A Fresh Look at Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Methods and What They’ve Led To

Starting this piece I was very excited to learn a thing or two about political process, and hopefully witness an upset in the system. It has been both exhilarating and frustrating when analyzing the fundamentals versus the contemporaneous election.

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After writing this inquiry series, I believe my perspective on politics has changed a great deal as I became more knowledgeable about current political issues and campaign news.

Bernie Sanders’ campaign has surprised many people in both positive and negative ways, from his upset losses in the Super Tuesday battle to his massive donation base. His run for the Democratic nomination has been a historical one, bringing out large amounts of the millennial and working-class people together in order to bring about change. A lot of my peers and colleagues attended his rally in Sacramento this week, and have been protesting the arrival of Trump in Burlingame. This has been my first election witnessing the divide between friends based on party lines and voter registration cards.

With the upcoming elections in states such as: “Kentucky, Oregon, Washington and California there are 1,065 Democratic delegates remaining,” (New York Times). Sanders’ chances have remained slim on gaining control of the Democratic candidate nomination due to Clinton’s overwhelming lead in super-delegates and support from other career politicians. Hillary has done phenomenally in acquiring support from all the super-delegates, but the media has portrayed her as a weaker opponent than Bernie when it comes to campaigning against Donald Trump.

Hillary’s run for super-delegates has her ahead 524 to Sanders’ 40, which is a gap seemingly insurmountable for the Vermont senator. Sanders’ has been persistent in his campaign, vowing to stay in the race until the end of July when all the delegate elections are in. He has remained financed and supported throughout his run, and he has had a slew of upset victories in states Clinton was prepared to win. These wins could perhaps be contributed to the public’s perception of Sanders as a better opponent to Trump.

Trump’s run for the Republican nomination has proven to be surprisingly successful. He utilized tactical verbal discredits to his opponents, and banked on his mass celebrity to bring him fans and supporters. Sanders’ opposition has employed tactics quite contradictory, such as grassroots rallies and policies, to Trumps’, and that would make him a very obvious juxtaposition for Trumps’ fear-mongering and hysterical nomination.

It was quite eye-opening to witness the primary season in it’s entirety, as it was a new story quite literally everyday on New York Times’ website about the election. I enjoyed this series simply because it kept me informed of current political situations that I have ignored in past. This series taught me what it should look like to analyze a campaign and the media’s portrayal of current events, which is a lesson I will carry with me throughout the rest of my scholarly career.

Bernie Sanders Should Steer Clear of Political Hypocrisy and Appeal to Black Voters

I believe it is essential for Bernie Sanders to appeal and empower black voters to pay attention to his campaign, because it would be hypocritical to ignore a voter population that is highly effected by the types of policies he has proposed.

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Bernie Sanders should improve his poor at best relations with black voters and their communities. He has oft struggled with the polling numbers showing how little support he has from them. “For the first half of 2015, only 2% of black voters nationwide supported Sanders” represents how little of an impact he has held on attracting voters of color.

His positions on policies concerning African American communities, such as police shootings, are very similar to Clinton’s opinions and reiterate the importance of body cameras and an upholding of justice over officers who kill and imprison minorities unjustly. However, his status does not appeal to them as an influential candidate with the same experience Clinton has acquired through her lifelong political career.

Sanders must not beat Clinton’s appeal toward black Democrats, but emulate it through her perpetuated policies and voter support from men and women of all different races. He even has an advantageous position over Clinton in portraying her as “a political insider and member of the Washington establishment elite that is especially damaging to her credibility on issues of social justice facing black communities.” He puts forth a grassroots approach that is inclusive of rallies that have revolutionary themes that appeal to voters of all races as well.

As millenials gather in flocks with hand-made posters, loud voices, and Bernie Snapchats, his campaign has the possibility of becoming a political force to be reckoned with that many believe in. On campus, my English class was interrupted by a decidedly large group of students chanting “Free education,” elucidating upon Sanders’ position on college tuition. His target audience of college students is tech-savvy at attracting attention and drawing unfavorable comparisons of Clinton to Sanders.

Throughout the primaries, Sanders has called for justice for communities of color who are negatively impacted by political systems in place. To shy away from these attempts is to forfeit his opinion altogether, and all the progress he has worked toward. Black voters deserve to have their opinions and voices made visible and important by one of the lead Democratic candidates. I believe that it is a political necessity to have minority voters and their issues on your side in any political process. It is the rights of others who Sanders is fighting for, so it would be a juxtaposition to hand pick his voter populous.

Despite the primaries coming to a close soon, it is very important for Bernie to remain constant in his message: that income equality, police brutality, and corporate politics are matters dependent of race and class, and are issues in need of attention and support. Hypothetically, if he were to stop campaigning towards African American voters, he would be contradicting the basis of his campaign.

Why Sanders’ Campaign May be Running Out of Time to Gain the Black Vote

With the primaries waning in timespan, Sanders’ campaign and strategists debate the importance of gaining the black vote versus the amount of time they have left to make an impact.

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Bernie Sanders has often relied on his opinions to gain massive amounts of supporters; he has not actively and consistently reached out to any particular crowd of possible voters. Voters of color predominantly vote for Hillary Clinton, and Reverend Al Sharpton argues that this is because Sanders “’has a message that resonated around issues of employment, around issues of Wall Street, around issues of income inequality, but he has not resonated with African-American voters’.”

Especially in earlier primaries, Sanders has struggled with relating to and gaining the support of communities of color. His policies are not the issue, it is perhaps his demeanor as an older candidate who was at first unfamiliar to the American general public. “Mr. Sanders narrowly won Michigan’s Democratic primary on Tuesday with 34 percent of the black vote — a number Mr. Sharpton said isn’t good enough,” represents the gap between Sanders’ and Clinton’s appeal to the black vote.

As strategists hurriedly sip coffee and compare numbers back and forth, it seems as though making an attempt to gain the support of voters already unlikely to vote for him is counter-intuitive. They believe it is in his best interest to focus on voters already likely to vote for Bernie, to give him a better chance at winning the Democratic nomination.

Super Tuesday proved that Sanders’ does not fare well against Clinton amongst states with large populations of black voters. The chart below exemplifies his huge distance between Clinton in his pursuit of black Democrats.

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With this overwhelming statistical disadvantage, Sanders has struggled in large part due to his cancelled speech when “Black Lives Matter” protesters interrupted his rally and took his microphone. Since he was not able to get the rally under control again, he left and has since been attempting to reconcile. However, not everyone agrees of the importance he has stressed on appealing to black communities.

Time is slowly drifting past as the primaries are coming to a close come June 15, and the summer will be the heated battleground when he and Clinton make their final rounds and garner enough delegates to win the nomination. Sanders currently has a total of 1,367 delegates, just around 300 shy of Clinton’s 1,663 counted delegates.

Sanders may have luck in the upcoming primaries, with California’s primary holding a whopping 546 delegates to add to a campaign’s effort. With it’s liberal sway in places such as San Francisco, Bernie can focus his attention on gaining California’s support, while also appealing to both urban and rural communities.

Timespan is the greatest obstacle for Sanders’ campaign and it’s relevance toward communities of color. His strategist believe it is most imperative for him to focus on those already likely to vote for him in order to best propel his campaign towards the finish line.

 

Why the Black Vote Should Matter to Bernie Sanders

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Sanders’ campaign strategies have relied heavily on his call for revolution, thus he should eagerly reach out and empower minorities to vote. Proponents make their best argument for appealing to black voters when they argue that Sanders’ attempts are more genuine than his rival’s, Hillary Clinton, obvious use of pandering to African American audiences, and that his policies are racially inclusive.

Bernie Sanders’ policy positions are inclusively good for not only working class people, but also voters of color. In the modern campaign race, voters are grouped by age, sex, and race quite frequently and analyzed based upon these demographics, which makes Sanders’ campaign seem quite narrowly-supported. The majority of his supporters are made up of those aged 18-24, and middle-class white people. The bid for presidency is not built upon the unanimous support of one group, but on the support of many diversified groups. Bernie should use these statistics to reach out to other voters, so that his campaign could thrive not only amongst a select clientele, but also as a people’s choice like a democracy is supposed to be founded upon.

The campaign needs voter support that can relate to his opinion on policy issues, especially those with grassroots-approach movements and efforts, like “Black Lives Matter.” Unlike that movement, “Clinton will be relying on a network of validators and important institutions within black communities in South Carolina and beyond to overcome the excitement Sanders’ campaign has generated (The Week).” While Clinton’s campaign has already amassed support from the majority of black voters, Sanders’ has acquired strife and ambition even facing waning time.Bernie’s campaign must identify with those who are affected by the issues he talks about: police brutality, healthcare expansion, and national minimum wage.

Sanders’ methodology to attract voters should be to update the nation’s flawed governmental effects, especially on communities of color, is a genuine effort and fresh. His alignment with civil rights support ever since his youth when he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. portrays him to be a candidate of correct judgment and not a political machine corporation. He also has made better decisions as referenced when he casted his vote against the Iraq war during the Bush administration.“Meanwhile Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, wrote a piece in The Nation excoriating Clinton for the crime and welfare reform bills her husband signed and their impact on African-Americans,” entitled “’Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote’”(The Week).

Minority voters are targeted blatantly through the media’s perpetuation of bigoted opinions that some political candidates state publicly. Bernie Sanders’ campaign should utilize their assets of great policy positions to gain as many supporters as possible. To expand and to diversify is to create an emblematic population of those who should be involved in the stopping of unjust treatment. Voters of color are imperative to the success of Sanders’ campaign not only because of their race or ethnic background, but because it will help to change the political atmosphere into a better process for those who it has failed before.

Should Bernie Sanders Continue His Efforts to Win the Black Vote?

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Minority voters have taken to the polls with a new found passion: to push forward issues relevant to their race. When analyzing modern politics, it is imperative to weigh whether or not Bernie Sanders should continue his appeal towards black voters. With the time-span of the primaries waning, opponents believe he should focus his attention on the voter populous already likely to vote for him.

In the race for the Democratic nomination, Clinton and Sanders have proved best amongst their stratified voter populations. Sanders gained the support of the majority of millennial voters, with his call for justice against economic inequality and wealth distribution. Clinton, in a calculated effort, attracts a large portion of female supporters and those aged 60 and above with her tactical approach to winning the primaries.

“Some of the division is a matter of loyalties and personal appeal, but much of it involves disagreement over the direction that black activism should take, with millennials demanding tougher action and more immediate results on racial issues and inequality,” depicts the binary aspect of each candidate’s approach to winning black votes .” Sanders highlights police brutality toward people of color to appeal to black voters and others who are mistreated by law enforcement.

Minority voters are key in deciding elections because of policies in need of reform such as: immigration laws, wage gap, and police brutality against people of color.Movements such as “Black Lives Matter” and groups associated have shown up to numerous political rallies in an effort to be heard. Sanders, at one of his rallies, gave up the stage to this group to let them speak. Sanders inputs many concurring opinions on these issues, which makes him capable of attracting minority voters and widening his scope of policy opinion and voter population. Activists, and those who believe he should try to accumulate black voter supporters, believe his position is not the issue, but it’s his approach.

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What’s at stake in this election is the future of public policy, and the decision to move forward, remain the same, or regress backwards in terms of changing issues relevant to minority voters, especially African American voters and Latino voters. Republican candidates react to theses issues in an opposite manner, making discriminatory statements and inciting violence at political rallies. Sanders’ nontraditional campaign methods attract young voters, but should he make a blatant attempt to attract voters of color?

Although activists urge Bernie to appeal further, his current supporters, mainly young and white middle-class voters, believe his efforts are well intended, but won’t hold a lasting effect. Campaign strategists also disagree, stating that he lost the black vote long before the South’s primaries came into play. Those on this side of the argument believe Sanders’ time and money will be better spent appealing to voters who he already resonates with, to propel his campaign toward success.

African American voters matter, and minority voters everywhere hold sway over a campaign’s success. Sanders’ campaign relies on extreme leftist and liberal views, which are unique and revolutionary compared to traditional campaign methods. Sanders’ attempt, or lack thereof, will set the tone for the rest of the election and issues pertinent to people of color.

 

 

Sanders’ Leftist Views in Effect

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Many scholars and reporters have been skeptical over Sanders’ suggested policies, but he has responded with stubborn enthusiasm. Sanders identifies as a socialist Democrat, an unusual mix for a presidential candidate, but his campaign is met with massive support.

Over the course of writing this inquiry series, a lot of questions have arisen about Bernie Sanders’ rating on the political spectrum. Is he too leftist? Are his views realistic to be implemented in contemporaneous American society? His uphill battle with Hillary Clinton for delegate wins continues to surprise me because of the close margins and persistence of his campaign.

A few key elements in his campaign have been: a higher national minimum wage, free community college tuition, and a takedown of the upper class. Bernie has successfully pointed out his rival’s (Clinton) ties to Wall Street and the implications thereof. He also recalled both of their votes on the Iraq War, his being the right vote as opposed to her favoring the war. Clinton has remained unalarmed, but still shifted to the left when she states in reply: “I’m a progressive, but a progressive who likes to get things done,” identifying herself as “progressive.”

Sanders has proved over the course of the caucuses that his liberal force is one to be reckoned with, often updating his agenda every next primary election to include another socialist-themed policy. The voters who view Bernie Sanders as too left to be productive in a bicameral legislation system are mistaken. “Counter to his reputation as a far-left gadfly, Mr. Sanders has done much of his work with Republican partners, generally people with whom he has little, but sometimes just enough, in common.”

In this blog regarding his nontraditional campaign methods, it helps to include a list of Bernie’s actual contributions to the political atmosphere. Information on his history in the House and Senate largely add a new understanding on his tactics at legislation. Sanders’ was an Independent who weighed both left and right policies equally with a common goal in mind.

He has also done a great deal of adding small provisions to larger bills, such as reforming a bill during the Bush administration that would’ve taken the pensions of older workers. In his career the small reforms have added up in replacement of actual legislation. It may not be the greatest achievement in terms of displaying leadership qualities, but it shows that Sanders has had experience in terms of political influence. Instead of correlating with only left-themed agendas, he views himself as solely being in favor of helping working class people no matter the party.

My own opinion of Sanders has changed since the beginning of this project, but a lot of my thoughts on his campaign have stayed the same. In order to succeed, Sanders must surmount the gap between minority votes and working class white people. His supporters continue to help him on his way toward the rest of the primary elections, and his agenda develops fervently.

How Happenstance is a Campaign’s Financing?

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The media places a lack of attention on the finances necessary to propel a candidate into the spotlight. Bernie Sanders has changed the game in politics with his grassroots approach to the money race involved in campaigns.

Campaign financing is not a miniscule budgetary expenditure. In fact, “Hillary Clinton’s campaign raised $47.5 million through June 30, more than any other campaign at that point.” The effect donations have on a campaign’s preference in policy are underreported, and often viewed as a norm for political candidates who cater to the corporations who are paying out the finances to keep running. The amounts often exceed thousands of dollars, making the politician’s policy positions as questionable as how long the financing will continue to distribute funds. Clinton’s ties to Wall Street-backed super PACs having dinged her some liberal backlash from Bernie supporters who strongly believe in his stance on income inequality.

“More than 80 percent of contributions to Bernie Sanders and Ben Carson through June 30 came from donations of $200 or less,” shows the differences in fundraising perspectives from the Democratic rivals. Bernie’s amassing of small donations has astonished the media reporters, so they tend to focus on the build-up of such commonplace numbers. Sanders has amassed campaign funds to keep his campaign going for a long while, surprising the well-tuned Clinton political machine.

Sanders plans to stop corporate control over modern day politics in order to rebuild the middle class’ influence in government.The drawbacks of Bernie’s success are that it misaligns focus from media onto his financing success rather than Clinton and Bush in their corporate-backed sanctuary of funds. The lack of attention received for campaign contributions has created a façade of a politician’s wealth being self-made rather than dependent on the beneficiaries.

The voters respond fervently when Bernie calls for a break down of the corrupt political system and the dismantling of the upper class’ influence on politics. As of February 2016, Clinton’s campaign has raised “$188 million, with $57.5 million of that total donated by super PACs.” Bernie has raised “$96.3 million, with <0.1 coming from any sort of large organization.” Clinton’s opposition in economic status gives her an advantage, for she is the candidate with the most contribution. Clinton’s involvement in politics for years and as a prior First Lady also give her a slight edge in the race for Democratic candidate.

Bernie, however, has raised millions of dollars from millions of small donations, a milestone for politics. Sanders, “states the size of the average contribution, as he did Tuesday: “And, you know what that average contribution was? $27.” This seemingly miniscule amount made a difference in the overall campaign funding, he was able to inspire around 1.3 million voters to donate.

Whether it is with campaign finance or extreme leftist views on controversial topics, Bernie Sanders is succeeding in the race more than critics or polls have been abe to predict.

Recent News on Bernie Sanders’ Campaign

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For Bernie Sanders, the primary elections after New Hampshire have spiraled downward slowly, which makes his campaign efforts lose appeal and voters.

Since he first broke onto the political spectrum, Sanders has attracted what the Washington Post refers to as “Bernie-crats.” Many middle-class, Democratic Americans finally feel as if they have a chance for their voices to be heard, but this has proven to be quite the arduous feat. Many of these alleged “Bernie-crats” have taken to the political spectrum themselves, running against Republican, incumbent seat-holders that view them as little to no threat.

For example, Gary Kroeger, a decided Bernie supporter, has adapted Sanders’ technique of gathering donations, through a web-based funding account. “On one hand, this wave of pro-Sanders candidates illustrates the powerful reach of Sanders’s rhetoric against Wall Street, income inequality and big money in politics,” (Fahrenthold). Witnessing the mass appeal Bernie has already captured seems as if it’s a win of it’s own, he proved that his campaign is not in need of any Wall Street ties or compromised funding situations.

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This accomplishment, however, is overlooked when viewing the shape Sanders’ campaign is in after Super Tuesday in the delegate race. “Hillary Clinton’s landslide margins in the South and her competitiveness elsewhere translate to an overall lead of around 15 to 20 percentage points nationwide,” (Cohn). Clinton has proved the stronger of the two candidates in attracting the minority vote, an important feat when looking at the nationwide delegate count. Sanders’ attempts at appealing to African-American have been met with little enthusiasm, especially in Southern states where the majority of Democrats are African-American.

On top of Sanders’ campaign struggle in the South, his popularity wavers amongst groups of nonblack voters as well: “Hispanics, white voters in the South, affluent white voters, and older white voters” also harbor resistance to his campaign (Cohn). These obstacles do not mean that Clinton will clinch her campaign race any time soon, because Bernie has the funds to keep moving forward. If he could widen his popularity amongst ethnic groups outside of middle-class, Caucasian Americans he would have a much greater chance of polling higher and winning by higher margins in the states filled with them.

Sanders’ campaign is still supported greatly, monetarily and otherwise, but it lacks the gumption necessary for propelling voters of every race and social status to find his campaign appealing. His notorious identity as a one-issue candidate has, perhaps, sealed his fate in attracting only working class whites. Sanders’ progressive policy ideas and goals have impacted Clinton’s campaign, utilized as a tool to push her farther to the left with her own ideology.

Sanders may not be able to overcome his losses in the Super Tuesday battle between Democrats, but he is by no means out of the political race for potential Democratic candidate. In order to gain a lead, Sanders must appeal to not only those who favor his ideas, but also those who aren’t sure about what those ideas really are.

Bernie Sanders’ Nontraditional Campaign Methods

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Bernie Sanders controversial bid for the presidency has been fueled by young generational voters, nontraditional campaign methods, and socialist overtones that create a division not only in the general election but also the Democratic nomination.

An unusual aspect of Bernie Sanders’ campaign is that the voter population aged 18-24 he relies on, are “the most unreliable voters in the electorate.” The low participation rate affects his campaigns support, especially when it is so dependent on voter turnout. Bernie utilized the young demographic to spread awareness of his campaign, rather than being funded by political machines the Clinton campaign uses without flaw. His politics aim at economic inequality; an issue many young and middle-aged people alike feel should be a top priority of the 2016 election. Sanders address these youthful supporters through his repetition of plausible policies including: a national minimum wage of $15, lowering financing rates on education, and a whole other slew of points tailor-fit for young voters.

The grassroots-approach the Bernie campaign implements lead to a diverse audience of youthful voters who don’t feel shut out by the political crowd he attracts. Sanders’ appeal landed him both successes through imitation by political rivals, but also criticism for being a “one-note candidate short of workable solutions.” In this way, Bernie’s unusual campaign strategy of attracting the youth vote has brought him media speculation for his popularity among them, which adds to the publicity of his campaign.

Bernie’s rallies also carry the nontraditional theme his campaign promotes through lively interaction with the crowd. The populous of the rallies are also inclusive of a very diverse crowd, an audience riled up for revolution. There have been images of his supporters with rainbow wigs, funky outfits, and homemade pizza box signs. When compared to the rallies of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, her rallies are the tame juxtaposition equipped with bodyguards, agents, and an elevated stage. The difference between Bernie and Hillary’s campaign involved the tactical use (or lack thereof) of standard political tools.

In effect, the Sanders campaign has picked up relevant popularity, and has even been advocated for on campus at San Francisco State University. Through my research and involvement in my political science course, I have attended an SF State phone-banking event to support Bernie’s campaign. This is to gain statistical evidence of Bernie’s supporters, and to combat the well-funded reach of other campaigns. The environment of San Francisco being a liberal city also influences the political groups the students have access to and are surrounded by. All these factors help shape his rallies and the types of people his campaign draws to both show up to polling dates, and to promote Sanders’ platforms and political stance.

To better analyze Bernie Sanders’ tactical use of unique political actions, I would like to better comprehend the funding through individual donations, and, in addition, his reprimand of Super PACs. Where has his funding really came from and will it continue to surprise democratic rival, Hillary Clinton?

 

 

 

 

 

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