Analysis- The View From Halfway Down: Bernie Sanders' steep climb or fall in pursuit of the nomination
Sen. Bernie Sanders. Google Images/Counter Currents.org
Analysis
By Aaron KershawAs former Vice President Joe Biden continues to climb the mountain to the Democratic Presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) supporters are coming to grips with the fact that their candidate has lost his footing.
Yesterday, March 10, Biden secured victories in Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, and Mississipi, delivering another devastating blow to the Sanders campaign.
Sanders took North Dakota and is leading in Washington, which is too close to call a winner, with only 67% of the vote tallied.
Sanders is hang dogging on this climb to the nomination while Biden ascends, so what is the vantage point of the Sanders campaign after last night's disappointing performance? The word that comes to mind is steep, a steep climb, and a potentially steep fall.
His spot on the mountain
Democratic delegate graphic. Google Images
Bernie Sanders currently has 710 delegates, which puts him in between the two remaining Democratic candidates with Biden at 864 delegates and Tulsi Gabbard at the base of the mountain with two. Sanders needs 1,281 delegates to reach the required sum of 1,991 and win the nomination. Next week, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio are up for grabs. Sanders must self-assess which states are an opportunity for him to climb back into the race, and frantically try to sow connections with those voters by next Tuesday.
Looking for the mountain's peak
When Sanders directs his gaze to the top of the Democratic nomination, he likely cannot see its summit. Obstructing his vision are the mountaineering boots of the Biden campaign. Biden has found his stride after stumbling in the first few primary states.
Biden's 154 delegate lead on Sanders is no coincidence. If Sanders looked closely, he might see the Democratic establishment's climbing knife cutting his rope so that he falls to his political demise.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif). Via Twitter
Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Mike Bloomberg all endorsed the former Vice President. Not a single former Democratic presidential challenger endorsed Sanders, including his long time friend Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The Democratic establishment does not want Sanders as their nominee, so they needed to unify behind Joe Biden. With Warren and Sanders representing the progressive wing of the party, Sanders has virtually zero support from the household names of the Democratic Party.
Warren's reluctance to endorse Sanders is not surprising. Sanders had reportedly told Warren that a woman could not defeat Donald Trump in a general election, which Sanders denied during the Democratic Debate in Des Moines, Iowa, in January.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) confronts Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at Iowa Democratic Debate. Getty Images
"I think you just called me a liar on national television," Warren said to Sanders and was recorded on a hot microphone shortly after the debate. The confrontation was a turning point in the Democratic Primary since Warren and Sanders initially showed reluctance to criticize one another.
Sanders must know that if he is going to win, there are no allies in sight.
Looking down
The Sanders campaign had high expectations going into the Democratic Primary, as well as a start so fast that it would feel premature for him to quit now. Additionally, Sanders must be aware that a fall from this height would not just mean an end to his chances of ever becoming president, but also a halt to the rise of the progressive left.
Bernie Sanders is now 78 years old, which means if he ran in 2024, he would be 82 years old hoping for two four-year terms making him 90 years old by 2032. This election is likely his last hurrrah.
Looking down for Sanders may feel like looking back at his civil rights activism in the 1960s and 1970s. He may look down and recall his participation in peace and antiwar movements.
Sanders' campaign platform mirrors the activism he demonstrated throughout most of his adult life and pulled the Democratic Party further left than it resided just nearly 12 years ago when Barrack Obama was elected president.
Sanders inspired a new wave of progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib to run for office with his vision of Medicare for all, higher taxes on the rich, anti-corruption, and climate change.
Sanders' fall is not just a fall for a nearly 80-year-old man; it is very possibly the end of a political revolution that energized young ideologues and made them believe the little guy or gal can win.
The harsh realization that the establishment is too powerful to defeat might turn idealists into cynics who forsake actual progress for a return to the status quo because, in their minds, "business as usual" is better than President Donald Trump.
The stubborn mountain climber
In 2015, Sanders displayed a stubborn backbone when Hillary Clinton was poised to clinch the nomination, and Sanders is holding to his nature. Sanders ever defiantly vowed to remain in the presidential race with plans to debate Joe Biden on Sunday as scheduled.
Sanders said from a podium in his home state of Vermont, "Last night obviously was not a good night for our campaign from a delegate point of view."
"Donald Trump must be defeated, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen. On Sunday night, in the first one-on-one debate of this campaign, the American people will have the opportunity to see which candidate is best positioned to accomplish that goal,” Sanders said.
No one said that mountain climbing was a small task, and you must be stubborn to reach the peak of Mount Everest, but how daunting is the view from halfway down?
