On February 9, 2016, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) took the State of New Hampshire by 22 points against DNC favorite Hillary Clinton. This has happened while Senator Sanders is still being painted as a long-shot and his supporters are seen as naïve, anti-American, and overall ill-informed.
Obviously, this is not the case.
170 of the world’s top economists have endorsed Senator Sanders’s economic plans. Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton and Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, has more or less endorsed the Senator. Speculations about his age have also arisen. However, it must be noted that President Ronald Reagan took office at 69 in 1981 despite similar speculations. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was 72 when he ran for President in 2008. In South Africa, President Nelson Mandela was 76 when he took office in 1994. Bernie is currently 72 and he seems to be in good health. Whatever our opinions of the four men are, they are all examples that age is hardly relevant.
What is possibly the harshest criticism of Senator Sanders comes from his stance as a Socialist. Naturally, this has led many to believe he and his followers are Communists or Communist sympathizers at the very least. This must be made clear: Socialism and Communism are not the same thing. It can be explained as simply as this: all Communists are Socialists, but not all Socialists are Communists.
To back it up, take a look at the history of Europe post-1848. For those of you who don’t know, 1848 was the year that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published "The Communist Manifesto" in London. Soon after, we saw the emergence of Socialist and Communist parties in Europe. Notice the “and.” While Communists see Socialism as the step before Communism, the Socialists did not necessarily see it that way. As Europe approached World War I, the Socialists and Communists were able to be more easily identified. The Communists were more outspoken for a total revolution–most likely involving guns–while the Socialists aimed at revolution by means of the existent system via reforms. The same thing happened with Weimar Germany. Additionally, Communism failed in part due to two huge reasons: Marx’s revolution started in the wrong countries (Russia and China were both very agrarian when Communism took over and Marx predicted the revolution taking place in nations such as Great Britain, Prussia, or even America) and the weakness of the people within the Communist Party.
It should be noted that much of Senator Sanders’s support is coming from Millennials, the generation that has been slandered as lazy, selfish, apolitical, and [insert additional insults here] for the last few years. However, it must be noted that we are inheriting a near-ruined world. It must also be noted that many of us are taking part in the betterment of our world. This is an extensive list including, but not limited to, the talented writers of The Odyssey, Forward Fashion Magazine LLC founder Selani Thomas, and so many others. Not only is he getting strong support from the youth, but Sanders is also receiving support from celebrities such as Emily Ratajkowsi, Killer Mike, Susan Sarandon, Kal Penn, Steve Aoki, and many more. Veterans groups are showing their support as well as women. That’s right, women are shifting support from Hillary to Bernie. In the near future, I predict that he will also lock down the African American and Latino votes as well. These demographics are beginning to be reminiscent of President Obama’s successful presidential bid in 2008, and, as they say, history repeats itself.
Of course, only time will tell. The Democratic National Convention is in July this year. Until then, stay informed and #FeeltheBern.
