*Disclaimer: this opinion of my own. This does not reflect the beliefs of Affinity.
With the democratic presidential nomination race closer than ever and the Iowa caucuses less than two weeks away, we should all step back a truly analyze the situation and the facts.
Bernie Sanders has recently climbed closer his opposer Hillary Clinton in the Iowa polls (the first state to vote), with the most recent poll showing only a four point difference between the two, favoring Hillary. In a recent New Hampshire poll (the second state to vote), Bernie is leading by 27 point margin, almost guaranteeing him the victory of that state.
Since the possibility of Bernie Sanders winning the democratic nomination is increasing daily, we need to discuss his potential against a republican opponent. Although multiple polls show him defeating republicans in general elections, I can’t help but feel that these results wouldn’t be the same if Bernie does indeed win the nomination.
Now, I’d just like to say: this opinion is my own. I could be completely wrong about my prediction. I am not against Bernie Sanders. I honestly believe he is a strong candidate, but I feel that his economic views would be torn apart by not only the opposing party, but also the media. Many still haven’t truly considered Bernie as a contender yet, so many republicans aren’t vocally attacking him, but my theory is that once he is considered legitimate, he will be viciously attacked.
As many know, Bernie is a self-proclaimed “democratic socialist,” but not many truly understand what this means. Technically, it means a democratic political ideology with a socialist economic ideology, but even after this, many don’t understand what socialism is. Socialism is the idea that the United State’s means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. While this doesn’t sound all that bad, socialism is often related to communism, which is undoubtedly given a negative connotation in America.
I feel that republicans and the media will hit this fact hard, calling Bernie a communist and claiming that he wants the government to control all economic venues. While this is not true, it will be perceived as true to many, this decreasing his likeability.
I’m also not stating that I do or do not support socialism, but I cannot see America transitioning from capitalism to socialism in the foreseeable future, and I do believe that Bernie’s poll numbers sort-of rely on the fact that many people don’t understand what socialism is. I believe that many would not support Bernie if they did. I understand that many do fully understand socialism, but I think his millennial support does not. Frankly, I believe many young democrats decided they didn’t want Hillary, and since Bernie is the next in the polls, he takes their support.
I do want to state that I believe Bernie is undoubtedly the strongest candidate with social issues. For almost all of his life, he has been fighting for racial, gender, and sexuality equality as well as reproductive rights. But his economic stance will be torn apart due to misinterpretation, dwindling down his amount of support.
All in all, Bernie is a wonderful candidate, and I would love to see him win the presidency, but due to the facts, I simply don’t see it happening.
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