Thus far there has never been an article which focussed on Mr Sanders that told me how and why anyone on earth would vote for this man, never mind idolizing him.
He is old (I’m old, so that’s not a slur) and cantankerous. He sputters. He is mean spirited. He committed the unforgivable sin of entering the 2016 primaries without a legitimate political position that distinguished him from an excellent candidate—the one candidate who could have prevented the ascension of the despicable Trump had her rightful constituency not been artificially drained.
His entry into the 2016 campaign was from purely Quixotic and egoistic aims. He wanted to be president and he didn’t want a woman to be president—just as he had once entered the Vermont Governor’s race for similar reasons in an attempt to defeat a qualified woman.
Whatever influence he had in 2016 was due to the tendency of Millennials to sullenly refuse to vote at all if their current media-hero couldn’t win. Every one of his political positions falls into the chicken in every pot category—they are not realistic, so they appeal to voters who are not realists. He is repeating his 2016 campaign because he has no new ideas, and his constituents aren’t smart enough to know that.
4
“Though he has faced some criticism for adhering strictly to his message, it is, perhaps above all, his constancy that has loyal fans still flocking to his events “
STILL flocking? Who are you to say “still’? Nostradamus?
”2016 candidate” ! Really?
Those are all Bernie’s ideas on everybody’s agendas.
10
Yep but Sydney Ember is deaf to logic. She gets paid by the number of letters written slamming Bernie.
I would fire her instantly.
6
No charisma, yet this is the only candidate I have seen in my lifetime (late 30s) that brings non-voters into the voting booth. Admittedly, some of these former non-voters might not stick around for a traditional triangulating Democratic politician. However, a fraction might become engaged and be willing to choose the lesser of two evils. Bernie--you will probably not win, and i may not vote for you, but you have my meager donations till the end--please stay in it through the nomination to hold their feet to the fire. You gave this party new life. Thank You.
8
My daughter attended a rally for Bernie in the 2016 primaries- in Portland, Oregon. The stadium was full- 25,000 people or so. I don’t think think it was even covered here in the Times. Instead, what appeared to be cropped photos ( cropped to show how few were in attendance) of Senator Clinton’s appearances appeared all the time. One wonders if there’s any private embarrassment in the higher echelons over this stance- a stance which helped give us Donald Trump.
17
@Rickey Hendricks ( who misses the forest for the trees)
The time for niceties and pleasantries directed to certain groups whether it is African-Americans, LGBT, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Mathematicians, Women, White Man, Sprinters and Carpenters Spouses is over.
If you solve the economic inequality problem in this country across races, ethnicities and genders you will improve everyone’s lot.
If you do that while following Rawlsian Justice (look it up it is quite simple: you create a society where everyone is indifferent to who they go to bed as and who they would wake up as) you have solved most ills you worry about.
Who is the person who is closest to deliver this? Bernie! And Liz Warren.
Do you really care about his style, clothes, accent, voice?
Bernie is a good and honest man. He spent his 77 years not cheating and lying like the man who this country elected as President or the charismatic idiot who make us fight a war on false premises, or his WASP father who did the same a little earlier, or the smart Alec who cheated on his wife and repealed Glass-Steagall, or the B-movie beau who ran the country into an oligarchy in just 8 years.
Get a thicker skin if you need to but spare yourself another cheat taking away the little that you have left.
11
I'm amazed at how far this article seems to diverge from every other major source I've read or watched in its assessment of the Sanders campaign. In its narrative of what's happening at the fair (the size of the crowds and their enthusiasm), its reports of polling numbers (which continue to surge nationwide among key demographics at steady rate since the CNN debate) and prospective voters, and then its casual, almost sneering characterization of Sanders ('power-walking,' 'gobbling' down food, 'waving occasionally, conversing infrequently,' 'lectern-pounding,' and so on), it gives off a bad smell.
It's also telling that the only Bernie supporter interviewed is given a snide brush-off by concentrating on her 'glittery' tattoo. She's cast as an unthinking enthusiast, a die-hard 'fan,' while the other people interviewed, the 'skeptical voices,' are represented as being serious, thinking voters. Mean, disingenuous tricks and hit-piece journalism.
23
@David Nelson even the MSM outlets are showing the crowds gathered around him. the lengths that some media outlets will go to in order to disparage him is amazing.
9
Sanders’ attitude and style come across to many many progressive women and minorities—who are the true heart and soul of the Democratic party—as abrasive, arrogant, and condescending. He does not show any genuine concern for these vital constituencies, and does not motivate them in this fight of a lifetime.
He attempts to run a third party campaign while saying he is a democrat only when he wants to use the democratic apparatus, then attacks the it! This is because he needs, and is actually beholden to, the libertarian and gun lobby vote in Vermont to keep getting elected. His actual voting record on protecting the guns says it all. His votes on finance leading up to the Great Recession, actually helped bring it on.
What is worse, he and his zealot supporters never support any other other candidates. When he loses primaries, he looks down on whoever is elected, and encourages his supporters to stay away from the polls at general election time, which he will do again like the last time—helping Trump to win. He is only out for “Bernie” and the people in his family and others like Nina Turner who make a living out of his very wealthy campaign. He is like an evangelical TV preacher who only talks, and never listens, all the while soliciting millions and millions of dollars from a lot of people who cannot afford it.
15
@Rickey Hendricks economics-based policies impact everyone. No need to pander to certain demographics just to take their votes for granted and do nothing about it, as has been done over the last 20 years.
21
@Rickey Hendricks and yet he continues to lead in poll after poll, never stumbles in his message, raises more money from more supporters than any other candidate, and has effectively shaped the mold on which the Democratic presidential campaign is operating on.
But you go ahead and call him a mean, old, cranky man for yelling at some MSNBC reporter.
30
@Rickey Hendricks Where did you get this "ïnformation?" I am a 71-yr old progressive who also supports other candidates, but Sen. Sanders is my first choice. Please listen to what the candidates say, not a personality analysis.
32
Comments here are very telling: the cult of Bernie is alive and well and will not be stopped by displays of narcissism or pesky facts about his record in office or the lack of viability for his “ideas”.
18
@Kim Harris,
"cult of Bernie"
Or, the cult of trolls from Russia and the fossil fuel folks, who want to sow discord among Democrats like they did last time.
It's even likely that those entities are providing comments that bash Bernie as well, to keep things emotional instead of rational.
8
Bernie supporters are not a cult.
I worked extensively on the 2016 campaign and would offer that the creature known of as the “Bernie Bro”, railed against by the Clinton campaign, were quite possibly the product of the same kind of campaign that pushed against Ms Clinton in the general election. I never met one.
Establishment Democrats need to decide if the party is an inclusive “Big Tent” or a private, members only club. If it is a club, remember that most voters are neither Democrats or Republicans and being an independent could be seen as a good thing. Independents elect Presidents- not loyal party apparatchiks.
Sen Sanders was treated poorly by many in the Democratic Party in 2016 who had thumbs on the scale for Ms Clinton. I am not going to re-litigate the litany of issues, but I saw some first person. The voter purge in New York shortly before the 2016 Democratic Primary smelled of an attempt to stack the deck for Hillary and looked like the stunts pulled by Republicans down south to suppress the African-American vote. It was hardly covered even in the NYT. Over a quarter million voters were purged in Kings County (Brooklyn) alone.
116
@David Gregory
David, I remember reading about that voter voter purge in Kings County, The DNC has never apologized for its treatment of Senator Sanders. Only loud outcries from the public caused them to let DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman- Schultz go.
17
Bernie Sanders is a millionaire who owns three houses.
7
@ABC123
1. The house he and his wife owns.
2. The house he's given like any other Senator in Washington
3. The weekend house his wife bought after selling off a family house and receiving inheritance money.
And he's a millionarie for writing a highly popular book two years ago. And by millionaries, he has little over $2 million, which is abject poverty by millionarie standards.
This "he's a millionarie and owns three houses" narrative has been thoroughly debunked for months.
You must be new to the Internet. Thanks for participating, though.
24
Point? His policies are still the best for all of us.
15
@ABC123 He is! But he also does not use tax shelters to hide from taxes, and he did not get his money from being bought and paid for by lobbyists, he got it from book sales.
Nothing is wrong with being rich. What's wrong is stealing from people to do it.
13
I don’t get the animosity against not only Bernie but his supporters. I send well-written, civil comments that get not printed. This is especially true about articles that have Sydney Ember in the byline.
You have to give voice to people you do not agree with. Otherwise what is the difference between you and a party newspaper?
12
@Blunt Just wanted to say I'm sorry that's happened to you. And sure agree with you that opposing sides should both be treated fairly. Rather basic, it would seem. Anyway, will sure hope it doesn't ever happen again.
1
The dilemma for Democrats, of which I am one, is the lack of a ‘dream’ candidate like Barack Obama, someone who emerges and keeps emerging, eventually becoming a phenomenon along the way. He was like a start-up candidate. He became his party’s unicorn.
However, for 2020 we have his vice-president and many excellent people to make do with. But not Barack Obama. It is a dilemma of astounding proportions - and meaningful whispers - among party faithful.
What do we do about Donald Trump? You stretch your mind, gather your strength, and run the marathon - with fleetness, intelligence, and civil mercilessness. Because it is not going to be easy.
2
@Berkeleyalive
Obama was the illusion of a great candidate, great orator, nice smile, but no courage of conviction.
He would not prosecute bankers or torturers.
He did not stand up for a public option or bargaining for lower drug prices. He did not even attempt to use his fine oratory skills to defend the ACA in the 2012 election.
He allowed himself to be sucked into regime change, allowing the destruction of Libya and Syria, thus precipitating a huge flood of refugees unto Europe, with Brexit and Trump resulting.
Obama... great smile, a nice sense of humor, but no courage, not much conviction, little wisdom...
but better than Hillary.
President Bernie Sanders 2012!
courage, bold ideas and a vision for
A Future To Believe In!
7
I recently read a piece by Sanders in this paper that asked 'Why are the drug companies against Medicare for all? My answer -'because you're threatening to deprive them of billions of dollars, dummy. Don't get me wrong I'm in favor of a single payer health care program - one that pays the cost of hospitalization, which medicare doesn't, unless you also buy an expensive supplement. I just can't stand the disingenuousness of Sander's question. Why indeed!
1
It’s called a rhetorical question. Pretty common strategy in public speaking.
13
@Jenifer Wolf
It’s called a rhetorical question
12
@Arkhipov exactly
3
The day will come when Bernie Sanders, whether elected president or not, will receive the recognition he so richly deserves.
When Ms. Ember invariably takes down Bernie, I always find comfort in the reader comments. The majority favor Senator Sanders and are well aware of the anti-Sanders posture of the NYT and Ember. I regret The Gray Lady seems incapable of showing any journalistic objectivity toward Bernie Sanders.
17
Bernie is his own man.
12
Sanders is the right candidate to defeat the fascist party (aka ‘Republicans ‘). There’s Booker if you want to privatize schools and destroy teachers’ unions, or Kamala Harris if you want to send your kids on long bus rides across town to strange schools (instead of just improving/funding those schools I guess; and then weirdly blast Joe Biden for opposing KidHell ‘81). Her stances on other issues are great but that’s an odd one.
6
The NYT, not Trump, is Bernie's worst enemy. You just can't make nice. Your criticism's are irrelevant.
Bernie talks like a statesman, not a politician. What you usually refer to as his "stump speech"is really his program,
The Nyt is really low-brow when it comes to Bernie. Bernie 2020!
24
The contrast between the NYT's treatment of Sanders or it's "Biden the Old" repetitions and its see-no-evil puff pieces for Harris--in ostensible "news analysis" articles--is stark indeed. You play favorites on page one day after day. You take it on yourselves to "guide" our thoughts rather than presenting facts. Not okay, NYT. Sanders isn't my first choice--but fair is fair, so to speak. And I don't get the sense you are.
9
So Bernie spoke to almost no one? Does that include the approximately 10,000 fairgoers who attended his rally? Whatever happened to fair and unbiased reporting, NYTimes? Bernie is the best chance we have for the future but mainstream media does their best to marginalize or completely ignore his message.
20
@KAC
"Spoke to no one" is pundit-speak for refusing to glad-hand with the right journalists from the right papers, thereby not affording them the respect and veneration they think they deserve.
9
The NYT is amazing - it is shocking how many negative articles and narratives attack Bernie Sanders. This seems like the latest attempt to find an attack angle.
Instead of seeking the latest pro-Biden anti-Sanders storyline, do some old fashioned reporting.
For example, have you looked at Bernie's ground game and compared it to Biden or Warren? It is key in a caucus state.
15
The problem with Bernie Sanders is that he is an old white man who needs to move aside, to make way for the women of color!
Charles Schulz wrote these words for his Peanuts character Linus Van Pelt, but I've often thought they applied to Bernie:
“I love mankind ... it's people I can't stand!!”
3
@Michael
I've heard a similar description of Robert Moses:
"He loves the public, but he hates people."
1
Let's revisit the actual facts of this article and on the ground -- Sanders has the most individual donors in Iowa of any other candidate, is second in the polls and gaining, and people are "flocking to his events" because of his message. Then let's visit the arguments the author is making -- that somehow Sanders is less relevant and losing. And the evidence for that? Anecdotal conversations with random people with no particular sampling method presented (in other words, who knows how many people the reporter needed to speak to in order to find these people?). The NYT continues to misrepresent this election in the most egregious ways. The only consistency is its attacks on Sanders.
17
Maybe if the Times hadn't done a bunch of hit pieces on Sanders back in 2015-6, while ignoring the crowds of supporters, we wouldn't have Trump in the White House.
15
The author's attitude about Senator Sanders showed very clearly in the staged "thumbs down" photo.
I am not a Bernie supporter, but shame on her for this.
14
@Dr Chris Siebrasse Yes. Absolutely. Had to be staged. I'd first thought to blame the photographer. In retrospect, perhaps a joint effort. A bad decision however.
2
Bernie Sanders did a FoxNews town hall and became the first politician of the left ever to get an audience on FoxNews on his side on live television. He went on Joe Rogan, getting 8 million views within a week. He turns the interactive small donor map blue single-handedly. He was by far the most passionate and vibrant competitor at the Democratic debates.
He must not only be the hipster candidate but definitely be the youngest, right?
Elizabeth Warren has a plan for that, but Bernie Sanders is the man embodying nearly every plan of hers even before she conceived of it.
Joe Biden has a gaffe for that, Bernie Sanders ain't that sleepy.
He is not running as the shadow figure of a has-been icon, he is the icon.
He's not just fighting, fighting, fighting... he's defining the fight.
He is climbing again in the polls.
The latest one:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/12/bernie-sanders-acing-electability-test-another-poll-shows-senator-crushing-trump
Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are buzzing with the Bern already.
On the first day of his Presidency there will be a call to the White House:
"You will make America a great country for kids to grow up in instead of getting debt imprisoned for life, profiled by virtually unchecked almighty predatory Big Trickster Profit from birth, or getting orphaned by white spite incited and enabled to run amok."
"Bernie, my friend, my President, you're so on!"
9
Serious, solid and consistent, Bernie Sanders is the real populist candidate. His words and actions reach people beyond superficial photo opts. I am surprised that the NYT portrays Bernie as "impersonal." That is inaccurate. It appears as if the Times is giving us the "corporate" view of the Sanders campaign. One created to minimize and diminish Bernie. The media played a major role in giving us Trump. We were suffocated with his image. If the NYT is truly independent, then, how about some honest reporting on the other end of the spectrum. Please!
14
In other words, St. Bernie’s something of a scold and a bore—as saints tend to be—and this came through clearly at the Iowa State Fair.
Good for Iowa, as I too get tired of being bored and scolded.
1
@Robert
Ever met the guy? He’s certainly not a bore.
10
@Robert
The 10,000 who attended his speech at the Iowa State Fair didn't seem bored
8
@Robert
Mmmm...projection.
1
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We know the drama critics that are the political press are bored with Sanders and his relentless focus on issues and ideas and his grumpiness at systemic idiocy like the need to hang out in Iowa and New Hampshire instead of campaigning across the country.
We know the party apparatchiks resent him because “he’s not even a Democrat” and he wrecked everything when it was Hillary’s turn.
We’ve heard the shibboleth, so cherished by the establishment, that Real America will never vote for a socialist.
Above all, the establishment elite resents and fears Sanders because, even though he serves in the Senate, he stands completely outside their world. He’s not a product of the Ivy League. He doesn’t flit about in their Georgetown social circles. He’s not a lawyer. He never “worked in finance.” The grassroots pays for his campaign. He doesn’t need the elite’s support. They really hate that.
Bernie aims to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Godspeed, senator.
14
I do not oppose any of the other 19 candidates. I just support #Bernie.
The NY Times can pick one of the thousands inspiring #myberniestory shared on social media and compare /contrast it with the few that they found that oppose him.
6
Warren will eventually scoop up Bernie's voters and in Milwaukee, his delegates. But Warren vs Trump would be a replay of McGovern v Nixon, with a sadly predictable outcome.
@GCM
Warren and Sanders have a vastly different donor base. Most of Warren’s supporters will go to Bernie, but not the other way around.
5
Warren will scoop up the well educated privileged white folks that vote democratic while Bernie will scoop up the educated and less so educated younger voters; be they white, brown, black, other working folk. The well efucated privileged need to get on board and think beyond their noses (think young). Betnie's age belies his resonance with the young. The young think long term and what's in their long term interests: economic equality for all, addressing climate change head on, addressing the prison and military industrial complex waste and absurdities. Health care For All! Bernie will get Warren supporters in the end. This articles has it ers backwards
Get with it NYTs oped'ers....champion Bernie.
5
I love Bernie and I wound gladly have voted for him in 2016. But his time has past. I love the energy, confidence and the plans of Elizabeth Warren. I like that trump under estimates her because she is a woman and she is white as he seems more comfortable attacking women of color. I'd love to see a ticket with Warren and Buttigieg as her VP or with Kamala Harris.
1
Sanders focuses primarily on ideas. Ideas are not as attractive in America currently as personality of candidates. Personality-wise, Sanders is not attractive, too angry and grumpy, doesn't smile and laugh enough, drawing supporters who like his ideas. Biden isn't an idea man but people find his bland personality agreeable. Buttigieg's appeal arises from him being such a likable person, although there is limited knowledge about his ideas. Warren, another idea person, shows, especially in encounters with smaller groups, a warmth and ability to connect that makes her appealing, personality-wise.
1
Iowa isn't feeling the Bern. Bernie ran in 2016 against H. Clinton who the Democratic establishment had decided in 2008 was to be their candidate after Obama. Clinton gave off the worse case for her inevitability, dishonesty mixed with poor judgement. Sanders was the answer to the Democrats who wanted a contest. We know now that the DNC tried to limit Sanders long shot ability to win the nomination. It seems clear that the DNC leak was done by a disgruntled Democrat. Now Sanders is in an open contest with lots of candidates. Elizabeth Warren seems the most popular social Democrat in the field.
If the Democratic establishment hates Bernie Sanders so much, perhaps we should make him the Democratic nominee. That willl then force the House Democrats to impeach Trump, so they can feel safe enough to vote for tepid Pence in 2020. One way or another, Sanders will save this country.
5
Bernie is a 2016 candidate, and needs to retire his ego to Vermont.
"As voters talked up first-time presidential candidates like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., Mr. Sanders was often an afterthought."
Note the careful use of the term "first-time." Otherwise you'd have to include Biden, who's leading--polling 25 to Buttigieg's 7.
"Some voters cited Mr. Sanders’s age. Others said they wanted to elect a woman. Many praised his ability to push the party to the left but said it was time for someone else to claim the progressive mantle."
An article on Sanders that opens with how many people are supporting someone else, and helpfully includes reasons why: age, gender, passing the torch.
So nobody liked Bernie? At least not enough to mention in the first paragraphs? A typical Times slam of Sanders.
9
Bernie has the more individuals donors than Biden and Warren put together. Warren’s donors are mostly people with post-graduate education, Bernie’s are mostly working class. If Warren drops out, her supporters will mostly go to Bernie, but most of Bernie’s supporters do not say Warren is their second choice. Bernie is the real deal, a progressive candidate supported by working class people in the Midwest. Unfortunately, Warren is the type of progressive that the establishment, and wealthy party donors, can get behind, which to me says that she’s all talk.
Bernie is the only Democrat who’s supporters include the type of working class voter that handed the last election to Trump. I live in the Midwest, and I am warning all of my fellow liberals right now: the Midwest only has 2 candidates, Bernie and Trump. If Bernie does not win here, Trump will. Please, let’s not make the mistakes of 2016 all over again.
9
I hope that the NYT can give Bernie's platform and campaign the respect and presence it deserves. I was very disappointed in how the paper covered the last election, Clinton was clearly from early on the favorite. The center misses a very major point right now. Voters on the left want major paradigm shifting reform. For example, universal health care or elimination of student debt. Voters will disengage with half measures and compromises on these type of issues. If democrats want to win they need to embrace this type of reform. We can't bail out the banks and not the people. We can't do QE and not help the struggling family as well. America deserves a trickle up. I hope the DNC and the traditional media are ready to accept that this depth of reform is necessary to restore faith in our institutions.
25
Bernie’s strategy is to organize a grassroots movement, building momentum that may not show up in the polls until the Iowa caucus. He has by far the largest number of donors and volunteers. His consistent message resonates with voters who are struggling, frustrated, and alienated by a political and economic system they believe is rigged. While other candidates battle for soundbites and facetime, Bernie plays the long game, explaining his policies to engage the youth and working class.
24
Bernie Sanders is a once in a lifetime candidate. I am so grateful for his consistency, his integrity, and his endurance. I will vote for him in the primary, and hope to be able to finally vote for him in the general election. If Bernie Sanders does not win the primary, I will vote for whoever he endorses.
28
Perhaps the candidate's party, politically correct on most every issue, makes an exception for age discrimination.
How refreshing is it that a person seeking to be president asks to be judged by his ideas and not his personality! The media and too many of the rest of us look at an election for the nation's highest office as if it were a student council competition. Candidates are evaluated in terms of how "likeable" they are.
Coveting power for its own sake, wanting to be the center of attention, are not particularly likeable. Having principles is.
100
Well said. Beto ORourke comes to mind as an exemplar of the high school class president type. Other qualities such as toughness or unquantifiables like 'ability to win' are also highlighted over actual policy.
Voters are increasingly shaking off the cognitive dissonance between the "image" of a politician and the policy that politician actually supports.
Everyone needs to bear in mind as well that a president can't make things happen unilaterally. Single payer won't happen without Congress regardless of how strongly the president supports it. However, the willingness of the president to direct public attention to instances of corruption could make a big difference in shaping Congress to get popular progressive policies passed in the midterms and subsequent elections.
3
On paper Bernie doesn’t look so bad...but in person, it’s like hide the children.
5
@Charlie you're confusing him with Biden.
3
I guess you never had a grandfather. They all look like that.
3
"championing ideas" -- It seems finally that somebody is headlining what Bernie is all about. He is constantly having to change the subject in interviews from the horse-race to the policies that are needed by so many people in this country. In following his efforts, it is perfectly clear and so hopeful, while putting the lie to "his message is no longer novel." It is definitely "ideas" while not "rather than establishing human connections." I've seen many instances of his having made very emotional connects with people at his town hall meetings. It's a combination that this article misses. And "struggling"? His aids can be biased but accurate, as well. Well, thanks anyway for the allusion to the Times' map of contributions last week that was a flood of Bernie blue everywhere. There's journalistic objectivity and fact. Lastly, "not following the traditional campaign playbook" should be noted as a mark of consistency and honor for Bernie! I say, so what about those Democratic Party chairpersons, which I give credit for Ms. Ember including in this piece.
10
"And unlike in 2016, when he had the liberal populist message to himself, there are now many other progressives who have adopted a similar agenda."
Democrats ALWAYS campaign left - then govern right, or don't you remember when Obama circa 2008 was an "anti-war" candidate who embraced single payer?
Sanders is the only candidate with a long progressive record to back up his campaign rhetoric.
19
This kind of bloviation is PRECISELY why I don’t want to have to vote for St. Bernie.
And no, Obama didn’t run on single-payer in 2008. Most there is, is ONE equivocal statement from 2003.
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jul/16/barack-obama/obama-statements-single-payer-have-changed-bit/
its time for a true clash of the titans, the contest we were robbed of by hillary clinton:
SANDERS VS. TRUMP!
19
So, it’s ok to say a candidate is too old or too male? Imagine the outrage if someone was quoted “I’m not for this candidate because she’s a woman and not old enough”. This is the type of ageism/sexism double speak that pushes people to vote for republicans and causes democrats to lose elections.
53
@Mikahel G’berger I've often heard folks say a given candidate is too young, going back to JFK!
Our Constitution has an age requirement.
@Mikahel G’berger
Of course it is OK, if you are trying to pick a candidate who has the greatest probability of winning the general election. That's trivially obvious.
And, according to many, many, peer-reviewed studies, people in the last election who voted Republican were motivated primarily by racial attitudes, and gender bias (against HRC) played a role as well.
(But, that's science, and we all know science is a left-wing conspiracy.)
So, yes, it is perfectly reasonable to consider various factors in choosing the party's candidate, in terms of voter motivation. A young Joe Biden would probably be a better choice than old Joe, and old Joe might be a better choice than young, gay, Mayor Pete, and so on.
Again, trivially obvious. Any of them would be a good President, and certainly much, much, much better than Trump. But first you have to win.
@Mikahel G’berger Amen to that. Democrats need to fall in love. Love is love. Let them decide to fall in love with whomever they wish.
1
Bernie has the truth and the charisma to win the big one this time around! All of the others are just not electable , and they are not charismatic nor trustworthy in manner and appearance! Vote The Bern...
15
It's these ham-fisted "never Bernie"/"still Hillary" articles regularly popping up that make me wonder if I should get my paywall news elsewhere less obviously-biased toward lockstep Clintonian/DNC voters promoting a non-intersectional neo-liberal preservation of the status quo.
20
Try CNN...their viewers are down 30 per cent too.
Here's something else we're going to learn in Iowa:
Biden is the new Kerry.
8
Bernie seems to think that good ideas sell themselves, and will sell him.
Sales is about the customers and the ability of the salesman to sell him/her/themselves.
Bernie is going to see someone else nominated but his supporters are going to stay home rather than compromise their ideas.
Same old, same old.
FDR was a politician first, then an idealist. That is why he succeeded in actualizing his ideals.
5
@Casual Observer
Is that why Sanders has the most donors, and across all states? Because he's a bad salesman?
The age of political advertising is old enough that most people are immune to cheap sentimentality of identity politics.
Nobody buys Kamala Harris's pain over busing or any other privilege candidate "I'm just like you" shtick. That stuff only appeals to news editors who want to tell stories because they never managed to break into show business to write fiction books or movies like they initially wanted to.
15
Gillebrand is a crass opportunist who would be a terrible President but she is smarter than Bernie in devoting efforts to build up her organization of supporters across the country.
I like Bernies’s ideas and they attract a lot of support, but that’s not enough. To succeed in a democracy means achieving agreements that satisfy needs without ignoring other needs. Most people who support Bernie are self righteous about the things they want and treat objections by opponents as unworthy of consideration. They are right and the others are wrong. So when Clinton got the nomination, they stayed home. For them, Clinton and Trump were the same. They will stay home again, if Bernie is not the nominee.
@Casual Observer
Huh...according to the studies, only 3% of Sanders primary voters stayed home. 80% came out for HRC.
Schaffner is quoted as saying " It's worth noting that very few of the primary voters stayed home. People who vote in the primaries are highly engaged in politics; they are not people who come in and out of the electorate."
Or are you somehow saying that the 96 million of eligible voters who stayed home were all Sanders supporters? Haven't seen that breakdown. Have any links?
You seem to be basing your assumption upon a tiny % and your own opinion. Not facts.
Who here is the self righteous one again?!
Lol...by the by, Sanders has the largest "organization of supporters across the country", along with the most donors.
You may want to rethink Sanders efforts on this front too.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/03/bernie-sanders-2020-volunteers-1246524
2
Re: Mr. Sanders’s approach underscored how his campaign is focused primarily on championing ideas.
No love lost between Liberals and Progressives
From the NY Times, April 2016
"From the beginning, many and probably most liberal policy wonks were skeptical about Bernie Sanders. On many major issues — including the signature issues of his campaign, especially financial reform — he seemed to go for easy slogans over hard thinking. "
Paul Krugman
3
Let's also remember that Sanders is not a Democrat, and has historically always been a outsider and, frankly, pretty eccentric. Elizabeth Warren is a Democrat, is better grounded and conveys the same message. She's a better standard bearer for the progressive wing of the Democrats.
42
@jrb
If you are going to play that game... Warren was a Republican until she was almost 50. Not a young adult indoctrinated by her family's conservatism and trying to find her own voice and then switching parties - she was almost 50 years old.
28
@jrb
Except, if you look at potential Sanders voters vs potential Warren voters, there is hardly any overlap.
5
@jrb you're right, he's not really a Democrat. He's what Democrats should and used to be. And Elizabeth is no different, so you're delineation is purely on words alone - they agree on almost every policy. Warren wouldn't have entered this race if not for Bernie's success in 2016.
14
Yes Mr Sanders has grounded his campaign in championing ideas. Now and back in 2016
That earned him the ire of those who disagree with progressive ideas. Which are most liberals
See, e.g. the NY Times
Sanders Over the Edge
Paul Krugman, NYT, April 4, 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/opinion/sanders-over-the-edge.html
It will be interesting to see if this time Mr. Sanders can win, more support from Liberals such as Mr. Krugman, whose NYT blog was titled "The Conscience of a Liberal"
7
Bernie comes across like the sophomore who has discovered a new concept, amazed at how far reaching it happens to be but not familiar enough to understand it’s limits.
There are always other ways to satisfy a need addressed by every campaign proposal. They are never workable plans, ever. To achieve the desired results requires collaborators with the same desires and the willingness to support them in achieving their desires. Political success is based on people, not ideas.
4
@Casual Observer
Sorry, but ideas like universal healthcare and free public colleges are hardly a "new concept". In fact, both of these concepts have existed in the West for decades. Just because the United States is a horrifically backward nation that is jogging sweatily behind the rest of the industrialized world doesn't make Sanders naive or his plans radical.
7
@Casual Observer
Is that why every single other half-serious person running for president has adopted his policy ideas he ran on last time? Because they are sophomoric and idealistic? Tell that to the people who are making $15/hr now, solely because of his movement.
7
What Bernie did in 2016 was nothing short of a miracle. He has established the Democratic Agenda going forward. He has already proven that the real problems facing America is unfettered Capitalism, lack of great health care, lack of a living wage, lack of educational opportunities for the lower economic spectrum. He is authentic and he has brought us back to what used to be the Democratic Platform.
And it will because of Bernie, there will be a great Candidate for President that can defeat Trump. Bernie has brought the Democratic Party back to what made them great in the first place.
For that, the DNC should be forever thankful. Whether or not Bernie wins the nomination does not mean as much now, as he has set the pace.
For that I will forever be grateful to Bernie Sanders.
27
Bernie doesn't have the ego that makes him need adulation. Many people would see this as being impersonal. However, the fact that he has spent his entire career espousing policy that is nothing but empathetic toward the plight of the people flies in the face of this simplistic characterization. I suspect he is highly intellectual and somewhat shy as many smart people tend to be. He also has demonstrated that he is very unconcerned with posturing and projecting an image. He tends to want to speak directly to his policies instead. I think he sees these policies as more important than himself. So, he avoids the cult of personality that is the core approach of many a politician. I find that preferable.
152
@Chris
Very eloquently stated. He is a very personable man, and speaks with humor and connection to his constituents all over Vermont.
28
I wouldn’t call it the absence of a “cult of personality” but the sheer lack of charisma is more like it. Either you have it or you don’t!
4
@Charlie
Bernie feels football stadiums full of cheering supporters, so charisma he’s got!
7
And really, iowa? New Hampshire? We are in 2019, not 1919. These voters barely register in a census, but they control the DNC?
8
I don't want a fake candidate following the "campaign playbook" with hokey stories and a different accent for every state in the union. Bernie is honest and focused on changing our broken and corrupt system. That's what I want.
26
If u can’t even establish that human appeal to your voters, but manifest as rude and boisterous, how do you expect to win the election? This is why Bernie will not be the next president. He does not seem to realize that sticking to his vision solely will only act to alienate the most ardent voters
12
@Jon he only comes across as rude and boisterous to people who only get their news from pundits and insiders. He has by far the most individual donors out there - seems pretty likable to me.
11
@Jon
Sanders sticking to his bold vision is why voters will elect him as our next president.
Voters want A Future To Believe In, not a friend or more than a photo.
10
@Jon
Sanders sticking to his bold vision is why voters will elect him as our next president.
Voters want A Future To Believe In, not a friend or more than a photo.
5
Glad Bernie's ideas are still out there. Unfortunately, they're not ideas he can put into law, partly because they're not practical ideas. His legislative record has come to nothing. He's just a more popular version of Ralph Nadir, the spoiler supreme. With Bernie and younger imitators, the Democratic Party is paving its way to left-wing failure. Those candidates just can't pivot back to the center, where most voters stand.
6
Bernie Sanders reminds me quite a bit of Ross Perot. He burst on the political scene, made an initial splash then got pushed aside. Everyone knows that which Berine puts fourth is pie in the sky rhetoric. Sure it appeals to those who are on the bottom of the economic ladder, they may not have much and don't have much to lose, so why not? Outside of that economic bracket most democrats know that Sanders isn't a serious contender. Bernie does keep the spotlight on the Democratic Party and whomever he endorses will benefit, however if there's any hit of him not being serious the party's over.
2
Bernie knows the train has past and he knows that to move this country forward and pare back corporate America he has an opportunity and a moral right to speak to his truth. I applaud him!
6
If Iowa held a primary rather than a caucus I don't think Sanders would have much chance but it require quite a bit of motivation to participate in an Iowa caucus on a winter evening and Sander's supporters are by far the most fanatic supporters of any Democratic candidate. They will show up regardless of the weather conditions and that might not be true of the supporters of the other candidates. So he could win. The only candidate I watched at the Iowa fair on C-SPAN was Jay Insee and after calling out Trump on being a white nationalist he spoke mainly about climate change as would be expected. Inslee has been working on the issue of climate change almost as long as Sanders has been working on economic inequality. Neither seem to be making any substantial progress but neither is giving up. We should give credit to American leaders who are not willing to give up fighting for an issue against great odds. Sanders and Inslee are two such leaders.
6
From the article:
“...unlike in 2016, when he had the liberal populist message to himself, there are now many other progressives who have adopted a similar agenda.”
It is one thing to promise things on the campaign trail and another to deliver when it is time to be counted. Politicians lie- Obama promised that consumer, environmental, human rights and labor groups would have a place at the table for any trade deals and then excluded all of them from TPP, TTIP and TISA negotiations. Obama also promised to strand with striking workers in a pair of comfortable shoes, but no picture exists of him walking a picket line. Bernie has been on the right side of everything from Marriage equality to the Iraq War and plenty more, while others have a record that is more center right than center left or Progressive.
I also remember the hawkish and center right Hillary Clinton trying to sell herself as a “progressive that likes to get things done”. I gagged a little when she tried to pass that nonsense off.
When it comes to politics I am like people from Missouri- you have to show me. Bernie has a long record of being on the right side of so many things once controversial that are now widely accepted. Remember, Ms Clinton was defending DOMA and against marriage equality in 2008 while running against President Obama.
18
Iowa and New Hampshire are not representative of the national interests. When all primaries are held on the same date we'll see an end of this undue focus on two arbitrarily chosen states. BTW, Bernie Sanders still has my vote.
15
A public servant is supposed to implement the Will of the People. A campaign is supposed to be about ideas, not a cult of personality.
Trump makes EVERYTHING about him. For Hillary it was about "Her." Bernie calls it Our Revolution (a peaceful political revolution for We the People) because for him the point is not his personal political power, but about the political power of all citizens versus the mega-rich who have hijacked our political system. It's OURS.
The left practices radical compromise, using consensus techniques to find win/win solutions that a large majority of participants agree with. The Right believes in win/lose solutions, where you must lose so they can win.
The left does unto others as we would have others do unto us. The Right does unto you, before you can do unto them.
The corporate center keeps demanding that the left fall in line to "compromise" with a Party that refuses to compromise. When one side keeps giving up things but gets nothing in return except insults and investigations, that is not compromise, but surrender. The ACA was a Republican bill written by the Heritage Foundation, but Obama signed it, so they attacked it as "socialist."
Bernie knows that history is bigger than him and is more interested in returning power to We the People than taking it for himself. Bernie understands the yearning for real democracy among the young, and makes his campaign about those organizing for democracy, not himself.
Compromise with the left to win!
22
Well, as it turns out, it's not smiles and jokes that change policy and make people's lives better: it's good policies and commitment to change. Sanders has never tried to be Mr. Warmth and that's why we like him-- he's got more pressing things on his mind than... I dunno... Eating pie or whatever they do in Iowa. Yeah, he's so 2016, but a lot of these candidates, to the extent that they're not ripping off Bernie wholesale, sound like pre-Obama people... There's no sense of the kind of global catastrophe that awaits us if we don't immediately take on the problems of automation, climate change, etc (i.e. the ravages of capitalism).
17
I like Bernie and caucused for him in 2016, but I would like to see him evolve. This isn't the same race, and I don't think he should be running the same campaign. I remain undecided at this point. In Iowa, conditions on the ground can change a lot even DURING the caucuses. My precinct will be choosing only one or maybe two delegates to the county convention. With this many candidates, a lot will depend on which candidates have the most committed, persuasive supporters, once we are all in a room together. In 2008, we began the evening with Hillary having the most supporters, but ended with all our delegates going to Obama.
3
Please notice, as well, that Joe Biden did NOT stand out in Iowa, which is not surprising. Just because people recognize his name is NO reason to vote for him. His "ideas" are so yesterday, and his poor brain is just too "old and tired."
9
"there are now many other progressives who have adopted a similar agenda"
Really? Warren and Booker have just now adopted an agenda? The Democratic field is full of candidates who've dedicated their lives to these progressive issues. They are not changing positions in response to Bernie.
8
Just like it's time for Biden to pass the torch to other moderates, so the same for Bernie in the progressive wing.
Obviously I'm not saying they should drop out now, but once the primaries begin and if and when they start losing, or not even cracking the top 3 on or before 'super Tuesday', they need to get out immediately. And then full throatedly support the remaining candidates.
3
Bernie always stands out in any crowd This is because he doesn't change his position with every changing, prevailing wind, and he can't be bought. He's been promoting the same ideas, consistently, for 40 years. That is why I will vote for him again, in April of 2020.
24
Who can beat Trump? That’s the question for everyone who wants to see him removed from office. The best Democratic candidate is the one who wins primaries in most states but probably not in all states since there are so many candidates ... someone who is strong in the heartland as well as the coasts because the Electoral College will once again, and sadly, pick our president.
Bernie’s opportunity has passed because of all his competition, but will his progressive ideals prevail? I’m guessing that a more moderate candidate will prevail, but whoever wins I’ll support.
7
@Molie who's his competition? A stumbling and bumbling Centrist whose only claim to fame is serving as Obama's VP?
A bunch of corporate neoliberal sleeves who seem very uncomfortable playing the role of Progressive while courting high end donors?
Sanders' only credible competition seems to come from Elizabeth Warren, who seems to be more an ally than an enemy. She'd make an exceptionally important and powerful person on his ticket.
Biden will burn out before the primaries. Harris and Buttigieg are one hit wonders with no charisma or public outreach. Sanders has the energy of someone half his age, and twice the idealism.
A Sanders-Warren ticket would annihilate Trump next year.
17
Yes!!!
1
Bernie Sanders has shed light on a darkened nation for years. A couple opposing candidates, with his admiration, have adopted many of his life long social & political positions.
Having once been a youth, I knew the pull of opposing forces, as management vied with my co-workers (labor) for the affections of many in my age group. This was at a time when delicate diplomatic skill could be employed in bringing people together.
Unfortunately, we are now as a society at the point where labor has lost virtually all bargaining power & a new untamed & rapacious breed is in control of our economy.
The feel good "uniter" candidate can only sustain the gross inequity & race to the economic bottom facing a once great nation.
There is only one candidate who can right the wrongs that have occurred since the down slide began & put us on the road to an equitable & life affirming future for those most at risk, the youth of America. That Man is Bernie Sanders.
28
Why Iowa is so much important in election season? It should be changed. Iowa does not represent America really. Bernie Sanders has no chance this time. Moreover lot of Democrats blame him for Hillary's loss in 2016. This time there are so many candidates and they are in competition to move to left and more left. I see that the candidates close to center left are getting traction. Unrealistic promises will not attract voters this time. After having Trump in White House, people do not believe in gimmick. This time the Democrats want to win and most of the voters are at the center.
4
@ASHRAF CHOWDHURY
A dozen other countries get far BETTER health results for HALF as much MONEY per citizen, by insuring EVERYONE, and using Best Practices to make healthcare decisions instead of corporate profits for global shareholders. It turns out that doing the right thing for the right reason has been PROVEN to be more effective in healthcare than insurance companies randomly refusing to pay for anything they think they can get away with not paying for.
Calling systems that are already working better than our system "a gimmick" is purposefully ignorant.
Corporate media pushed fake "populist" Trump to discredit Bernie, who stole his platform, but added massive tax cuts to the rich. Then Trump didn't implement his platform, just tax cuts for the rich.
Trump is all about Trump. Bernie is all about We the People.
The Right wants a king and Trump wants to give it to them. The Left wants democracy and Bernie wants to give it to them.
The center wants to surrender to the right, giving away our values and getting nothing in return.
The Right will never vote for Democrats. If you want the Democratic Party to win, you have to compromise with the left, because they are actually interested in win/win consensus building that makes everyone better off, not just the rich.
It is not the job of Democrats to tell the 60% of the population that works for a living that there is no money to invest in healthcare, education, and infrastructure for their children. Tax the mega rich.
5
@McGloin
It's a "gimmick" in the sense that it doesn't tell people what they'll have to give up. It's presented as something that will be given to them at virtually no cost other than a hike in taxes that's less than their insurance premiums.
Except when you look at other countries, you know that healthcare coverage is not universal, and there are always catches - catches that many people are unaware of and may not be okay with.
Stuff like:
- tort reform to limit people's ability to sue and/or caps on compensation
- private insurance covers most things not deemed "essential" like eye care, dental care, prescription drug coverage, anything not administered in a hospital
- private insurance can (and does) legally discriminate against you based on your credit rating and pre-existing conditions. They can legally refuse to sell you insurance based on those.
- no consumer protections to declare bankruptcy and restore your credit in a timely manner so you can work a good-paying job again
Here's a Canadian who was denied life insurance for having mild anxiety.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ontario-man-says-life-insurance-application-denied-due-to-anxiety-disorder-1.5238719
"Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is their name for almost everything that helps all of the people".
President Harry S. Truman
Trump and his Republican mob have served only white oligarchs and corporations while diluting Obama Care and aggressively tilting the playing field against other Americans.
Bernie Sanders, and now Elizabeth Warren, speak to the legacy of great American Presidents, Franklin Roosevelt, who pulled us out of the oligarch-caused great depression and gave us Social Security, and Lyndon Johnson, who gave us the Civil rights Act and Medicare.
The election of either of these two candidates and a sweeping takeover of congress would put America on a path to reverse the great harm caused by Republicans and Republican-light Democrats, and to restore equal protection under the law for all Americans.
My choice is a Warren-Sanders ticket.
34
I’d recommend this 10 times!
10
I will recommend it 10^100 Times !
1
Quote: "Mr. Sanders’s campaign is not following the traditional campaign playbook of staying in close contact with county chairs."
That very well may be, but you certainly can remember how the Democratic party machine did not serve him well last time around, so he is well advised to not completely trust them now.
28
a candidate who smiles and panders
doesn't sound like Bernie Sanders
who cares if he's a crazy old grump
what matters most is who beats Trump
9
Ideas don't vote. People do.
4
FACT: Sanders has raised money from more PEOPLE than any other candidate. So thank you for helping to make the case he is the actual people’s champ in this race.
12
@JJM Good thing he drew that largest crowds with the most enthusiastic support for those ideas to be conveyed. Sydney Ember kind of fails to mention this since she doesn't consider speaking with ordinary people to be making "human connections."
11
@JJM
The point of the Constitution is that public servants are supposed to implement the Will of the People. The will of the people is a set of ideas.
Those that run on their personality instead of the Will of the People are not following the Constitution and have no interest in, or mandate, to do what most people what when they get into office.
5
Consistency and clarity. They will win for Bernie in 2020.
It's easy for other, potential candidates to jump on a bandwagon, on a pre-existing agenda that was set up after years of struggle to have it enacted, as was Bernie's. Besides trimming that agenda of many of its positive points, the adherence of others to their promises, if elected, cannot be as assured as those of this most dedicated and responsible man.
Ms. Ember propels forth a negative view on most of Bernie's actions and possibilities in Iowa, but the power and indeed the necessity of his program to be enacted will win out.
20
Okay, so let’s get this straight: In 2016, liberals were saying a Democratic Socialist could never be elected. But now you’re saying that because everybody’s hopped on Bernie’s bandwagon, he’s got too much competition? Also, you imply that his lack of Uncle Joe glad-handing may do him in. Well, back in 1958, Aldous Huxley predicted our elections would be determined by marketing rather than logic. I hope he and you wrong in this case. Charisma may make you feel good (makes me nauseous), but it won’t remove your bad appendix or pull you out of a financial black hole. If only Americans would realize this. But many, like Biden, will choose their own “truth over facts.”
128
@Anonymous--If the Hillary camp, and the DNC, hadn't cheated, and rigged, the primaries, to absolutely favor her, and Democrats hadn't been so complacent, Bernie would be our president, today. Thus, we would be well on our way toward climate change amelioration, banishment of oil subsidies and corporate welfare, fairer taxation, health care for all, stronger partnerships with our traditional allies, higher wages, more customer-friendly regulation over delinquent banks and financial entities, less student debt but better education, a better and less wasteful defense policy, meaningful justice reform, a humane immigration policy, and I think a more unified country, to name just a few.
29
@Anonymous Let's also not forget that those same liberals were saying that Trump couldn't possibly beat Clinton, and that Sanders was too risky. 3 years later, Trump is in the White House, Sanders is leading in small donors and the Clintons are nowhere to be found.
The media doesn't get to decide who is electable, voters do. The NYT should be mindful of this.
30
@Anonymous
Long before Huxley said that, American politicians knew that.
In 1840, William Henry Harrison, who was a member of one of the premier families in Virginia and grew up wealthy, was repurposed as a man who grew up in a simple log cabin.
And in 1860, Lincoln was presented as a poor log splitter rather than a corporate lawyer which was what he was.
As H.L. Mencken once said, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.
8
Will it work this time?
The question “journalists” need to start asking with DNCC torpedo his campaign again...
Sanders/Warren 2020
#grandparentsaveus
17
Please understand, east coast, west coast and urban progressives, that anyone who self-identifies as a socialist is doomed in the midwest from the get-go -- and of course that's where most of the tipping point states happen to be. In selecting a candidate to support, we progressives need to remind ourselves regularly, "It's the Electoral College, stupid!" and work backwards from that point to select the candidate most likely to send Trump packing. Be assured the GOP gets that's how the game is played, and has gamed that system successfully via securing statehouses, governorships, gerrymandering, Citizens United, and of course their powerful propaganda machine, Fox News. As long as the Electoral College decides presidential elections instead of the popular vote, progressives must abandon much of their visionary idealism and become absolutely pragmatic about running the table in the Electoral College, period, end of story. I've lived in the midwest my entire life so let me assure you that no self-proclaimed socialist will ever win in states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Ohio.
42
@Sean Reynolds Thank you for this; you are 100% correct. And then there's the Senate; we need some progress there or no agenda will move anyway. Too many of the 'progressive' ideas, no matter their merits, will lose the election in the Electoral College.
4
@Sean Reynolds
That's funny, because I distinctly recall Sanders winning Wisconsin and Michigan in the 2016 Democratic primaries. And polls have Sanders beating Trump in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
And I remember us progressive were told to "drop our idealism" last time so that Clinton could handily win the Electoral College. How did that turn out?
43
“Please don’t believe that change is possible. Signed, A Republican” Thanks, Good Faith Democratic Voter
14
My comment appears to have been lost in the shuffle, so here it is again, more or less:
Okay, so let’s get this straight: In 2016, liberals were saying a Democratic Socialist could never be elected. But now you’re saying that because everybody’s hopped on Bernie’s bandwagon, he’s got too much competition? Also, you imply that his lack of Uncle Joe glad-handing may do him in. Well, back in 1958, Aldous Huxley predicted that our elections would be determined by marketing over logic, so you’re not alone. But note that Uncle Joe charisma won’t take out your bad appendix or pull you out of a financial black hole. I hope you and Huxley are wrong. Unfortunately, a few, like Biden, will choose their own “truths over facts.”
9
Bernie Sanders is a self proclaimed Socialist/Communist and has no regard for any of the principles the USA was founded upon. It this really the candidate you want to back?
@Tommy2 He's claimed to be neither. The closest he's claimed to be is a Socialist Democrat, which is completely different than just plain Socialist the same way a baby seat is different from a baby.
And guess what buddy? You know who else believes in socialism? Many of the founding fathers. Check Section 8 of Article 1 of the Constitution for more info.
7
Someone ought to tell this guy about MLK, the labor movement, Lincoln, FDR, Thomas Paine, and Eugene Debs...
10
Bernie championing ideas.
Nice - but we need a candidate who will champion polices that will get through the US Congress, as the Founding Fathers intended.
What happens to us when the "ideas" crash and burn? Where's the plan B? Nowhere - and we will be back where we are now, writing to the NYT about how well universal health care works in other Western countries.
2
What happened when Obama tried to reach across aisles and push bipartisan legislation through Congress again? If getting legislation through Congress is what you’re looking for you ain’t gonna find anybody who can promise that, not w modern GOP. It’s the vision and and the values which count.
4
@Mike Edwards If you want to know what happens when ideas crash and burn, just look at the last two Democratic presidents. They start with sensible plans then negotiate down to corporate giveaways.
Sanders is starting with single payer with the intention of negotiating down to a sensible plan. It's negotiation 101 and I think it's sad that Democrats don't understand how that works.
3
@Glen Manna
"Sanders is starting with single payer with the intention of negotiating down to a sensible plan."
Has he said that this is his intention? And how might that sensible plan look? Let him tell us.
We read this "non-electability" tripe in 2016 in at least two dozen articles in the Times and nominated perhaps the only person in the entire United States who could have possibly lost the EC to Donald Trump.
This is a "change" election, just like '16. Let's choose a candidate who proposes change. It could be Warren. It could be Harris. It could be Sanders.
This opinion piece belongs on the Opinion page. Not masquerading as news above the fold.
17
When I attended an organizing meeting for Senator Sanders’ 2020 campaign back in the Spring, one of many around the state, I was thrilled to see not only the number but the diversity of people who attended. Young, old, affluent or not, we all were united by our belief that Bernie would be true to his word and that he would, if elected, work diligently for the common good. If such a goal sounds simplistic, so be it.
28
Regarding the fair’s highly unscientific corn kernel poll, a pic was posted yesterday in the WaPost, showing the the jars with the corn in them...and Bernie had...by far...the most corn in his jar than the others...but for some reason they ignored him.
It is really disappointing that our major media outlets, including this one, chooses to ignore Bernie, while misleading the people about his popularity...and I thought that used to be only a faux noise kind of thing. GRRRRR
23
I do not trust the DNC to play fair. This means that they will end up coronating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris - two milqutoast politicians who are DINOs - Democrats in name only.
I wish I weren't so pessimistic but I don't really think the DNC will allow a real democratic process take place. They are our own worst enemies.
19
@Amala
This has nothing to do with the DNC. There are plenty of debate opportunities. They DNC is not making people vote for Biden or Harris if they wish to vote for Bernie. So stop blaming the DNC if voters don't like him.
3
Bernie should stand down. He had his chance last time and now it is time for a new generation to take the lead.
I would like the Democratic presidential candidates to be younger than I am (I’m of medicare age).
Bernie is not even a Democrat. Why is he running in the Democratic Party.
Bernie can’t beat Trump and that is the simple truth.
Bernie — don’t go away mad — just go away.
42
@Carl What happened to all that talk of coming together and in order to beat Trump no matter the candidate?
Keep talking like this an you risk turning off the young progressives like myself who you will need to win in 2020.
16
@Carl Biden has run for president twice before, and no one is saying that he had his chance- why does Bernie only get to run once, especially now that he has one of the largest and most dedicated donor bases in American politics?
Oh, and to answer your question- Bernie is running as a Democrat because he caucuses with them, and if he ran 3rd party he would doom the Democratic candidate. He is doing you a favor by running as a Dem and you don't even realize it.
24
It is well documented that Bernie did not have “his chance” last time, the DNC and corporate media like the NYT made sure of that and this piece is a continuation of that same misinformation, propaganda campaign. The bottom line of the NYT and the corporate interests it speaks for are fine with a Trump victory compared to loosing the reigns of power to a real populist candidate like Bernie Sanders. Also, don’t be fooled by the relatively positive coverage given Warren, she is elevated only to split votes from Sanders, Sen. Warren will be thrown overboard at the right moment in favor of Harris and / or Biden, the fix is still in, only people power can defeat it.
19
Throw shade on Bernie time again. We get it. It’s all about the plutocrat owners of media like the Times not wanting to pay taxes. And they know that Bernie means what he says and says what he means and won’t be modifying, evolving or walking back any positions to please corporations and their uber rich owners.
I can’t wait till he starts winning the primaries. I expect the biased reporters you send to cover him to really lose their minds.
17
Bernie shares some undesirable characteristics from Trump - stubborn, not a good listener, underwhelming level of empathy and no idea how to implement his ideas. He also is the candidate mostly likely to react with anger if he is not the nominee.
45
@Joel Stegner So you are straight up lying. You're not misunderstanding.. because if you were misunderstanding, you wouldn't be so far off base. His entire platform is based on empathy. Treating others how we should all be treated. He constantly does town halls where he listens to the troubles they are going through and focuses on how he can fix them. If you have ever been to one of his rally's, he details step by step exactly how he would implement these changes.
And your biggest lie.. "react with anger"? You mean like last time when he was super gracious and helped to endorse Clinton?
32
@Joel Stegner Listen to his interview with Joe Rogan and tell me his empathy is “underwhelming.” Bernie’s entire focus is giving real, material aid to the downtrodden, underserved, and elderly. The so-called ‘empathy’ you perceieve in other politicians is nothing more than the relentlessly rehearsed stagecraft of a likely meglamanical/narcissitic/sociopath. We’ve become so attutned to this style of political communication that the fake now seems real while the real seems fake, or as you put it, “underwhelming.”
28
@Joel Stegner I don't recall that Bernie reacted with anger the last time he wasn't the nominee. . .
25
You rarely get a second chance in politics. Biden may be the exception here. Bernie made the mistake of not adjusting his approach. Plans can get picked apart and drowned out when you have twenty-four candidates. He should’ve made an emotional appeal based on his experience growing up among Holocaust survivors to make the moral case for his positions on the southern border, education and health care. There’s still time to do that, but he doesn’t seem cut out for it.
6
@AlNewman Biden has lost the Democratic nomination twice already, so this would be his third chance. I'm not sure why the Democrats are looking to someone they've overlooked twice already as our best chance to beat Trump.
8
@AlNewman Why would he adjust his approach when it catapulted him essentially overnight to be the most favorably viewed politician in America? Bernie's consistency is one of his biggest draws: he doesn't do things out of convenience or cynical calculation or financial gain, he does things because he believes in them. Imagine having a president with that kind of conviction and principle- that's what this country needs now, more than ever.
10
@AlNewman
"...but he doesn't seem cut out for it." That "it" is pandering. Tired of the candidates trying to manipulate us with their "poor little me" stories, and you know who they are. Glad we have some mature candidates to choose from, including Bernie.
6
It's always nice to be seen as winning early. But the BEST outcome is to be seen as the winner at the end. That's what Trump did in 2016. Be careful how you gin up this race... we don't want a repeat of 2016.
3
Why not select the person who is the best leader, who will attract the most followers? No doubt we need idea-creators and people to "sell the idea." But those roles are not necessarily the same person nor is the one who would lead necessarily the creator or implementor. An idea, a policy, a plan can be picked up and led forward by anyone. If these candidates operated more as a team -- if the Democratic party did -- they would do what they used to do but in a new way: agree on the best ideas, and decide among themselves who would be the best captain, co-captain, side-men/women, etc. Who should play what role to get the job done -- to win. At least for the greater good, some would drop out and help to winnow down the list.
OK it isn't going to work that way. But let's at least focus on who is best suited to lead the country forward, who has a vision, can set a new direction, turn this ship around, establish goals and inspire. Focusing on ideas invites nit-picking, polarization and fighting. Focusing on an idea is narrow-minded. None of the "ideas" are going to be implemented anyway as proposed. Maybe the party platform will pick them up as is or water them down or not include them at all. Then there is Congress - what happens to the idea then?
We need a leader who can work with a wide variety of people, who is attractive to a wide variety of people without being a panderer. Ideas and policy is a subset, side-show not the main attraction.in my opinion
7
@child of babe
You mean like Hillary Clinton about whom people said the same things when compared to Sanders in 2016
5
@Steve Actually, yes, sort of -- if Sanders had been a team member and if his supporters had been, they would have conceded and recognized what needed to happen for the greater good and then worked together for the win. You missed the bigger, more important part of the message: we need a leader, not an idea-generator, (unless it's a two-fer). We do not need a bunch of egotists who are only vying for MVP by rushing to score points rather helping the team win. First things first - this is time for triage.
3
@child of babe
How was Sanders not a team player? He vigorously campaigned for her in Wisconsin and Michigan, two states she couldn't be bothered to campaign in herself and lost by razor thin margins. Maybe she should've pulled the finger out and bothered to actually campaign for the Presidency instead of expecting it to be thrust upon her.
6
What an inane article! Reporting on the nomination process as if it’s high school gossip underserves the gravity and urgency of what Democrats need to do this election.
How odd to imply that Sanders is an establishment candidate at the same time that the actual establishment/big donors deeply dislike him because he’s “too radical” ie. a threat to their deep pockets.
Despite his outsider status, much of Sanders’ agenda has been adopted at least superficially by the Democratic Party and many candidates. Is the man who has reenergized the electorate the best person to go into a vicious general election? Will Sanders and his platform withstand the mudslinging, lies and propaganda, and convince swing state voters to NOT re-elect Trump?
We’ve been witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the United States government. It’s not too far a stretch to say that deciding on the US Democratic nominee is the most crucial decision for the future of all humanity. Let’s please treat it that way.
21
Bernie is as done as the toasted corn being sold at the Iowa State Fair.
Not sure that any democrat candidate is seen as being that sweet cotton candy.
1
There is an element of pathos caught so well by the author of this article, which is that Sanders's most formidable enemy now is the aging process. No getting away from that! To see a late, not early septuagenarian trying to hold on, with a physiognomy and strands of white hair which makes him look the "sosie,"double of Alistair Sims playing Scrooge in film version of Dickens's "The Christmas Carol," which came out in 1951,leaves me sorrowful,triste, because so many of us, "vieux de la vieille,"r facing the same challenge. When he was gently chided by Ryan the other night inn the debate, when Rep. Ryan said to Sanders, who seemed to be shouting at the top of his voice, "Well, you don't have to yell at me,"said good naturedly moreover, I was reminded of a remark by late sister who began her career as a stewardess for Capital Airlines in the 1950's and ended up as a hot walker for trainer Johnny Campo at Belmont, that as we grow older it becomes harder to hide our emotions.
2
@Alexander Harrison
Yet none of what you say is a reason not to vote for him...His hair? Really...?
11
@Alexander Harrison It seems age is all you Bernie nay sayers have to hang your hats on. He is only a few years older then Biden and Trump and is light years sharper. And remember, Bernie wanted to debate Trump but Trump made excuses that "they" wouldn't let him.
13
@C. Bernard: My comment was less about politics than about the tristesse of old age. My late sister, Josephine, was simply observing that as we age we show our emotions more, and Sanders, nothing against him personally,became overwraught at 1 of RYAN'S responses, which prompted the latter's good natured remark, "Well, u don't have to yell!"Let's face it: Youth trumps age, and I say that as a "vieux de la vieille"myself!
With respect...4 years later, Bernie Sanders is running in a very different presidential race against Donald Trump and his Republican enablers. No matter how progressive and honest Sen. Sanders is --- and he proved his resolve in 3 terms as the Independent Senatior from Vermont --we're in a world of existential difference from 2016.
Bernie's National Press Secretary until this year, Simone D. Sanders was an outstanding adviser during Bernie's last go-round in Iowa. Now, Ms. Sanders (no relation to Bernie!) is Senior Adviser to Joe Biden. But Joe hasn't got the nous or young outlook Democrats are craving like corndogs now.
A septuagenarian candidate against Trump in 2020 is a non-starter. Simone Sanders said "I want to hear from the millennials and the brown folks". So do we all. Aren't we all looking for a young generation of Americans to take the presidential Torch from Donald Trump next year?
1
Let get one thing straight. The most important thing a Democratic candidate needs to do is to defeat Trump. The indispensable promise to be made is to repeal all of Trump's executive orders and restore those in effect the day before Trump took office and to quickly repopulate our hollowed out executive branch with the expert advisers, diplomats, scientists and civil servants purged by Trump. I support anyone who can beat Trump although I would prefer Warren.
8
Is anyone else really tired of Iowa and New Hampshire, 2 tiny unrepresentative states, having a perennial and perpetual filtering role for presidential candidates?
Its time for regional primaries, in rotation, so no single state or group of states gets to control the selection process. Not the Russians, and not some Iowa fair.
15
In a head to head match against Donald Trump I don't see Elizabeth Warren performing any better than Hillary Clinton did in the electoral college. She, like Clinton could win the popular vote by running away with it in states like California, New York and Massachusetts, and still lose the election.
Bernie Sanders has a better chance at winning states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan which cost Clinton (and the rest of us) the general election.
16
This piece cites Mr Sanders age at 77 as somehow disqualifying him as a viable candidate. Well, let me tell you, I'd love to be 77 again! More power to him - he has my vote!
18
If Bernie’s Medicare for All goes through, that means less money for the Military Industrial Complex, pharmaceutical development, and agricultural subsidies. I’m sure there are others too with their hands held out for tax dollar investments that will continue to make them obscenely wealthy, corporations who do not want to see their slice of the pie diminish in order to pay for the healthcare of the working and middle classes. Sanders and Warren are direct threats to the corporate status quo, and a lot of money and energy has been applied to make the possibility for nationalized healthcare seem impossible.
16
I met Bernie a couple of times back when he was just another Congressman.
He exhibited no interest in engaging with his constituents.
That's just the way he is.
10
So much so that your state has continued to re-elect him and to increasingly important offices. Maybe you just weren’t very interesting Pete....
4
I met him in 2016 and he asked me and a group of a few friends our opinion on marijuana legalization because he had not yet come out in favor. We spoke for five minutes or so on the topic and others, Mr. Sanders listened to each of us and the following week came out in favor of legalization. I’ve never been so impressed by a politician for behaving like an actual person.
5
@Pete Hahahahaha, search Google for "Bernie Sanders events" and then delete your comment. (Or keep it here and just be wrong). He had two town halls just yesterday. Another one today in addition to an Ice Cream Social today. That's not even including the largest crowd the Iowa Fair has had for a candidate the day before yesterday.
4
I'll let it slide that the title ambiguously employs 'stood out' to bait readers to discover whether the title casts Bernie Sanders as 'outstanding' or as a pariah. That said, I'm sick and tired of this kind of horse race reporting. "Is the dark horse candidate from 2016 now too old? Are there alternative progressive candidates that might siphon off some of his base?"
Frankly, I don't care and neither should anyone reading this. We need to be talking about the issues, not who's most likely to win. Climate change isn't going away anytime soon. Corporations aren't going to stop tightening their influence on our politics on their own. Our broken healthcare system isn't going to stop bankrupting hard working people. These struggles are existential and hinge on a lot more than who sits in the oval office, so we ought to focus more on them than on this reality TV popularity contest.
That said, I'm glad that there's a wide field of progressive candidates to choose from. I thank Bernie Sanders for energizing that faction of the party. It's not a zero sum game. I support any candidate who believes healthcare is a human right and wants to aggressively tackle climate change.
11
A cursory glance at local news from Iowa and Twitter would show that the NY Times reporting of Sanders as not talking to Iowans individually is a severe mischaracterization. He walked in solidarity with striking food service workers in Cedar Rapids , visited people with poisoned water wells in Avon. He draws a huge crowd at the fair and yet this is characterized in the first paragraph as him not speaking to anyone, which is bizarre. This is not the first time that Sydney Embers has shown she cannot be trusted to provide news or analysis when it comes to Sanders.
39
@Bryan
". . . Embers has shown she cannot be trusted to provide news or analysis when it comes to Sanders."
This is true of the Times in general, and the mainstream media as a whole. What are they afraid of?
I saw a recent interview of him. Regardless of his age, he comes across as more intelligent, knowledgeable and articulate than most of the other candidates. He spoke for a full hour without hesitation or resort to platitudes. I think this is because he actually has a different vision for the country, believes what he says, has thought things through and has a plan. Too many of the others just want to be president.
24
The Iowa Starting Line reported that Bernie spoke to perhaps the largest audience yet at this State Fair, so there's that. Also, I saw Bernie in L.A. in 2016 where he stopped by a street fair. He was talking to everybody.
It's true that his policy positions have been adopted by lots of other candidates, but sometimes the originator holds value for voters. He didn't just hold his finger up to the wind the way some of the faux progressive candidates have done this year.
Why not call the other progressive Dem candidates 'Bernie imitators?' Why not call the moderate Dems with almost no support 'Republicans?'
20
Bernie has done absolutely nothing? His focus on the needs of ordinary people has changed political discourse. Before 2016, Democratic candidates didn’t feel obligated to talk about or respond to ideas like Medicare for all, forgiving student debt, tuition free college. Even if you think those ideas are ridiculous, it’s way better than starting with compromise. The 2016 campaign also influenced the way campaigns are run, no small matter when our elected officials are more obligated to corporations and billionaires than the rest of us. And thanks to the way his campaign is run, we now have more progressive and vocal people in office, like AOC. Though while other presidential candidates feel obligated to talk about the issues as if they’re progressive, they’re still beholden to corporations and the wealthy. With them we won’t see any meaningful change. That’s why I'll vote for Bernie. And that's why the NYT keeps up with the concern trolling. They're scared to death he'll actually win.
Just my take from the real Midwest.
19
"At the same time, several Iowa Democratic officials said they were miffed by Mr. Sanders’s campaign, which they see as operating as something of a lone wolf."
All I can say is, good for Bernie Sanders! One of the greatest impediments to changing our politics and our government is the ossified Democratic Party. Most voters focus on candidates and issues, and know almost nothing about how the party operates. If they did, they would be so disgusted that they might well join Sen. Sanders's call for a political revolution.
18
Let's address the concerns over Bernie's age. I see it this way: if he's elected, but becomes senescent or has a heart attack or something during his term and is incapacitated, he will have started something BIG.
Big for Americans, common sense for much of the rest of the world.
11
How is this even news? If Bernie doesn’t talk to anyone, that’s news as well? How about focus on the candidates who are actually shaking up the primary, in particular Andrew Yang. Andrew is the only one in either party to raise the topics of automation and universal basic income.
6
If diversity is so important here then why not diversify a bit more and have a cabbage run for office? It would certainly better represent the green position more than any other current candidate and could do no worse than the person currently holding the job of president, and possibly do a much better job. I am sure the cabbage would not insult any other race, creed or color (although some other fauna make take umbrage if not root.
3
Sure, he's an older guy. That should not be seen as a default though, especially if one believes that they are voting in a President for 4 years, rather than 8. (We might argue that this is how it usually goes, but the term is not 8 years, is it?)
As well, much depends on who he chooses for a running mate. There I would like to see much, much greater thought.
While neither would agree to it, I would love to see Bernie and Warren, or if one prefers, Warren and Bernie. That would be a killer team.
8
And who had the biggest crowds? It was Bernie, although the MSM gushed over Warren. Sanders is the real deal. He is the standard-bearer and he has my vote.
He is the only candidate in the top 10 who has ZERO billionaires donating to his campaign. I fear Warren, with her 2 billionaires and history on Wall Street (and a Republican) will sell out as she did in 2016.
Sanders is our best hope to beat Trump and take our government back “For the People” not the 1%.
Sanders wins both Dems and Independents and some Trump supporters. No one else has this crossover appeal.
Too bad HRC’s team vilified Sanders in the 2016 primaries. Most of that silly “Bernie Bro” stuff has left a mark. And let us not forget that Gloria Steinem declares Bernie Sanders an “honorary woman”. He is True.
22
@Cedarcat
Silly "Bernie Bro" stuff?
The Sanders campaign has always been rooted in male grievance. There's a big reason why you hear a lot of people, especially women, shifting toward Warren this year. It is well documented that Sanders mainly attracts men and low information folks.
2
@Cedarcat
Personally, I lost a lot of respect for Gloria Steinem after her very un-feminist (and wildly unsupported) statement that “women only like Bernie because that’s where the boys are.”
If Steinem has since decided to support Sanders (not to mention all of those silly little progressive women, younger and perhaps more attractive than Steinem herself) I have not heard about it.
I am so very disappointed in this corporate news source that sometimes, after reading hit pieces like this, I'm very tempted to end my relationship with it. Sanders, unlike this paper, has been consistent and right for decades. If trump wins reelection, as he probably will, it will be because of the insidious and divisive voices on the left that prevent a strong and unified force for good in this country that can combat the evil and greed that plagues this nation like no time since the gilded age.
20
Progressives hold the bright future, everything to the 'good'.
Something that has me puzzled about Warren and her philosophy, she did not support Bernie in 2016, and now her platform is a carbon copy of Bernie 2016. She supported Hillary all the way even though their ideas clashed. Or did she want the Presidency herself and knew Bernie could have taken it all on a Sanders/Warren ticket.
We really could have beaten Trump. No doubt. If she is the nominee, I hope it is Warren/Sanders.
The situation is critical, the prize should belong to the Democrats and played without a gamble.
Could it be Bernie is being judged by some hidden antisemitism? Some of the comments here seem to have a strange point of view of socialism, I am wondering if it is not something else.
A Jewish President would be a remarkable statement for this country. Especially, reading about Bernie visiting the Synagogue in Pittsburgh after the shooting there , a wonderful humble man, he never relies on his personal story to gain votes.
13
If I recall correctly the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party hacks never saw Bernie coming in 2016 until the night of the caucus when he came very close to beating her and might well have done so had not pretty much every if not every coin toss in a tight district miraculously gone Clinton’s way.
It seems a bit early to start counting him out now.
9
Only the NY Times could write an article making the fact that Bernie Sanders had the biggest crowd at the Iowa fair sound like a bad thing. All of the people who are for other candidates are sensible "supporters", but people like me, who are for Bernie Sanders are "fans", because it's crazy to support a campaign based on ideas instead of personal charm...or something. Also, fellow NY Times readers should be aware that this paper does not cover most of what Bernie does. He has held multiple town halls all over the country where he speaks to voters, but the NY Times only covers him when they can put a negative spin on the coverage. Same with polls. Polls that are not favorable to Bernie are covered, polls that are favorable to him are not mentioned.
23
@E. Vincent
Yes, and other corporate media outlets do the same. MSNBC even placed him below Warren in its reports of the horse race despite the polls it relied on showing him in second place behind Biden. The media in general treats him like a nonplayer, already counting him out. And I still remember the NYT and other media calling California for Clinton in 2016 before any votes had been cast in the state. Their message? Sanders supporters stay home -- it's already a lost cause. They're doing the same thing now.
5
@N
I agree. Thanks for the reply.
2
I despise socialism after living in European countries under socialist governments - so I would never vote for Sanders.
Does Bernie not own three houses?
@James Stewart. I lived in several European countries under Democratic socialism and was quite pleased. What was your experience?
4
Sorry, he will not get my vote in the primary. Yep, I'm still mad about 2016.
I'll vote for him over Trump if he's the nominee, but he will never get my vote in the primary.
6
I see the Ember is still flickering, giving out far more heat than actual light.
Meanwhile, interestingly, the Independent (UK) reported on this very event with a slightly different framing: "Bernie Sanders takes victory lap at Iowa State Fair 'Soapbox', claiming credit for 2020 progressive strain." The lede: "Thanking Iowa, Mr Sanders pledged to fight against Donald Trump's racism — and for progressive issues animating 2020 Democrats."
Some choice quotes:
"All in all, Mr Sanders seemed fairly jubilant while speaking to reporters, especially for a man whose Saturday Night Live impersonator, Larry David, portrays him as something of a curmudgeon.
“It feels good, it really does,” Mr Sanders told a packed group of reporters in a tent set up behind the soapbox area, when asked how it felt to return to the soapbox."
And then comes several positive comments from his supporters.
All of Ember's energies have been husbanded toward being the Bain (oops: bane) of Sanders' existence, framing him negatively in every possible way with every article intended to be another Black Rock -- I'm sorry, I meant "black mark." Her personal history keeps poking its nose into my prose here.
Meanwhile, I find it hilariously predictable that neither Sanders nor Warren will take the bait of the divide and conquer strategy.
I sort of feel bad for Ember and the rest of the Stop Sanders crew. It's hard to beat honesty, rationality, and a spine.
15
Honestly, if the New York Times started covering the Sanders campaign positively, I’d begin to worry about his integrity. Keep up the incredible work Bernie. Thank you for doing all you have to transform the party into one that is actually representative of struggling working people and not just the corporate elite. The NYT will not help to move our country forward. That isn’t part of their business model. They will keep putting Trump’s smiling face and outrage-inducing tweets right under your nose though.
15
I have to be brutally honest here. I did not like, respect or support Sanders in 2016. and I will not now. To me, this whole "victim" gig that he and Trump use is frankly demeaning in terms of what real leadership is all about. You want to run my country? Quit whining about how mean the media, the Democrats power structure is. Deal with it and be quiet.
Two older men who do not seem to grasp that strength and utter focus to VOTERS matters. Mr. Sanders, like Mr. Trump, has a neediness for martyrdom and makes little time for engagement with voters. His mission is his alone and he makes no room for disagreement or discussion.
Please explain to me how that would be an improvement over the current occupant of the White House.....Cheering on command at rallies is NOT opening doors to feedback. Stomping around with an agenda that the refusal to modify becomes not a step forward but a zealots obsession fails to show the ability to create new ideas or solutions. Medicare for all is Sanders border wall.
Both men are too old, too set in their ways to be agile enough to lead our nation. As they both continue to prove, America needs the energy and passion of the next generation.
5
@Margot LeRoy
I have to be brutally honest too: it sounds like all you know about Bernie Sanders is what you've read about him in the New York Times, which frankly gives you a heavily biased perspective. And if you ACTUALLY cared about the "energy and passion of the next generation", you would notice that it is overwhelmingly supportive of Bernie.
6
If democrats want to win the election, I honestly believe Sanders is the only option. He is the only one, of the many candidates that can authentically challenge our current president in a debate. He is also the only one that does not give off the appearance of making this about him. Many of the other candidates have taken on his issues. Biden is younger than Sanders but who seems more up for the job?
11
I don't want a showman for president. We have one and look what has happened. I don't want a president I can drink a beer with or who knows how to toss a football or who eats cotton candy. I want a statesman who has sound ideas, well thought out opinions and has stood the test of voter trust time and time again. Someone with principles that have never wavered No.Matter.What. That is one candidate -- Bernie Sanders. Leave the youth/charisma factor to the running mate. McCain-Palin ring any bells?
111
@Slavin Rose
McCain-Palin lost.
1
@Slavin Rose
Yes, McCain-Palin does ring a bell. A very hollow and, frankly, embarassing bell. I don't think that is the model we should hope to emulate in a successful election campaign.
The dream team ticket is Sanders-Warren. Polling shows they appeal to very different demographics. Harris could also be a strong choice for VP.
I would never dare to compare either of these accomplished women to Sarah Palin, though.
3
Dear Centrists, Sen. Sanders has a long history of public service. He is well aware that his ideas must move through the legislative machine. His campaign and the traction it is garnering is based upon placing the greater public at the forefront of legislative agendas. He has never advocated for a timeline as disruptive as former Communist countries. Your fears for government/societal destabilization are wholly unfounded. You are on the wrong side of history. Change your schema.
24
@GM
Ideas are easy. Unfortunately, reality comes into the picture.
1
While I might agree that it may be harder for Sanders this time around everywhere, not just Iowa, mainly because of Elizabeth Warren. This comes off as the Times doing their usual hit job on Bernie Sanders... The thumbs down photo really stands out. I am sure there were plenty of people that gave him the thumbs up.
30
Sydney, you've learned your first lesson about Bernie: he's not about fake smiles and kissing babies. He's not a "pol" - he's a serious man engaged in very serious business, his life's mission of making government work for the people. If Iowa voters support this mission, they'll do well to hear to his message.
26
It’s amazing how the NYT works so hard to try and put Bernie in a bad light. Now he’s an impersonal candidate who is interested in ideas Ideas” not human connection. What balderdash.
It is his connection with real humans not corporations that shapes his policies and ideas. Of course, the NYT doesn’t want to talk about that. The NYT helped give us Trump. Is that really where it wants to push us again?
130
@Justice Holmes I love your comment! Thanks so much for telling the truth.
14
@Justice Holmes the New York Times didn't give you Trump, a few thousand voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin did. Whatever their rationale, it had nothing to do with the Times, which 95% of them probably never read.
3
One thing that Bernard Sanders is not known for is his ability to negotiate with others. Even if Mr. Sanders were to be elected, without the approval of Congress, (and it has far from universal support from the Democrats, and, of course, forget about the Republicans) Medicare for all is just one more plan that Bernard can stake out the ideologically pure high ground on without actually accomplishing anything.
10
I'm knocking on the door of 77 and coming to the realization that age is not just a number. Physically and mentally I am in good shape but I feel change happening. I wear out faster than I used to and can't go as late into the night anymore without sleep. Physically I need to be mindful that muscle injuries take longer to heal. In other words I have limits.
I can only speculate, but it seems to me that the job of being President would require more energy from me than I could give. So, my yardstick, myself, tells me that 77 is too old.
21
@Canuck
Amen! I'm a few years younger than Bernie, and you, I guess, and I agree with you wholeheartedly.
1
Well I’m only 25 and burdened with overwhelming student debt and would like to have the same Medicare you do so please think about me too grand daddy!
9
@Canuck. I am also in your age range and I have the same issues...BUT...if you’re paying attention...Bernie appears to have more energy than even the younger ones...so I completely disagree with you.
14
Why the unflattering picture of Bernie Sanders if this is supposedly an unbiased report? I expect the NYT to show less bias when covering an event, or has the NYT become, like so many others, another forum for opinion? Ms. Ember states Sanders has grounded his campaign in ideas rather than establishing human contact. Trump is pretty good at establishing human contact if his manic crowds are any indication. Out nation cries for ideas, so why so negative, Ms. Ember? His "impersonal campaign style" is way off base. He speaks to a crowd about issues that matter to them personally, speaks with a passion that communicates we (little people) matter, and for the first time in many decades, has fostered a crowd of supporters with hope for the future. I suggest Ms. Ember find another beat because she doesn't have a clue about this candidate and his influence.
121
@Kathleen Day
So let me get this straight. We are supposed to pick the leader of the free world based on whether or not he or she demonstrates sufficient appetite for corn dogs—-obviously from this picture not a favorite of treat of Senator Sanders.
So Sanders drew the largest most enthusiastic crowd at the fair discussing serious issues but he was unimpressed with the butter cow and failed to schmooze sufficiently with the fairgowers.
One of the things I like best about Bernie is that he is a pretty genuine guy. He doesn’t like this sort of silliness and it shows. Now are voters mature enough to forgive him for it?
29
@Brooklyncowgirl
Lol...that's the problem.
Those "mature voters" are scared. (some, not all...)
But the younger, future generations are all in for Sanders.
Again.
(Agreed, one of his best qualities is his authenticity.)
6
Although the headline made it look like the NYT might give Bernie some coverage that was at least somewhat positive, I was disappointed to find the same negative spin I saw all during the 2016 election. Headline after headline sent the message that Bernie was not electable even as he won more and more states.
It's clear, once again, how this paper is running *its* campaign.
117
Is it just me or does NYT put “Sanders, 77” in every article mentioning him. I don’t see them doing that to any else including Trump.
173
@Aaron Elliott
I’m 77, too. It seems that it’s okay to selectively use ageism as a way to disparage those you don’t like. Why is this okay and all the other isms are not.
2
I see the Times is presenting a negative supposition about Mr. Sanders as if it were fact. Example: there are signs that"Mr. Sanders, 77 may be struggling to gain traction..." Ageism perhaps? Your inference: Mr. Sanders suffers from advanced years and is not or appealing. This is journalism? The facts in your article contradict your dire prediction; Sanders'campaign is supported by more donors than the other campaigns and is being carried out by a sizable group of young volunteers. You did the same thing in 2016, prior to your entirely predictable endorsement of an establishment Democrat, Hillary Clinton. This year, you are preparing your readers for another corporatist (who also, incidentally, supported the Iraq invasion): Mr. Biden. He Is Hillary reborn, with a change in gender. Never mind the fact that Trump is virtually the same age as Biden. Here is Sanders' real downfall: unlike Biden, Harris, and Pelosi, he doesn't have an active social life with deep-pocketed people in California and the Hamptons.
147
Sanders was by far more popular than Clinton. His nomination was prevented by the Democratic party elites using voter suppression and not-so "Super Delegates", who voted against the majority in many states. Don't ask why Bernie's style turned off voters. It didn't. The Democratic primary was stolen exactly the same way the general election was stolen by Republicans. Trump was never intended to win the primary, but the Reds made sure a Red would win the general election no matter what kind of ghastly ghoul gets nominated. Now we see how stupid that was. End the electoral college. End voter suppression. End super delegates. Let Americans decide who is president, not a bunch of billionaires. Overnight our country would get back on the right track.
85
@Dave
I was a Bernie supporter, donor, and campaigner, but the nomination was NOT stolen from him!
He started late, didn’t prep for his first debate and it showed, never took on Clinton as a corporate centrist (he kept mentioning the 3 Goldman Sachs speeches but not the $18 million earned in 15 months in corporate speeches), failed to exploit Clinton's scandals (many people did care about the emails and the Clintons’s sense of entitlement), lost major advantages, could have won Iowa outright which would have changed the narrative entirely, etc.
Clinton won millions more votes, the super delegates did not make the difference, and Sanders never came up with good explanations of his weak gun control stances.
Your election reforms are right on target and sorely needed. There I agree with yo 100%!
2
If Bernie was so much more popular than Hillary, why did she beat him by nearly 4 million votes in the primaries? You can’t ascribe all of that to Democratic operatives. Three years on, maybe it’s time to face reality, which is good advice for Bernie, too.
4
There are powerful men whose toes he steps on plotting to defeat him. But as you see in the crowds who flock to him he is winning the hearts and minds of the people.
At this time especially we need a champion who speaks truth to the people about the powers that be in America and the world. And stands for a fair deal for us all and a better world through peaceful co-existence.
Other candidates may be invested in the status quo through their fossil fuel donors, the healthcare establishment, or various Wall St. hedge funds, but not Bernie. He has always followed his own ideas and he has been on our side against the 1%.
59
The reason why Bernie did well last time was because he was one of the few viable options not named Hillary Clinton. While it’s true that Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chaffee we’re also in the race, neither offered much of a contrast to Hillary.
Bernie doesn’t have that advantage this time, and people like Warren are taking his core message and wrapping it with real specifics.
7
@Bill Seng
All the faux-progressives in the race (Harris, Buttigieg, Booker, etc.) are just trying to copy the Sanders playbook. But Sanders is the original; the real deal.
Warren has policies (albeit, ones that aren't as far-reaching or appealing as Sanders), but she has no vision. We know Sanders will fight for the policies he espouses with everything he's got because he has a bold vision for the future.
1
All the negativity about Sanders is laughable considering who is occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
94
Sanders is a good part of the reason for the Current Occupant being there in the first place.
1
@Betty Boop
Yet another Clinton supporter who can't come to grips with their candidate's horrible flaws. It must be nice living in Clinton fantasy world.
2
In 2016, I was so discouraged by the NY Times coverage of Sanders that I cancelled my subscription.
I'm seeing that again now with media coverage generally, with pundits laughing out loud at the idea of Medicare for All or tuition-free higher education.
There is something about the mindset of reporters and "thought leaders" that simply cannot accept that we are a rich enough country to invest in the health, well being, and education of all Americans.
Even MSNBC, which prides itself in its liberal bias, brings in Republican strategists to dismiss these ideas as unachievable.
And yet in the 1960s, the University of California -- one of the greatest public institutions in the country -- was tuition free for residents of the state. In 1970, they charged an educational fee of $150/year for in-state students. Looking back, where has all the great intellectual growth occurred? Looks like California's investment paid off.
As for Medicare, it was established in 1965. By July 1, 1966, more than 19 million people had enrolled. This was a brand new program, and yet the pundits insist that today, with the system in place, it still can't possibly cover the uninsured over a four-year period.
Where are those making these kinds of arguments in the media? Why are we accepting that as a country we no longer can accomplish anything worth doing for our future? Have we been so beaten down? Why are we only hearing the negative talking points from other side?
165
@avrds I agree with your post. I almost terminated my subscription to the NY Times too during the last election due to their negative coverage of Bernie Sanders. As I read columns like this (and Op Eds) the thought of ending my subscription returns. Really all of the pundits were wrong about Sanders as they thought incremental changes that Clinton proposed were sufficient and that she was more electable. Also, MSNBC should be called MSDNC instead as they just spout the neoliberal mumbo jumbo of corporate politicos.
31
@avrds
Most important comment of the day!
Thanks for posting it!
13
@avrds
In the privacy of the voting booth, people of good conscience will vote for Bernie, and he will win, despite the wishes of the powers that be...if he can make it to the finish line, that is. The corporate/ DNC leadership/ media arrayed against him ( and against allowing such things as Medicare for All and help with educational costs) are very strong, clearly. After reading this article, I plan to donate to his campaign again, today.
19
Ms. Ember captured Mr. Sanders problem that many of his issues have been adopted by other candidates and now reality and hope must come together. Many Democrats like his long-term goals but want results now and that is not what voters see in Mr, Sanders.
3
Check out the “blue” donor map this paper printed and re-think.
36
There is no way reformed Trump voters will vote for Sanders. Bernie is destined for second place, hopefully in the primaries rather than November 2020.
The only other candidates jostling for first place are Biden and Harris, and only one of those two has a hope for winning in November.
Whether we like it or not, 2020 will be decided by those voters who regret voting for Trump in 2016. We just need to give them an "out", and Bernie Sanders, or Kamala Harris, are mot "it".
2
@Thinks did you see Bernie’s Fox News Town Hall? Those folks loved him. He appeals to the working class white men who feel cheated by the system. Sanders wins!
6
Funny, because he won the Democratic primary in 2 out of the 3 states that ended up putting Trump in office-Michigan and Wisconsin- you know, the ones Clinton didn’t campaign in... but you’d be forgiven for being underexposed to that fact if you’re habitually looking to the NYT to make sense of things.
6
Either Bernie wins or
The corporations win
106
@New World If Bernie wins, corporations STILL win because Trump gets reelected.
2
That’s it? We’re doomed unless Bernie wins? What if he, say, decides to drop out or otherwise is not a candidate. Does they portend the end of the US as we know it? Come on!
3
@New World
Great comment!
Simply' great!
10
The only story here is that every 4 years two dozen candidates go to an underpopulated midwestern state to eat junk food in order to be nominated president. When you don’t take politics seriously, you get unserious politicians.
27
Can the NYT ever write anything positive about Bernie Sanders? Photos showing thumbs down for Sanders, etc. so one sided. Policy policy policy is all I care about . Print that stuff and forget about the cult of personality please.
247
@Itsnotrocketscience
If we only lived in a rational world....but we don’t. It’s messy and emotional. The messenger and the vision are crucial.
I appreciate Senator Sanders’ message and his broader vision. I even like his grumpiness and belligerence. Many don’t.
I think he unnecessarily distorted Scandinavian social democracy by casting it, incorrectly, Democratic Socialism. I understand what he means (I lived in Denmark for a time), but unfortunately, socialism has been distorted in this country to mean communism at best, and some kind of cult that strips people of individual freedoms at worst. Words matter. He shot himself in the foot with a dumb label.
1
Where did you find, and why did you use, such a very unflattering photo of Bernie? You must have gone to some trouble! Your coverage of him in 2019 seems even more unfair than it was during the 2016 campaign. But that photo at the top---that really takes the cake in heavy handedness. So obvious.
124
@Jim Weidman - "But that photo at the top---that really takes the cake in heavy handedness. So obvious."
Notice every photo of Trump is bad, and every photo of Obama was perfect. It's a strategy for sure.
5
@Jim Weidman
This was the case in 2016 as well. The photo pickers had their marching orders- to choose the very worst photos of Senator Sanders they could find. The Times is certainly predictable in its antipathy towards the man I see as the best candidate in my adult voting life ( my first vote was for JFK).
4
Once again Sydney Ember does her best to make Sanders appear as unappetizing as possible: Bernie avoids human contact. Bernie’s campaign is struggling. Bernie is an afterthought. And “he maintains an army of die-hard liberal foot soldiers” (at least they’re not wearing jackboots) driving him toward the nomination. This is not reporting. It’s a hit piece.
237
While Bernie isn't my candidate of choice, I am grateful that he is willing to shatter the status quo, i.e., the National Democratic Party and it's tired quest to act Republican lite. He forced Medicare for All on the party and other candidates. He has never played nice with the traitor in the White House and he makes network pundits and lesser journalists uncomfortable by calling them out when they take their cues from powerful lobbyists.
Without hurling insults or invoking cheap theatrics, he has opened Joe Biden to the realities of our horrible dilemma: If we cannot defeat the Republicans, our country may never recover from the lasting damage they are inflicting.
152
@Doc
Bernie is not the first person to propose Medicare for all, it was Hillary during Bill Clinton's first term. It was called Universal Health Care back then and she and Bill almost succeeded getting it through Congress. It was that lesson that made Hillary a realist about taking on incrementally reforms.
Bernie's term has been long, his accomplishments few. There is a reason why, he is not practical
7
@Doc
Can Sanders take the next step and join the Democratic Party.
2
Why is that important? We are beyond party politics, aren’t we?
5
Bernie is a trans-generational candidate, because his message about the ways that the wealthy exploit the planet, the political system, and people who are not wealthy is just plain truth.
Anyone of any age and any gender and any race understands the basic truths he tells. This is the reason he will be among the last standing.
Take Bernie’s current support and add it to Warren’s, and there is no doubt that the majority of progressive people want to try a “new” approach.
In the final analysis, though, the progressive approach is not new at all. It is the same battle that people have fought through the ages: the common good versus the greed of a few.
And as we stare into the future — a climate crisis never faced before, wealth concentrated in the hands of the wealthy status quo and the corrupt, richly represented by Trump — who could argue that this “new” approach should not be tried, finally.
400
@RB You make a good point. The progressive vote is split between Bernie and Liz. I have no doubt Bernie would be in the lead if not for the very effective representation of policies and plans that Warren makes that are similar to those made by Sanders.
At some point, and it will be really late in the process because both are excellent choices for president, one will drop out and it will be very easy for them to endorse the other. It will be an easy switch for the supporters of the person who drops out as well because the policies, or at least the intent of policies, will be essentially the same.
19
@RB
Thank you for your eloquent post. I just pray Senator Sanders can make it through the thicket of negative press that the corporate media continue to throw at him. ( such as this piece, full of downbeat innuendo).
29
@RB
Every time I see thoughts such as yours expressed, my belief in the resolve and resilience of the American people, increases.
Bernie Sanders and or Elizabeth Warren, or both, will succeed, and America will be back.
33
Lol...
A rehash of the same previous Ember article?! C'mon guys.
The same establishment voices.
Still upset about not being a main cog of every political campaign. "How are we supposed to control him if he doesn't come to us?"
Look for Sanders to shock the world in Iowa. Just as he did in last Dem. primary where he tied "she that must not be criticized" in the opening salvo. Then went on to decimate HRC in New Hampshire later that week.
The establishment suddenly realized they had to take Bernie and his masses seriously. Lol...
The people who answer polls aren't the only people who cast votes. Some lessons are still unlearned. But I do love those pundits whistling past the graveyard. Lol...
Shock the world Bernie~!
143
The presidency is a social job.
You have to like working with people. You have to want to cajole, flatter, inspire, persuade, and tolerate and negotiate with elected officials, legislators, dictators, and every day folks.
I cannot see Sanders doing any of that.
8
By working with people, you simply mean compromise with moderates and conservatives. I’m glad that Sanders will try his best not to do that.
41
@Cousy Yeah right, like Biden working with Republicans to do what they want which is always against us the people. Thank you Bernie for always being honest and standing up for what will benefit most of us, not the ultra rich least of us.
7
@Cousy
You are right, Trump is perfect for the job, even brutal dictators! That is really what is important. Trump, Trump, Trump!
All along I thought it was peace and equality.
So glad you have shown us the way.
3
I have heard it rumored, people are canceling their subscriptions to the NYT, that would be Bernie people, of which their are many more than Biden people (Bernie also has the most money).
Most money, from the most people. Seems as though that is a thumbs up for Bernie.
The article has a strange approach to politics,
seems almost corporate driven.
Yeah, I think that would explain the photos, the carefully chosen words, Clintonesque style story. Sad, when our Democracy is at stake, and peoples lives are depending on this election, that a journalist would choose her words as though writing against our 'freedom of the press' by not printing the truth.
126
@s.whether So you are saying Bernie supporters no longer want to read anything they disagree with? Are they sure they are in the right party?
4
@Daniel Maloney
Daniel, When a disagreement turns into an attack, especially personal attack, such as a Trump style tweet, from the media without full coverage of the facts, we will loose our Democracy. As in F-O-X.
As Democrats we count on, or have in the past, the NYTimes to print the truth,
3
@Daniel Maloney
No, they're saying us Sanders supporters no longer want to patronize and give our money to a paper that routinely spreads misinformation about the Sanders campaign and whose only mission is to serve the corporate establishment.
5
Maybe he doesn't need to be fake and fawn over every person he sees in Iowa with a fake air of spontaneity that most of the other candidates need (save Warren)?
Maybe?
The NYT and their columnists wouldn't know a great candidate if it hit them in the face and talked to them morning to night. Small wonder the country is where it is now.
It is fun to recall how, in 2015 and 2016, despite the NYT's dire predictions about Sanders, millions turned out to vote for him. And in 2019, it is more fun to recall how despite the above, centrism and milquetoast moderation is no longer cool, and has been exposed as the fraudulent idea that it is.
72
When Bernie Sanders began his run for the Democratic nomination last time, I looked at his Senate record. Bernie has only sponsored a couple of bills to name post offices in Vermont. He makes a lot of noise, but accomplishes nothing. He's just a fraudster who wants to take over a major political party just like Trump.
9
@Lona
I don't know where you looked...Bernie has sponsored and co-sponsored many bills throughout his time the house and the Senate. He has also successfully added amendments to many bills. Recently he co-sponsored the bill to prevent Donald Trump from continuing to assist Saudi Arabia in their war in Yemen without the permission of Congress. That bill passed, but was vetoed by Donald Trump. The whole idea that Bernie doesn't do anything is completely false. He does have difficulty getting his bills passed because corporate power rules in our government.
4
A man who isn’t even a member of the Democratic Party, but is happy to leech of their money, while tearing down their candidates resulting in the election of a wrecking ball has the nerve to try it again rather than step up and run as an independent or the nominee of a third party.
Trump 2020.
Try again in 2024 Bernie.
8
@Bill you obviously haven’t watched Bernie speak. He does not tear down his rivals. That’s why he is the best choice to beat Trump.
You can’t call people names and then expect them to vote for you.
5
We’ve become so accustomed to stage-crafted candidates that authenticity- rather than playing a cynical political game- comes off as noteworthy. Oh geez.
34
Bernie Sanders is the uniquely transformational candidate in the race proven by his enormous influence in shaping the policy dialog . What was considered wishful thinking and fantasy until recently has now become common orthodoxy among most of the Democratic contenders .
We know about Bernie’s advanced age (though he’s still remarkably energetic and vibrant ) but what I need to stress is his role as a movement leader who will have an impact for generations. No other candidate has the commitment, drive and grass roots support to finally free us from living in Ronald Reagan’s world . A world of wealth inequality , winner take all psychopathy and contempt for the notion of community and the common good .
No other candidate ( and this includes Elizabeth Warren ) will do anything but cosmetic half measures inadequate to effect the wholesale philosophical and ideological changes needed to save us from further sliding into the dystopian hellhole of late stage Capitalism destroying our planet and crushing our collective spirit .
Bernie Sanders may well not deliver everything he pushes on the policy front but no other candidate will stay as doggedly consistent in fighting for desperately needed change as well as inspire ensuing generations to continue the fight .
131
Bernie Sanders should have had the Democratic Nomination in 2016. He had the support. He didn't get the nomination due to voter fraud. It is the same fraud that keeps pronouncing Biden as the front-runner.
Biden represents the STATUS QUO and will bring more of the same old same old that we have had for years. If we are ever to have a chance at surviving the next 10 years intact, We must elect Sanders or Warren as president, and swing the Senate.
No person who voted for Sanders in the 2016 Primary would ever vote for Biden. Choosing Biden gives the election to Trump.
74
@Ken Sayers And your proof of voter fraud is....?
4
I agree. And I bet the powers that be won’t see it this time either. Just like they missed it in 2016.
5
@Bob. There are several documented cases of voting machine fraud and remember the purged 120,000 voters in Brooklyn? Remember how CA canceled exit polls and the media called the primary before the CA polls closed?
6
Here at the epicenter, we're still paying attention to the fact that Sanders is not a Democrat.
11
John, why does that matter? Serious question. If his policies and positions are best for the people, who cars what party he is (or isn’t) part of?
34
@JJu - it matters because he is asking for the party nomination. He could run as an independent if he wanted to.
1
@John
So implement ranked choice voting and end the two-party stranglehold in this country.
6
Mr. Sanders’s appeal is, “ that willingness to operate outside the established political system...”
Yet Mr. Sanders and his supporters are the first ones to complain if the Democratic Party doesn’t treat him as an equal.
11
Our 46th President will be either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, with the runner-up becoming our Vice President.
It's as simple as that, because Trump, his party, the Republican-Lite Pelosi Schumer democrats, with their anointed candidate Joe Biden, have all presumed on the people, foolishly thinking they are still asleep.
November 2020 will see America start to re-emerge as the steady dependable trustworthy democracy it was before it was co-opted by corporate America and it's wealthiest elites.
61
Thanks.
A great report.
As a Republican - I hope Sen. Sanders wins Iowa and throws the whole mixology of candidates predictions of who is ahead - out the window.
What I found fascinating is none of these voters (if they actually vote) offered an opinion on Joe as compared to Bernie.
As an avid reader of NYT political coverage - it seems to me that some of these reporters must have a sense of deja vue all over again.
How they put up with it is a wonder by itself.
3
I buy books or go to lectures when I’m interested in ideas.
But when I’m voting, I look at the person. How have they chosen to navigate their lives? Who are the people that they rely on? What opportunities have they taken or rejected? What mistakes have they made and how have they learned from them?
I appreciate Sanders’ ideas. He has nudged our national discussion in helpful ways. But he is a ridiculous candidate. I would vote for him if absolutely necessary, but I would have very low expectations that he would win and low expectations of his presidency.
12
@Cousy Excellent response. His 30 years in the Senate shows that he's only ideas; his few accomplishments are trivial. You can't manage - much less lead a country - solely on ideas, particularly when your record is more meagre than candidates 40 years younger than you.
2
@Cousy It's a shame you don't care about ideas in a candidate, as we need lots of good ones to get us out of this mess. Obama was elected largely because of his story and personal qualities ("be the change you want to see in the world"), and he bailed out the bankers and covered up their crime wave, advocated for increased corporate sovereignty with the TPP, promoted fracking all over the world, tried hard to open up offshore drilling on the Atlantic coast, gave us a weak, ultimately unworkable health bill based on Mitt Romney's Massachusetts plan, and ignored the Democratic base, leading to a historic collapse of the Party at both the federal and state levels. I wish we'd known more about these ideas of his in advance!
As for Bernie's story, it sounds like you don't know anything about him. He began as a civil rights crusader in the 1960's, then fought tooth and claw to make Burlington work for the people as mayor, turning the city around and forming alliances with business. He then went on to the US House and Senate, where he was the "amendment king", doing all he could to steer US policy in a sane direction with the working and middle classes under assault. All along, his message has been completely consistent - we must have a properly functioning democracy in which government serves the needs of all people. If you are a progressive, what's not to like? If not, I completely understand your aversion to him, because he's certainly a threat to your conception of society.
6
Not Sanders, not last time, not this time, not ever. His ideas are old, stale and unworkable. He just shouts and waves his hands and gets nothing done. I won't vote for him.
10
Old? And what are new ideas? 'Let's go back to pre-Trump' era?
4
@AMM
Try it, try it, you will see!
So it seems a knock on Bernie is that he is conviction driven and lacks charisma in comparison with others; steps back in the beauty contest.
The list of program initiatives from the rest seem to range from the ridiculous to the sublime.
What seems significant to me is this: President Trump gradually accumulated support of the movers and shakers as they realized he could lay golden eggs for them. Even with that support, his constant concern is to be surrounded by loyalists.
How is any democratic candidate going to be able to finesse a program in the face of such entrenched players in the power world?
Biden seems comfortable that he is not courting assassination. He needs to be in there, if only as Vice. The top spot needs to go to someone who truly is willing to see and accept the real challenge.
1
The bottom line is that Americans are sick of identity obsessed candidates whether it be the bigot ego maniac Trump on the right or the identity obsessed, social engineer neo feminist Hillary on the left.
They want a moderate, progressive that will address the issues Trump demagogued like war, trade, Wall Street etc. not right wing bigotry from Trump or left wing identity obsessed women will take over the country and all problems are caused by men like Hillary.
Bernie past as a socialist is hurting him ie we must have medicare for all instead of a more gradual phasing into a national health plan, eliminating all college debt instead of a more gradual approach etc.
1
Really? Why in this case, second term of Trump looks like a real possibility?
1
I supported Bernie in 2016 and this time around he’s not the only FDR democrat. I’ll be voting for whoever can win, and the most progressive, in that order.
10
I love Bernie Sanders and his ideas; he was the guy who clearly stated that the American economy is rigged against most Americans in favor of the greediest and the richest.
He laid the groundwork in 2016 for 2020 and we should all be grateful.
But 2016 was his time, and the media and the DNC tag-teamed him out of the nomination, which was tragic for America since it led to our current Republican nightmare.
2019 and 2020 will go to Elizabeth Warren and whoever she chooses as a partner.
Warren is a master communicator and has found her stage presence.
She is straight as an arrow, energetic, and has consistent details and consistent plans to help fix America's rigged democracy and rigged economy.
Timing is everything in a sense, and Bernie's 'time' was three years ago.
I hope Bernie stays in the Senate where he is needed.
40
@Socrates
Wow, you surprised me.
If Bernie stays in the Senate, he will take the people with him.
Sanders/Warren is the duo. They will win.
They will have all the votes of hillary/Bernie
2016.
Be smart. She should not have been so afraid Bernie would steal the spotlight if she picked him VP. That is the real reason she lost. She could not admit the corruption.
5
Why do so many younger voters support Senator Sanders? Perhaps it is because they look at the economy, their employment prospects and for many, their student debt and realize the status quo is not working. Bernie's message, that the economic deck is stacked in favor of the wealthy resonates with them because they are smart enough to see with fresh eyes that he is correct.
68
It is frankly thrilling to me to observe Bernie’s consistency, honesty, and compelling message. I’m his age, and have been waiting for such a one for a long time. The proof of the integrity and importance of his message is to note how many other candidates are now echoing it. Bernie can beat Trump hands down!
179
@Ellen, yes.
Bernie Sanders should have had the Democratic Nomination in 2016. He had the support. He didn't get the nomination due to voter fraud. It is the same fraud that keeps pronouncing Biden as the front-runner.
Biden represents the STATUS QUO and will bring more of the same old same old that we have had for years. If we are ever to have a chance at surviving the next 10 years intact, We must elect Sanders or Warren as president. and swing the Senate.
No person who voted for Sanders in the 2016 Primary would ever vote for Biden. Choosing Biden gives the election to Trump.
29
Examining things and not engaging personably with people comes naturally to Bernie Sanders. That is why he has been so powerfully effective in moving his agenda forward in both the House and Senate over the last decades.
27
@Allen
Lol...here I thought moderates always touted incremental change.
Get rid of the bought and paid politicians and watch the agenda unfold.
3
Bernie has moved the country towards compassion and has been a consistent voice of morality, reason and democratic principles. He is a visionary leader... our congress has moved away from democracy...it ain’t us fault, it’s money in politics.
19
@Allen, Bernie has done little effective legislation in Congress.
2
I hope and pray voters care about issues. Maybe newspapers will go back to covering issues then, instead of personalities and electability. Maybe disinterested third parties with no commercial interests will host the debates. Remember the League of Women Voters? Maybe debates could be about issues then, instead of stimulating fights and sound bites.
101
"— he had one of the biggest crowds at the fair —"
But apparently that's no match for anecdotes, per this article.
213
@Carlos Fiancé isn’t fascinating that despite of his biggest crowds and all the money, as it is cleared stated in the article, the author still can’t give Bernie what he deserves: the most popular, likable candidate in that state... well, the winner.
45
I don't believe I have ever seen an article in the NY Times that says something truly positive about Sanders. There is always the doubts that are raised. The title of the article encouraged me to read it thinking, at last, the Times is perhaps recognizing Sanders for the force of change that he is and has been consistently for the last forty years. He is a rare bird: an honest, truly caring politician. Yet, the corporate media despises him and perhaps fears the changes that he could bring to the system. If I am wrong about this, please point out one NY Times article this year or from the 2016 primaries that painted Sanders in a positive light. Money still dictates what is said.
528
@Alan Graf
You say Sanders is a rare bird. I say he’s an odd duck.
17
@Alan Graf
Money, power, and corporate America are fully engaged in making absolutely sure that neither Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren get anywhere near being our 46th President; the Pelosi Schumer democrats, our Republican-Lite party, have selected Joe Biden as their champion of the status quo, and nothing will be allowed to interfere with this, their last desperate gasp.
I believe sincerely that the people are now awake, and will send the status quo guardians back into the wilderness of their own minds.
118
@Alan GrafI was going to say exactly what you said so I’ll save my thumbs and just say kudos the New York Times should be ashamed of the coverage they’ve given Sanders over the years. What are they afraid of?
116
From all I’ve seen and read, Biden and Sanders wanted to appear “above the fray” by swooping in and out early (Biden) and failing to interact with actual Iowans (Sanders). They seem so woefully out of touch. Most of the other candidates seem willing to connect with Iowans on a personal level past the photo ops. There were several candidates who seemed to convey actual enjoyment being with the people!
3
That’s all Bernie is: ideas. He’s sponsored 5 bills in 30+ years in Congress, 3 of which renamed post offices. He’s done absolutely nothing.
10
@Mike
Ideas are what drives you to accomplish goals.
I would always select a leader based upon ideas, at present you have a leader with no ideas, so he can't lead, just stumble from one mess to another.
JFK was another leader with ideas, Sanders can be as motivating as JFK was.
2
@Rod Sheridan I know a thousand guys with ideas to solve every problem. They usually work menial jobs.
@Mike
$11 billion for 11,000 Health Clinics, serving 30 million urban and rural Americans.
$18 billion for multi millions of Vets Health Care.
Tens of millions of American Workers winning a doubling of their wages from the largest employers in the US, with Sen. Sanders help.
Shall we continue?
Oh yeah, and some post offices too.
Right, the man hasn't done anything.
Lol...
1
It's pretty obvious that Sydney Ember has a bias against Bernie Sanders. The report is nothing more than a series of opinions from carefully selected Democratic party operatives and voters which Ms. Ember has quoted precisely because they agree with her own rather obvious negative point of view. Bernie is characterized as "impersonal?" That's ridiculous. He certainly connected with the patients he ushered over the Canadian border to buy insulin at 1/10th the price, and the Amazon and McDonald's workers with whom he fought for a living wage. This is not a report. It's a OpEd, and a shallow one at that.
323
@Susan Amkraut
She regularly quotes from Clintonites without sufficiently attributing her sources. Jacobin published a lengthy article about her connections and yes, she is simply publishing hit jobs.
46
@Susan Amkraut
Ms. Embers undoubtedly watched the debates so far. If she watched and the coverage after the debates she would have witnessed Sanders very engaged with the media and with audience members. Ms. Embers should be taken off coverage of Sanders, her bias is showing.
9
Bernie supporters are one of the reasons that Hillary lost in Wis., Peen. and especially in Michigan. He is unrealistic and shows signs of being a narcissist. I'm a very pragmatic progressive and feel that if he or Warren get the nomination, it will be McGovern all over again.
10
And if not, it will be 2016 again
2
@kilika
Lol...HRC lost EVERY SINGLE county in Wis. but one; last primary.
It wasn't so much Sanders as it was Hillary.
3
Bernie's current negatives are his age and that he's a 'white' male. Yet, any alternatives are far, far less impressive. He's the genuine deal. His is the real passion for a better America. Incorruptible and honest.
55
I wonder if Iowans know about Bernie the socialist, who loved Cuba, the old Soviet Union and the Nicaraguan Sandinistas, we knew about. Bernie the millionaire, who knew?
Actually, why is anyone surprised that Bernie is now part of the 1%? He owns three homes, including one on the "Vermont Riviera," the shore of Lake Champlain, that cost a bundle.
Clearly Bernie has become accustomed to the upscale lifestyle he has long made a career of eschewing and excoriating. Now that he is in a higher tax bracket he is surely getting schooled on tax avoidance and sheltering income, lessons that plutocrats learn at their fathers' knees. And I wonder how much of his income he is willing to redistribute. And his wife does their taxes? Right.
I guess Bernie will have to stop ranting and raving against millionaires and spend more time explaining to voters 1) why he is not a hypocrite and 2) how socialism will benefit them while he is taking such advantage of good old capitalism. As Margaret Thatcher so aptly put it, "The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
As for policies, Sanders' espousal of free everything for everyone, not to mention allowing felons to vote from prison, can only guarantee Trump's re-election if Bernie is the Democratic candidate in 2020.
4
"underscored how he has grounded his campaign in championing ideas rather than establishing human connections."
And just why are the two mutually exclusive? Can one not push ideas by also explaining them to people at a hand-shake level?
And one more thing, at 77, ideas man or not, Mr. Sanders would be well advised to skip gobbling a corn dog. That is not a good idea.
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@Joshua Schwartz, believe it or not, an older person can have an occasional corn dog. And might not consider your dietary advice needful.
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Although I’m grateful to Bernie for opening up a national conversation about progressive policy, and I voted for him in the primary in 2016, I don’t think he’s the right person for the job this year. My vote is for Warren, who shares much of the agenda and the ideals, with more of a genuine connection to the Democratic Party and the standard process. I have been alienated by Bernie’s failure to stress strongly enough to his supporters the importance of going for Clinton in ‘16 and again by his tweet attacks of Warren — stating he’s the only true progressive running — in this cycle. It feels misguided and perhaps, misogynistic which based on the reports from his last campaign is perhaps not so off base.
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@Emily And I'm worried that his ego will once again give reason to his supporters to weaken the fight to get Trump out of office.
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I likely will vote for Elizabeth Warren. But i want to give Bernie Sanders a heartfelt thank you. It's because of him we have so many progressives running this year.
Bernie will be around for a long time, giving his guidance as to what a progressive democracy should entail. He is a man for the people.
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@cherrylog754
Elizabeth Warren seems to have a better temperament and essentially the same platform is Bernie. I agree with you. Elizabeth Warren is the candidate for this country. A woman in charge and buttigieg for vice president
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@cherrylog754
Sanders/Warren
A diffinate duo.
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@cherrylog754. I like Warren and she brings the white college educated older voter. My issue with Warren is that she is a flip flopper. She was a Republican most of her life, endorsed the corporate HRC over Sanders in 2016, and generally cannot be trusted to walk her talk. She would be an excellent scotus or fed chair. Not president.
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Can we cut to the chase here?
Early in the run-up to the 2016 Democratic Primary Run, four years ago now, Sanders' message of providing free college wasn't yet getting the buzz from Millennials, specifically those college age students drowning in student loan debt. Prior to Sanderrs talking about getting Millennials this 'free tuition', Millennials didn't know Bernie Sanders from Colonel Sanders.
And early on he hadn't yet started to try and become more than the one-trick pony he was early on emphasizing the notion of free college, his talking up progressive issues came gradually, and by attrition, as both he and his new found audience jelled. .
So let's get this right, before this notion of this unheard Senator from Vermont talking about free college seemed to drop right out of the blue, really, these Millennials weren't that politically savy and really didn't know Bernie Sanders from Colonel Sanders.
Millennials were not the political mavens early on when Bernie first showed up in Iowa. All those rallies that became synonomous with Sanders' candidacy weren't yet happening.
And Sanders was as surprised as the Millennials were.
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Bernie is the only MOVEMENT candidate.
What he is doing will change the conversations in America for generations.
His legacy, even if he doesn't win, will be enormous.
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It might be a crowded field this time around, but Senator Sanders’ honesty, consistency, and the content of his message remain as highly relevant as they were in 2016. The fact that his policy proposals are now being mouthed by many of the other candidates amply demonstrates just how important and necessary they are. I am grateful to be able to support such a candidate, and fervently hope he wins the nomination. I believe he can beat Trump hands down!
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Not one person I know is a Sanders supporter. Yes, I live in the south in a very early primary state. He isn’t resonating here. I hear only negative comments about him and, frankly, echo them. If I was in his campaign, I’d make some brand changes now and then really get to know southern voters instead of attempting to fit a round peg into a square hole, bless y’all’s hearts.
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@Ms Korunova
You say you don't know anyone who is a Sanders supporter, and you are from the South. Us Bernie people are here in the South, though, and we're already sporting Bernie stickers on our cars. (To be honest, having any kind of Democratic party slogan on my car makes it look like a target. It can be dangerous here for non-Trumpistas.)
Earlier this summer, I attended a Bernie rally at a large church in downtown Montgomery. It was SRO. Bernie connected with us. He cared enough to come. He was at the time on a swing through other Southern states. His compassion and intelligence shone through all his words. And he looks and acts much younger than his age.
Like every other genuinely patriotic Democrat, I intend to "vote Blue no matter who," but my money is on Bernie at this moment.
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@Ms Korunova
... and I live in Massachusetts, where few supporting Sanders either. The last poll has him at 6% here.
I just don’t see the viability in his candidacy.
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I think we’re somewhere between William Jennings Bryant and Norman Thomas here. Democrats would better off if Elizabeth Warren was considered the “left wing” of the party. I dread a convention with Bernie supporters in tears, and not really on board with the eventual nominee.
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@Kirk Cornwell Your last words, "and not really on board with the eventual nominee," seem to be a clear swipe not only at Sen. Sanders' supporters but at him after he lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton in '16. It was a hard loss. In defeat, Bernie had won 22 states & 13 million votes. He'd earned 8 million individual contributions, averaging $27, from more than 2 million people. He'd won 1,846 delegates, from every state, to the Dem convention, despite losing 95% of the establishment superdelegates. Invited by the chair of Vermont's Dem party, he nominated Clinton by acclamation that July. Everyone could benefit by reading his speech. On behalf of the nominee, throughout that Sept., Oct. & Nov., he held 39 rallies in 13 states--in the last week alone, 17 events in 11 states from Maine to Nevada. Can you tell me any losing candidate in modern American history who did as much for the nominee? These facts come from a number of sources, some practically verbatim from Sanders' 2018 chronicle "Where We Go from Here."
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@Kirk Cornwell
This is a false trope.
In fact, many more Bernie supporters voted for Clinton than Clinton voters voted for Obama. But you wouldn't know that from The Times or the other corporate media.
Here's an excellent article, for example, on how MSNBC distorts (lies, actually) polls to promote their pro-establishment bias...
https://fair.org/home/msnbcs-anti-sanders-bias-makes-it-forget-how-to-do-math/
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@Kirk Cornwell
Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry, Hilliary Clinton...these were the eventual nominees of the corporate funded status quo Democratic National Committee.
“Not really on board,” yeah, that’s accurate. But we don’t shed tears, we show up. Nominate another Washington insider, and watch how that show ends. Hint: we already know.
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“Though he has faced some criticism for adhering strictly to his message, it is, perhaps above all, his constancy that has loyal fans still flocking to his events...” I’m not sure if your reference to Bernie “fans” as opposed to supporters is derogatory but I’m willing to look past it. The larger point is that he’s not just been saying this stuff since 2016, he’s been saying it since the beginning of his political career! He’s not a calculating politician who is just saying whatever’s the flavor of the week. He’s kept humming his own tune and now others are catching on. He may not win the nomination this time around either, but he’s certainly won the battle of ideas, and I am so proud of him for that.
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@Pete
He has been like John the Baptist crying in the wilderness for 40 years.
I am so happy for him that he has the satisfaction of planting the seeds for change in so many millennials.
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@Pete
Thanks for pointing out the use of the word "fans." It may not be intended as a derogation, but it casts some light on the mindset of those reporting on this election.
Bernie's ideas resonate and I'm happy about that. It's about time. I join those who appreciate him for making it possible to admit to being liberal again.
His ideas are important, but it's also important to point out that other candidates are not just copying him, but building on what he started. Some of them also have long histories of commitment to those ideas and ideals.
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@Pete,
Bernie Sanders should have had the Democratic Nomination in 2016. He had the support. He didn't get the nomination due to voter fraud. It is the same fraud that keeps pronouncing Biden as the front-runner.
Biden represents the STATUS QUO and will bring more of the same old same old that we have had for years. If we are ever to have a chance at surviving the next 10 years intact, We must elect Sanders or Warren as president. and swing the Senate.
No person who voted for Sanders in the 2016 Primary would ever vote for Biden. Choosing Biden gives the election to Trump.
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