Democratic Hopeful Bernie Sanders: ‘Don’t Underestimate Me’
Recently announced 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders appeared Sunday morning on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. During the interview on ABC, Sanders was asked about the fact that many believe his candidacy has no real chance of resulting in a White House victory.
Sanders responded by noting that many observers thought he had little chance to become Mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1980), and Sanders also mentioned critics thought he had no chance of winning stints in the United States House of Representatives (1990) and United States Senate (2006). Sanders specifically mentioned he overcame the richest man in Vermont (Richard Tarrant) when he was elected to the Senate.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
Bernie Sanders, who technically is an Independent but caucuses with Democrats, has long been a favorite of liberal activists around the country. A man who speaks loudly about income inequality and climate change, many see the Vermont Senator as a true political maverick who could make waves in Washington. During his interview on This Week, Sanders acknowledged this belief.
“We need a political revolution in this country, and I want to lead that effort.”
Despite Sanders’ claims to not count him out, many political scientists feel that the role he is playing by challenging Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary is to force Clinton further to the left on the political spectrum. While she remains incredibly popular in the Democratic community, there are also critics in the party who feel Clinton is not liberal enough. These critics have already opened their wallets, helping Sanders raise $1.5 million in just 24 hours.
Bernie Sanders also embraces officially calling himself an independent socialist. Sanders doesn’t shy away from using a term that has long been used by Republicans to associate liberal candidates with communism in an attempt to win elections, a strategy that has proved effective in many cases.
During Sunday’s interview, Sanders praised Scandinavian countries who use democratic socialism, specifically mentioning Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. He mentioned their education systems and universal health care. This conversation sparked This Week host George Stephanopoulos to declare that he can already see the Republican attack ads that would run based on Sanders’ comments. When asked if he indeed wants America to look more like Scandinavia, Sanders was affirmative.
“That’s right. What’s wrong with that?”
Over the course of the interview, Sanders was also asked about who he would name as potential cabinet members in a Sanders administration. He mentioned former labor secretary (Clinton administration) Robert Reich as a possible treasury secretary. Sanders wasn’t committal on a prospective secretary of defense.
[Image via Digital.VPR.net]
