Sanders doesn't do dirty tricks, so that's a strike against him in this benighted nation. But I've never seen such a fighter! The man is amazing--and manages to remain a gentleman through it all. The slime and the lies just roll off him as he forges ahead ON THE ISSUES.
Dogged. Persistent. Undauntable. Happy. He rises above the shit that our political life has become and just keeps speaking to the real problems in the real lives of our people AS IF we had a good political system. And the more people see of him and hear of him, the more they like him. He is rock solid.
All match-up polls since January have been showing that Sanders demolishes Trump. Now that it's past April, these polls are good predictors of what will happen later in the year (according to what I've read). And he's still demolishing Trump, while Clinton's margin vs Trump is shaky. She even loses to Trump in a couple of polls. With her dismal numbers on trustworthiness and favorability, vs Sanders' numbers which are high, she is the risk, not him.
She has the "baggage" that invites mudslinging against her. She also has a number of matters on which attacking her is justified (her Goldman Sachs speeches, her fossil fuel and fracking donors, her flip-flopping on important issues, her association with Kissinger, Bush, and, for that matter, Trump, and her dubious dealings with the Saudis and the Clinton Foundation). She is the one who is intensely disliked by many independents, by the young, by some Democrats and by Republicans. Gut level dislike, which is nearly impossible to overcome.
Sanders doesn't have any "baggage." We can be sure David Brock would have found it by now, if he did. Nobody can find it because there isn't any. And just looking at him you can tell he's a person who likes simple living and downhome values. He exudes honesty. He doesn't invite mudslinging. He hasn't made any atrocious political decisions. He's always stuck to his principles which are generally pretty easy to understand. He is the best candidate against Trump, who is a glitzy hot air balloon, as to image, and dangerously unpredictable, as to policy. As the polls have shown, time and again.
Fight back? Sanders has been fighting all his life for the principles he believes in. But he has another quality as well--and that is getting along with people, even diehard political opponents. He won't have to waste much time fighting back against mudslinging, as Clinton will, and defending bad decisions, as Clinton will. All he has to do is stand up and be himself, and he will make Trump look bad. In the White House, if he makes it there, he will have more time and energy for assembling coalitions and getting things done. He is very good at that, according to all reports from Vermont and from Congress. Clinton, on the other hands, is likely to inspire contentious fighting, on the campaign trail and in the White House, if she makes it there.
There are many ways to "fight back." Being honest and trustworthy is one of them. Not giving your opponents easy ammunition against you is another. Being likable and getting along with people is another. And steadfastness is another. I'd say that Sanders' steadfastness in this campaign, against overwhelming odds, is his most remarkable demonstration of his character. He will not give up, no matter how hard it gets. We need that kind of character in the White House to face up to global warming and all of its consequences. We need that kind of fighter.
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