Nice Op-Ed piece on Sanders as possible president at CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/11/opinions/parini-bernie-sanders/index.html
The rally in Los Angeles was INCREDIBLE!! Got so energized from seeing 27,000 people all cheering for his wonderful ideas. And now with him leading in New Hampshire, I feel he has a real shot at he presidency.
Fingers crossed. He's a real dark horse in the current political climate. Unless he's a sign of climate change, but that would be almost too good to be true.
A couple more articles on CNN: Regarding the #Blacklivesmatter protests: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/opinions/van-jones-bernie-sanders-disrupted/index.html Factors behind his recent surge: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/politics/bernie-sanders-2016-surge/index.html
He's got a ton of events coming up in the South which is super cool. I love that he's not afraid of going right into the heart of red states with his message -- and then in September he's speaking at Liberty University. That will be a huge deal. But I'm most excited about a potential rally on the DC Mall (Enough is Enough Rally on Facebook). They are working to get 100,000 people for a rally at the Mall. I'm going if it gets confirmed --- would be the most increible political event ever.
I disagree with the notion that there is no left-populist potential in "red states". Actually in rural areas with a higher worker density the potential is actually higher. The problem is that the New, i.e. post 68, Left plays this "we educated upper middle class vs. you unwashed dumb underclass scum" game and then is surprised that the working class listens to right-wing populists. The Old Left had no problem alligning the middle class intelligentsia with the working class. "What's the Matter with Kansas?" is a good book on the subject.
I think Bernie got shafted by some in the BLM movement--who seem to forget that Bernie (policy wise) was what many in that movement thought President Obama would be. ACA was a Heritage Institute plot originally, and the current POTUS sided with blue-blood GOPpers on another trade deal neither Sanders or Trump would support. Obama's only problem is that he too closely followed the Harold Washington school of trying to be even handed to a fault. Yet Bernie is only getting very little of the minority vote. That is no less sad than the fact that Obama only got very little of the Southern vote. Tribalism has got to go. That having been said--I then felt sorry for the BLM movement when they ran into Hillary: http://oppressionmonitor.us/2015/08/18/hillary-clinton-talks-down-to-black-lives-matter-activist/ Bernie probably looks pretty good now. He will get out of the way and give you the mike. Hillary ropes people off. Her comments consisted--as best I recollect them--of "what do you expect me to do? So you want me to just talk to white folks." The point the man was making is that many in the African American community are tired of being told who their leaders should be. I might have said that "it is Republicans prop up Sowell, or Clarence Thomas--that's not me" This might be her "47 percent/binders full of" moment.
I am not saying that there is not left-populist potential -- and neither is Bernie. In fact, quite the contrary! The whole reason he is going into "Red" states is becuase he believes that the South has been greatly misunderstood by the Left and that they are, in fact, quite receptive to the progressive agenda.