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The Bern is getting scorching. Bernie Sanders didn’t just defeat his opponents in Nevada — he crushed them.
The bedwetters in the Democratic party are becoming ever more incontinent as Sanders notches victory after victory. But what if primary voters have it right? What if Bernie is the only one among the bunch who has the cojones to take on Trump?
Trump’s whole re-election bid rests upon his skills as a branding master. The establishment Democrats would try to defeat him on policy grounds. But Hillary Clinton already tried that. What’s needed is someone who will get in Trump’s grill, day after day, week after week. Sanders isn’t scared to get in the ring with Trump; he’s itching for a fight with the personification of the billionaire class. He might well upend Trump’s re-election strategy.
Sure, Trump and the Russkies apparently think Sanders would be an easy mark. But be careful what you wish for. Sanders could be more of a problem than Trump may anticipate.
For a start, voters in the rust belt states will know that he is one of them. The GOP can paint Sanders as a crypto-communist but not a snob. Anyway, dwelling on communism is so yesterday. If Trump can get away with consorting with Russian oligarchs, then Sanders can easily wave away opprobrious comments about his fling with the USSR.
It’s also the case that his record as mayor of Burlington was more pro-business than is commonly assumed. Watch for Sanders to start mainstreaming himself after Super Tuesday. Meanwhile, a clutch of Democrats will rally around him, attesting to his bona fides.
Like Trump, Sanders has a committed base. A lot of his stances on foreign policy and trade aren’t all that different from Trumps. If anything, he may be even more of a purist than Trump on trade and non-intervention abroad. The Sanders victory confirms that America is in upheaval. The old order in the GOP has already crumbled. Now it’s crumbling in the Democratic party. Trump should beware.
