Bernie Sanders Redux

The only Democratic candidate to return from last go-round is Bernie Sanders (please, Hillary, no) who announced his candidacy this week, running as a Democrat (one wag pointed out that like the Olympics, Bernie Sanders becomes a Democrat once every four years).

It will be interesting to see how he fares this time. Last time he was the only alternative to Hillary Clinton, she who was evil because she had ties to corporate America. Bernie was pure, Bernie believed in helping the poor, Bernie had zero fucks to give.

I voted for Bernie in the Nevada caucus, but once he was out of it I was full steam for Clinton. I am progressive, but I also still have some of the brains I was born with, and realize there is a sharp difference in the America we live in now because Trump was elected and Clinton not. Every "Bernie Bro" who stayed home muttering "Rigged!" out of pique or voted for the lunatic Jill Stein should be horse-whipped.

So I would be fine with Bernie Sanders winning, but he faces a formidable challenge. Instead of one unbeatable candidate, he is facing a horde of sound-a-likes. Why should we vote for him instead of Elizabeth Warren, or Julian Castro, or Tulsi Gabbard? His "I said it first" defense is not going to endear him to anyone, only remind them of his age. If elected, he would be the first president to hit the 80 mark. He seems energetic enough, but I have a gut feeling that it's time to go new and young and female.

Sanders will draw the rhetoric to the left. Some of the candidates, like Kamala Harris, have already distanced themselves from him, saying she is not a socialist. Of course, socialism is completely misunderstood--we already have many socialist programs, and many countries, particularly in Scandinavia, do fine with socialism. I hope the debates aren't overwhelmed with questions like, "Are you a socialist?"

Sanders also has a minority problem. He did not do well with black voters in the last election (I can testify that in a very small sample, black women who attended the caucus in my district were all for Clinton). Old white men, even if they are Jewish, are not in vogue right now. Diversity is the magic word. Sanders is pretty stubborn, so I imagine he'll still be around by the convention, let's just hope he endorses the nominee, who won't be him.