The Real Reasons Bernie Sanders Is Transforming The Election: Here’s Why He Galvanizes The Left

[Purveyor]

With Bernie Sanders, it's leadership on the issues -- not a cult of personality -- propelling his long-shot bid

By Sophia Tesfaye


(Credit: AP/Evan Vucci)

CNN dubbed this “the summer of Sanders” as media outlets finally picked up on the large crowds Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has attracted during campaign stops. His rocketing poll numbers in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire led to countless stories heralding a Sanders surge — but the story is as much about the issues as it is about the man.

Even Republican candidates have taken notice of Sanders’ rise. Ahead of a recent stop in Madison, Wisconsin, likely 2016 contender and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker welcomed Sanders to the state with a series of tweets attacking the democratic socialist once dismissed as too fringe. Walker may not have taken too fondly to Sanders attracting a record 10,000 people in his home state.

But Sanders’ campaign, surely more so than that of any of the Republican candidates, seems to be gaining traction more for the ideas he espouses than because of a cult of personality.

Granted, many supporters have pointed to Sanders’ straightforward manner and willingness to call out bad actors as refreshingly appealing, but unlike with Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Chris Christie, it isn’t just a brash style that’s being sold. Sanders makes a direct effort to address many of the issues that have arisen since the Hope & Change campaign of 2008 and it appears as though he is tapping into very real and long-simmering sentiments in the Democratic base.

More than a protest vote against Hillary Clinton, as some have suggested, Sanders’ support appears to be support for issues Clinton’s yet to fully address. Here are some of the ways that Sanders is gaining support by leading on issues or movements that other candidates ignore:

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http://www.salon.com/2015/07/03/the_real_reasons_bernie_sanders_is_transforming_the_election_heres_why_he_galvanizes_the_left/

[peacebird]

1. Please cross post this in the Bernie Sanders group!

[PatrickforO]

2. Not only is Bernie 'tapping into very real and long-simmering sentiments'

in the Democratic base; he is tapping into very real and long-simmering sentiments of a majority of Americans.

In another article I read on here, Bernie is the populist we hoped Barack Obama would be back in 2008.

[FlatBaroque]

3. It's going to be a tough campaign for Joan Walsh and Salon. n/t

[Tripper11]

4. Call it/label it what you will....

For me, and I've been listening to Bernie for quite some time, mostly Brunch with Bernie on the Thom Hartmann show, it's his straight talk.
There is no talking around the issue, no parsing of words and phrases. He is simple about complex issues and to the point, and not because he's not smart, but because he is.
This plain simple language is hitting home with many people for it's simplicity and I absolutely love it.

[LWolf]

5. That's true for me.

I'm an issues voter. I always have been. To have a candidate taking on the issues from what I perceive to be the right positions is galvanizing, to say the least.

[polichick]

6. Authenticity. No more cult of personality cons.