By Brigitte L. Nacos
If Bernie Sanders lived in Europe, he and his positions would place him left of center and in a mainstream political party, say, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany, which is now in a coalition government with the right of center Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
But because here in the U.S. he and his agenda are to the extreme left, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist will not become the next president—even if he were to win the Democratic Party’s nomination.
It is only in the peculiar American electoral system that a member of the legislature elected as an Independent can run for the nomination of one of the two major parties of his choice.
The Senator from Vermont, who ran as an Independent for mayor of Burlington, for the U.S. House of Representatives, and for the U.S. Senate, is now as candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination inflicting great harm on the Democratic Party and its chances in this year’s presidential elections.
As the former governor of Vermont, Madeleine May Kunin recalled the other day in an op-ed in the Boston Globe, “He ran against me in 1986 when I was running for my second term as governor of Vermont. At that time he had little affinity for the Democratic Party. When advised that his third-party candidacy might result in a Republican victory, he saw no difference between Democrats and Republicans.”
Obviously, Sanders did not change. But he certainly wants to change the Democratic Party into a far more leftist version. The same way the Tea Party pushed the Republican Party much further to the right.
Sanders is a single issue candidate. His class analysis brought into the public conscience by the Occupy Wall Street movement, is admittedly a powerful message in a society aware of the scandalous wealth and income gap.
A persuasive position on one admittedly very important issue is not enough to become president--and should not be. As the last Sanders-Clinton debate once again showed, apart from his passionate class analysis, the Independent from Vermont has little to say.
But Bernie Sanders has already forced Hillary Clinton to highlight her progressive credentials and thereby provided the future Republican nominee with gun fodder against the former Secretary of State.
If not Sanders himself, certainly his minions of fanatics are vilifying Clinton by booing whenever Sanders refers directly or indirectly to her and by chanting “she is a liar.”
What a gift to the Republicans!
If Clinton wins the nomination, it is unlikely that she will get the votes of Sanders’ hardcore followers. Many, perhaps most, seem to hate her. They will not vote for the Republican candidate. But not for Clinton either.
Bernie Sanders tends to raise his voice and shout his condemnations of Wall Street during his campaign appearances. This is seen as underlining his indignation and passion.
But, as Ex-Governor Kunin writes,
“Sanders can shout his message and wave his arms for emphasis. Clinton can’t. If she appeared on stage as angry at the ‘system’ as he is, she would be dismissed as an angry, even hysterical, woman; a sight that makes voters squirm.
An angry female voice works against women but is a plus for men. It demonstrates passion, outrage and power. Sanders bristled when he was accused of sexism after he implied that Clinton was among the shouters. Ironically, it is he who has, according to his doctor, suffered from laryngitis.”
Finally, most of the news media are soft on Bernie and tough on Hillary.
Originally, when Hillary was seen as the favorite and Bernie the underdog, that was hardly surprising.
But nothing changed when Bernie rose in the polls; nothing changed after the head-to-head competition in Iowa and the healthy lead in New Hampshire.
The mainstream media continue to go after Hillary but do not lay a glove on Bernie.
That would certainly change if Sanders were to win the nomination.
Last year, a story in the National Review gave a preview of what would come Sanders’ way:
“During Bernie’s mayoral tenure, Burlington formed an alliance with the Soviet city of Yaroslavl, 160 miles northeast of Moscow. When in 1988 he married his wife, Jane, the mayor decided it would be a perfect place for his honeymoon.
Bernie Sanders is now running only ten points behind Hillary Clinton among New Hampshire Democrats. No one believes he will beat her for the Democratic nomination, but here’s hoping his growing strength encourages reporters to quiz him about his Soviet honeymoon and other loony-Left trips to countries that were sworn enemies of the U.S.”
Indeed, Bernie Sanders will not become president.
But he may well prevent Hillary Clinton from winning the White House by handing the Republicans fodder for victory.
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