposed to Sanders’ message – as they will be now – the more they will see that he is the candidate best addressing their concerns. Free education, free health, a higher minimum wage, reducing the prison population: all these measures tend to benefit non-whites more than whites. Sanders already has a good voting base to build from. Last month’s New York Times/CBS poll showed Sanders with 27% of the non-white vote, compared with 59% for Clinton.
The media establishment has consistently under-estimated the momentum of the Sanders campaign. Last May he was written off by the commentators are a Quinipiac poll had him on 15% in Iowa, against Clinton’s 60%. By last night that had all changed.
The Sanders insurgency is having an effect around the world, inspiring people with its strong progressive message. It will help the left in New Zealand too, and erode support for our “Hillary Clinton”, Mr John Key.
Interesting thing about Hillary is her handlers organized two meetings for her on same day but did not leave sufficient travel time. Are we looking at a human version of Dolly The Sheep?
Helena re your changes in the world see Wake up New Zealand today ,it shows how things are changing ,it will be hard going but it should be achievable if we take notice.
Go Sanders! Get rid of Republican Lite Hillary so people actually have a choice rather than two similar neoliberal corporate presidents to vote for whether democrat or Republican.
Canada has broken the chains.
Why bother writing tis item? The so-called election is just a staged performance. And it’s not even amusing, so is not worthy of any time or attention.
Corporate America will ensure that whichever candidate corporate America has chosen will be installed in the White House; Democrat or Republican, it really doesn’t matter. They’re all the same and all are bought-and-paid-for.
Sander does not appear to be bought and paid for, his money is mostly from individuals unlike every other candidate.
The days of the creepy pony tail puller of NZ females are coming to an end.
Most likely to be replaced by another corporate drone though…
I think Bernie is starting to rub off over here. Witness the Labour Party promise of free education. Feel the Bern!!!!!
Spot on article – when Andrew Little announced Labour’s free education policy last week I immediately thought of Sanders and wondered if Sanders success in the US might have helped put some spine into our own left of center politicians.
It will be incredible if Sanders becomes president in the US but we should temper our optimism with memories of Obama’s astonishing win in 2008. Sanders will need the support of Democrat dominated Senate and House if he is to effect real change.
But even that may not be enough. Remember that Obama’s initial plans for healthcare reform were opposed by enough Democrats to force reducing reform scope.
What we can cling to is that – fundamentally – the political landscape is changing because a generation of younger voters is the first to question neo-liberalism in significant numbers.
Spot on article – when Andrew Little announced Labour’s free education policy last week I immediately thought of Sanders and wondered if Sanders success in the US might have helped put some spine into our own left of center politicians.
It will be incredible if Sanders becomes president in the US but we should temper our optimism with memories of Obama’s astonishing win in 2008. Sanders will need the support of Democrat dominated Senate and House if he is to effect real change.
But even that may not be enough. Remember that Obama’s initial plans for healthcare reform were opposed by enough Democrats to force reducing reform scope.
What we can cling to is that – fundamentally – the political landscape is changing because a generation of younger voters is the first to question neo-liberalism in significant numbers.
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I support Sanders nomination but when he announced that if he lost, he would back Hillary – I lost respect for him. She is now announcing some changes in her policies towards more like Sanders views and I hope that it is not just another con job full of lies and insincerity just to get her nominated.
I do not trust her at all. Her history shows her devotion and allegiance with the very unethical banksters and Wall St. and criminal corporations that heavily grace her pockets. They and she are mostly responsible for the economic decline that is devastating the world right now.
Hope the U.S. voters back Bernie and get out in mass to vote him in.
The U.S. deserves a leader with his head on straight.
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