Daniel DePetris

Bernie Sanders is back – and Donald Trump is delighted

Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign looked listless back in October. Sure, the Vermont senator and 2016 Democratic party runner-up still had his most fervent supporters coming to his rallies and listening to him rail about millionaires, billionaires and greedy health insurance companies. But the polls suggested the wind was hitting his face; one survey put Sanders in a distant third place.

But now times have changed and Bernie is back. Could he beat Trump? Three months after a heart attack, Sanders finds himself ascendant. The normally grouchy 78-year old has become less stiff and more personable. He’s more comfortable acting like a politician, whether it’s posing for pictures with voters, shuffling on the dance floor for the cameras or connecting with Americans in more intimate settings. His field organisation and committed support base have catapulted Sanders to first place in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren’s recent troubles haven’t hurt either.

All of this is making more moderate and establishment Democrats nervous. Some are beside themselves at the prospect of Sanders representing their party. Still more are worried about the potential political consequences for the party in a such a crucial election year.

In the last week, Bernie’s detractors have been coming out in droves. Democratic lawmakers in Donald Trump-friendly congressional districts are pleading for voters to pick a more middle-of-the-road centrist in case Sanders’ democratic socialist leanings result in a GOP wave in November.

Others, including former advisers to 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, want Sanders to start acting like a loyal Democrat rather than trying to divide the party en route to the nomination. Many of the aides now piping up are still simmering with anger over what they consider Sanders’ less-than-full support to Clinton in her quest to win the White House.

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Written by
Daniel DePetris

Daniel DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities, a syndicated foreign affairs columnist at the Chicago Tribune and a foreign affairs writer for Newsweek.

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