Sen. bernard Sanders at a news conference on April 30, 2015 in Washington, D.C. By Alex Wong/Getty Images. Obtained on 5/1/2015.
Who in the world is Bernie Sanders and why would he have a long shot of beating out Hilary Clinton for the Democratic Presidential nomination for the 2016 elections? Sanders is the longest-serving independent member of Congress in US history. If he wins the election he would be the oldest person and the first Jewish person to be the President of the United States.
He sure has said all the right things lately for those members of the minority party. In terms of same-sex marriage, he has given his support. “It’s time for the Supreme Court to catch up to the American people and legalize gay marriage.” He has also commented on the Baltimore riots in a very favorable way for the American people. He said, “Police officers have got to be held accountable for their actions.” He would also dismantle NASA Spying. These are solid answers for somebody that just announced their candidacy for president on Wednesday.
Bernie also hasn’t been using splashy videos to announce his campaign. He chose to participate in a series of one-on-one television interviews and is being recognized for his upfront answers to questions. “I believe in a democracy, what elections are about serious debates over serious issues, not political gossip, not making campaigns out of soap operas. This is not the Red Sox vs. The Yankees. This is the debate over major issues facing the American people.” Bernie Sanders
This man has already raised 1.5 million dollars in his first 24 hours. This blew away every other candidate that is running for President. (Hilary has declined to share) He is by far beating Clinton who had announced her presidential campaign on April 12. She has given a total of seven answers (tallied by Zach Cohen- National Journal) but half of those did not answer the actual question. Sanders answered seven separate questions during a five minute exchange with Andrea Mitchell (MSNBC reporter) on Wednesday. On Thursday at his campaign launch event, he took six more questions.
This independent senator from Vermont just might beat out Hilary for the Democratic presidential nomination if this keeps up. While in this day and age, it is believed to need 150-200 million dollars to run a credible campaign, Bernie has utilized media and the American people’s distaste towards billionaires. Senator Dick Durbin, the second highest-ranking Democrat in the United States Senate says he is ready for Sanders. Along with the belief that Sanders is “pure of heart and a true liberal” he is also looking forward to the party having to reconcile some of the experiences they’ve had on Capitol Hill. This is the same Senator that was the first one to endorse Obama.
Other people are saying Bernie Sanders running actually helps Hilary Clinton, not hurts her chances. It is believed that he will do what Howard Dean did for John Kerry in 2004. Clinton is playing it safe because Sanders is not attacking her nor is he pointing out her flaws. He has focused on the middle class as the key audience behind the 2016 elections. Clinton responded saying, “I agree with Bernie, Focus must be on helping America’s class. GOP would hold them back. I welcome him to the race. -H.”
Another thing working in Clinton’s favor is that Sanders wants the campaign press to focus on the real problems not gossip. Fortunately, his competition is Hilary Clinton, not the republican party.
On his website it says, “Paid for By Bernie 2016, Not the Billionaires.” He is looking for small-dollar individual donors. While that may seem far fetched, there were 35,000 people that donated to his campaign within the first 24 hours. Lets see how far he can go in this election. Taking a minute to check out his website, the first thing that pops in your face is the truth. “A political revolution is coming.” Are you ready for a change?
Campaign message from Bernie on his Twitter page. 5/1/2015.
