Now that Bernie Sanders is taken seriously, supporters must get real

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NBC Meet the Press' Chuck Todd taking Bernie... by ewillies

A recent article at OpEdNews titled Loving Bernie, But Getting Real is a must-read for all Bernie Sanders supporters. In the many posts I've written on Sanders, at one time or another I have alluded to the issues James Quandy brings up in his article.

The article will make the most ardent supporters of Bernie Sanders really upset. That said, it is important to remember that one should be more attached to policy than candidate. Policies can live beyond a candidate's viability.

Quandy points out four specific issues with Bernie Sanders that should be heeded.

What I am referring to is the very basic fact of what I believe one could call his "political identity": Bernie is a 73 year-old Jewish Socialist from Vermont. Now this very brief description in itself presents what I see as at least 4 "challenges", any one of which (unfortunately) could be fatal to any candidate for President. Many of these issues have, of course, already been discussed at some length in the media. But I think it might prove useful to try and focus on each one, to some degree (particularly on this site). So, let's briefly take them one at a time.

To put it simply below the fold, the four reasons why Quandy believes Bernie Sanders winning the primary let alone the national presidential election is unlikely are:

• He's too old
• He's Jewish
• He won't get the black vote
• He's a socialist

First, I disagree completely that Sanders would not get black support. The black vote is not monolithic. Inasmuch as it votes solidly Democratic, it does so because of Democratic policies. One should remember that when the 2008 election campaign started, Hillary Clinton was beating then-Sen. Barack Obama in the polls, including among black voters. Black voters vote on perceived policies just like any other voter. As Sanders starts to codify his economic and social justice platform, black voters likely would see it as better than the moderate policies Hillary Clinton is expounding. Moderate Democratic policies have not been all that kind to the black voter.

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