Opinion by: Krystal Ball
Well, the Sanders campaign finally managed to get the media’s attention. Here’s WAPO:
“Sander’s heart attack raises questions about his age, potential damage to campaign”
In it they write that “Health issues have dogged presidential candidates” but “Sanders hasn’t faced the same scrutiny, in part because he’s struggling to gain momentum in the Democratic primary contest. They went on to quote Republican pollster Chris Wilson saying Sanders doesn’t have a “Strong path to the nomination.” Give me a break guys. Health issues haven’t dogged Sanders because he’s had the most aggressive schedule of any candidate!
Oh and by the way, 1 million plus grassroots donors may have a different opinion than Chris Wilson Republican pollster. It’s just amazing to me that days after Sanders notched a field beating fundraising number and recorded more individual donors than literally any candidate in history, WAPO could write in a news article as definitive fact that he has no momentum. Hey Glenn Kessler, how many pinocchios for that one? I did not see one mainstream article about Sanders record-beating coalition and what it means for presidential politics. No, what they really found newsworthy was the fact that they were made to wait until Sanders was released from the hospital before receiving all the details of his health status.
Yes, they are outraged that they didn’t get every test result in real time. Live streamed perhaps like Beto’s visit to the dentist.
And why not? Since that’s a standard that literally no other candidate has been held to. I mean, when was Biden’s last colonoscopy? I demand answers.
But I digress. Here is the truth. Sanders fundraising numbers and the sea change they represent in American politics are potentially transformational. That he raised $25 million from anywhere is impressive. That he raised it $18 a pop from overwhelmingly working class supporters should make the ruling class quake in terror. Top profession: teachers. Top employers: Walmart, Amazon, Starbucks. Think about that. The people who destroy their bodies to make sure you get your prime order next day, who put your Jessica Alba honest baby products on the shelf, who make your macchiato in the morning are quietly funding a political revolution. Actually, they’re not so quiet about it. If you’d just bother to listen. But no, the people who run the show have been convinced by WAPO and the New York Times and MSNBC that Sanders is “Struggling to gain momentum.” In spite of the fact that not only did Sanders outpace media darling Warren in total dollars and receive half a million more individual donations but he also added more to his Q2 numbers than Warren did. That’s right, in the quarter when Warren became the chosen one and the queen of the selfie line, Sanders not only eclipsed her in fundraising toplines but also in fundraising momentum. He added 7.3 million to his Q2 totals, Warren added 5.4 million.
Here’s the other thing though for those who would like everyone to just play nice and pretend Warren and Sanders are just the same long enough for her to win the nomination. Sanders working class funders really underscore what is at stake in the battle between these two progressives. This is something that the media really misses. Sanders of the top 3 candidates, stands alone as the only candidate with a shot at fundamentally realigning the Democratic party. Since the Clinton era the Dems have become more and more a party of the professional classes. The mostly white upper middle managerial class drives the agenda and working class people of color are kept in the fold because the other side is so blatantly racist. That’s why unions have been sidelined and bad trade deals have been championed and Donald Trump’s uncouth behavior seems to be of the utmost concern.
If you are a progressive who is comfortable with the Democratic party becoming a party of the professional class plus the working class minorities who are disgusted by the racism of the right, then Warren is a great choice. In fact, judging by the amount of contempt that I see for the white working class in my feeds, I think the fact that her candidacy would essentially preclude reuniting a multi-racial working class coalition is an affirmative benefit for quite a few.
But if you want to see a realignment of the Democratic party. Putting it back on a trajectory where it could compete in rural America, where it can begin to rebuild ties with the white working class and offer something other than “we’re not blatantly racist” to working class people of color, Sanders is your guy. I’m not saying the working class will never support Warren but they are clearly not her core constituency.
The strength and the composition of Sanders grassroots coalition tells the tale and it’s also why I believe Sanders is the most electable of the top three contenders. Not only do his progressive values excite the type of voters who stayed home in 2016, something Biden lacks, but he’s also the best candidate to flip back Obama Trump voters something Warren very much lacks. Plus he’s got Susan Sarandon and as we know, she is an all-powerful goddess who will determine the results of the next election. End of story.
Look, I get why there’s a desire for everyone to just get along, especially within the progressive wing of the party. We’re all traumatized by Trump and terrified of giving him any kind of weapon to use in the general election. But failing to fully test our candidates now and have a debate about the future of the party is a disservice to the party and, most importantly, the nation. There is a tremendous amount at stake. Will we be a party centered around the creative class of special flowers used to having their every whim catered to? Or will they be a party centered around a unified multi-racial working class who are currently getting screwed day in and day out? Whatever plans you have on your website mean so much less than the answer to that question.
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