Is Bernie Sanders the Democratic front runner?

Senator Bernie Sanders. Senate Photo.

There is a strong argument that Bernie Sanders is the front runner for the Democrats in 2020. LA Times. Though Joe Biden, who hasn't officially announced and is mired in a #MeToo scandal, still leads most polls, Sanders leads in Iowa and is tied in New Hampshire, which are the first two states to hold primaries. Sanders has also raised $18 million, mostly from small donors, which is more than the $12 million that Kamala Harris has raised and much more than any of the other candidates. Unlike the race in 2016 where it was essentially just Sanders and Hillary Clinton, the 2020 field is wide open, leaving a window for Sanders to win primary states. Sanders also has the advantage of the Democratic Party changing their rules, greatly downplaying the importance of superdelegates. 

My Comment:

It's not often I use opinion pieces as sources, but this one was fairly well argued. I generally think that Sanders does have a good chance of winning the nomination. It's not just the obvious advantages posted in the original article, but he has many other advantages as well. With Joe Biden greatly damaged by the #MeToo scandal, I think it's fair to say that Sanders is the front runner.

The biggest one is the fact that his message of economic socialism is fairly popular. His promises of free college, free healthcare and free everything is very popular among young people who are worried about debt from college. Of course those people don't realize how Sanders would pay for it, but that doesn't change the fact that there are lot of people who want free stuff and Sanders is offering quite a bit of it. 

Sanders also has the advantage of not falling into the trap of identity politics. Unlike other 2020 candidates, Kamala Harris at the forefront, Sanders hasn't really done much to demonize white people. For white voters on the Democratic side, there is an appeal to someone who doesn't out and out hate you. Though Sanders has paid lip service to identity politics, it's clear that his heart isn't really into it. 

I also think that Sanders has a huge natural advantage that other candidates don't have. He ran in 2016 and built an almost literal army of volunteers and donors, most of which will be back in 2020. These volunteers are extremely dedicated to Sanders and will work hard to help get him elected. 

Plus, Sanders supporters have a chip on their shoulders. They are still furious due to the actions of the DNC who did not play fair with Sanders. They used every tool at their disposal to stop Sanders from getting the nomination, including giving debate questions to Hillary Clinton. 

However, Sanders faces some challenges as well. The first of which is his cowardly surrender to the Democratic Party after they screwed him and his supporters out of the nomination. There is a chance he wouldn't have won anyways, but the Democrats made sure he wouldn't. Many Sanders supporters abandoned him after he gave into the Democrats and endorsed Clinton. 

Sanders also has to worry that the DNC might screw him the same way they did in 2020. Though it's unclear what candidate the DNC will support, it's very possible they will help him or her in the same underhanded way they did to him in 2016. They don't have superdelegates this time around they certainly could collude with the media the same way they did in 2016. 

I also think that there is a wide swath of voters that won't support Sanders because of who he is. Sanders is an old white male in a party that demonizes him. The only minority group Sanders belongs to is Judaism and that's more of a liability in a party that is increasingly antisemitic. There are a lot of people in the Democratic party that will only vote for a non-white or non-male. 

If Sanders does get the nomination, does he beat President Trump? Not likely. In addition to the normal advantages President Trump has, Sanders economic message isn't likely to resonate beyond economic leftists. The economy is roaring right now so there is little reason for people to want free stuff. Why go on social programs when you have a good job and good prospects? 

I also don't think Sanders is made of stern enough stuff to fight President Trump. Sanders always pulled his punches in his debates with Hillary Clinton and seemed like he was too scared to hit her on some of her major issues. Clinton was a hugely damaged candidate and had many scandals that Sanders could have hit her on. He never bashed her based on her e-mail scandal or her husbands severe sexual scandals that make Joe Biden's look quaint. 

I have always felt that Bernie Sanders is a weak person. Ever since he immediately surrendered the microphone to some Black Lives Matter protesters, I lost any respect for him. He doesn't know how to fight. Trump is the kind of guy that can hone in on someone's weaknesses. Sanders has quite a bit of them for Trump to exploit. If the two debate I can't see Sanders winning. 

As for my opinion on Sanders, I think he's among the best of a bad bunch, but that's damning by faint praise. He's not as horrible as the other candidates. He's not racist like the woke liberals and his foreign and economic polices are bad but are survivable. Plus, he's horrible on gun rights but he isn't completely insane on the issue. I'd never vote for him but he's not as big of a threat as the rest of the Democratic field.