Within moments of Bernie Sanders’ announcement he was running for president again in 2020, many stepped forward to pour cold water on his chances.
He’s too radical, say some. He’s too ancient, says yet another group.
Not so fast. Early fundraising totals reveal a solid number of Sanders’ 2016 supporters remain committed where it matters – the wallet.
According to his campaign, the Sanders campaign raised about $5.9m from 225,000 potential voters within 24 hours of his announcement and surpassed $6m just a few hours after that.
That blew past the totals for Senators Elizabeth Warren (almost $300,000 on her first day), Kamala Harris ($1.5m in the first 24 hours) and Amy Klobuchar ($1m in the first 48 hours).
In a world where income inequality continues to soar, common sense says Sanders’ populist message appeals to many. Millions of Americans support Sanders’ agenda, or at least parts of it.
Poll after poll after poll shows solid majorities of all ages say they want to see ‘Medicare-for-all’, a $15-an-hour minimum wage and higher taxes on the wealthiest among us.
But there is something else, too. Now 77 years old, Sanders – either deliberately or accidentally – has figured out a way to make his relatively advanced age work in his favour.
In American society, we often brush off the elderly. But there remains a long-established trope, something I’ll dub the ‘Golden Girls’ appeal for the 1980s-1990s hit television show. These people are who they are, and they remain committed to their passions.
They don’t talk down to the young people, but neither do they scold, or blame them for their woes. At the same time, they don’t sugarcoat their critiques.
They don’t pretend to share their taste in music, but they share something more important – they share their idealism and their belief that we don’t need to settle for realism, or second best. They are, you might say, brass-tack dreamers.
He tells a generation of Americans indebted by student loans that college tuition can once again be an inconsequential expense.
None of this is to say Sanders is home free. He’s not, and not just because a lot can happen between now and next year.
Older voters could baulk at Sanders’ uncompromising progressive policies. The larger and more progressive slate of candidates this year may carve up his support.
For all that people like elderly truth-tellers, Sanders’ more than occasional obliviousness to how progressives think about gender and race can grate.
Sanders might not even have the Democratic elderly truth-teller lane to himself – former vice president Joe Biden could decide to run.
Elizabeth Warren could also take the role, though it remains harder for her, thanks to sexism, to fill that role.
But Sanders comes with the formidable muscle.
He has passionate supporters who remain committed, years of experience in grassroots organising, and a political environment that has only become friendlier to his views since the last time he ran.
And no candidate who can raise so much so quickly from so many small donors can be dismissed so cavalierly and quickly.
© Washington Post
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Home » Analysis & Comment » Helaine Olen: 'Sanders is a potent political force now – and rivals will write him off at their peril'
Helaine Olen: 'Sanders is a potent political force now – and rivals will write him off at their peril'
Within moments of Bernie Sanders’ announcement he was running for president again in 2020, many stepped forward to pour cold water on his chances.
He’s too radical, say some. He’s too ancient, says yet another group.
Not so fast. Early fundraising totals reveal a solid number of Sanders’ 2016 supporters remain committed where it matters – the wallet.
According to his campaign, the Sanders campaign raised about $5.9m from 225,000 potential voters within 24 hours of his announcement and surpassed $6m just a few hours after that.
That blew past the totals for Senators Elizabeth Warren (almost $300,000 on her first day), Kamala Harris ($1.5m in the first 24 hours) and Amy Klobuchar ($1m in the first 48 hours).
In a world where income inequality continues to soar, common sense says Sanders’ populist message appeals to many. Millions of Americans support Sanders’ agenda, or at least parts of it.
Poll after poll after poll shows solid majorities of all ages say they want to see ‘Medicare-for-all’, a $15-an-hour minimum wage and higher taxes on the wealthiest among us.
But there is something else, too. Now 77 years old, Sanders – either deliberately or accidentally – has figured out a way to make his relatively advanced age work in his favour.
In American society, we often brush off the elderly. But there remains a long-established trope, something I’ll dub the ‘Golden Girls’ appeal for the 1980s-1990s hit television show. These people are who they are, and they remain committed to their passions.
They don’t talk down to the young people, but neither do they scold, or blame them for their woes. At the same time, they don’t sugarcoat their critiques.
They don’t pretend to share their taste in music, but they share something more important – they share their idealism and their belief that we don’t need to settle for realism, or second best. They are, you might say, brass-tack dreamers.
He tells a generation of Americans indebted by student loans that college tuition can once again be an inconsequential expense.
None of this is to say Sanders is home free. He’s not, and not just because a lot can happen between now and next year.
Older voters could baulk at Sanders’ uncompromising progressive policies. The larger and more progressive slate of candidates this year may carve up his support.
For all that people like elderly truth-tellers, Sanders’ more than occasional obliviousness to how progressives think about gender and race can grate.
Sanders might not even have the Democratic elderly truth-teller lane to himself – former vice president Joe Biden could decide to run.
Elizabeth Warren could also take the role, though it remains harder for her, thanks to sexism, to fill that role.
But Sanders comes with the formidable muscle.
He has passionate supporters who remain committed, years of experience in grassroots organising, and a political environment that has only become friendlier to his views since the last time he ran.
And no candidate who can raise so much so quickly from so many small donors can be dismissed so cavalierly and quickly.
© Washington Post
Source: Read Full Article