If Republicans fear another four (or eight years) of Executive Branch
banishment at the hands of Hillary Clinton, they're downright panicked
at the idea of President Sanders.…
History is littered with the names of once
promising, supposedly viable nominees for the nation’s highest office
who had their hopes dashed under the weight of scandal and/or
unreasonably high personal and public expectations. This is true of both
parties from all relevant American epochs. A few examples include
William Henry Seward, Gary Hart, Howard Dean, John McCain and current
2016 favorite Hillary Clinton. All these names and more have known the
sting of presumed favorite status, turned bridesmaid humiliation, a
sense of inevitability deflated.
Such is not the case with one Bernard Sanders, who
announced his candidacy for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination
on April 30, 2015. While providing the progressive electoral jolt
predicted by amateur pundits everywhere, even liberal media outlets such
as NPR refused to take the Vermont senator seriously. Labeling his bid a
“
long shot,”
conventional wisdom had Sanders as either (depending upon your side of
the aisle) a fun variable forcing Clinton to move left, or an old,
hippie, single-issue crank.
But a funny thing has happened over the course of
the last three and a half months. Despite many fewer resources of all
campaign kinds, Bernie Sanders is gaining steam. Earlier this week, the
Boston Herald‘s Joe Battenfeld published an interpretation of the Brooklyn, New York native’s recent swell,
Poll: Bernie Sanders surges ahead of Hillary Clinton in N.H., 44-37.
Within the piece he characterizes Sanders’ popular momentum as “a
stunning turn in a race once considered a lock for the former secretary
of state.” In March the same poll in question, conducted by the
Herald in conjunction with Franklin Pierce University, showed Sanders trailing Clinton in a big way at 44-8.
The Clinton campaign must be worried. It’s only
natural. But my question this week: why don’t Republicans seem concerned
about anyone but the former New York senator as a potential opponent?
This is another in a long series of miscalculations from the Republican cabal machine.
In fact, though we reported that Bernie Sanders Was The Most Retweeted Candidate During The Republican Debate,
the cabal’s representatives paid him no attention at all. While Trump fought with Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly and anyone
else who pressed him for actual policy positions, Sanders captured the
social media zeitgeist by taking his trademark blunt ax to the
foolishness: “It’s over. Not one word about economic inequality, climate
change, Citizens United or student debt. That’s why the Rs are so out
of touch.”
So what gives? Why the rhetorical quiet from the wingnuts in the face of Sanders’ increasingly mighty roar? The answer is
probably fairly simple. If Republicans fear another four (or eight
years) of Executive Branch banishment at the hands of Hillary Clinton,
they’re downright panicked at the idea of President Sanders. And the
underpinnings of that fear are offered by Bernie’s now-ubiquitous Republican cabal
debate tweet.
With characteristic real-talk he identified four wingnut untouchables that he’d have no problem confronting from the
White House: economic inequality, climate change, the flood of money in
politics and the crushing debt load of our country’s students. Though
one man can only do so much without the active participation of Congress
(just ask President Obama), Sanders as POTUS means the absolute end of
business as usual. Even those who dislike the man know he’s authentic.
He can’t be bought. Sanders’ refreshing lack of scripted phoniness,
combined with a platform that promotes true democratic opportunity, is
what’s warming public perception. That should scare the
backward-looking, cynical cabal of Koch.
As
they have in response to many of the country’s challenges, Republicans
are choosing the fingers in ears approach to the threat of Bernie
Sanders. If like the disparity of class and racial opportunity,
environmental decay and gun violence, they ignore it, well then it
doesn’t exist. And the cabal methodology is failing. Again.
