Bernie Must Worry About Both The Left and The Right
I write this with great sensitivity. I’ve been a Bernie Sanders supporter since before he ran for mayor. I remember his name coming up during Vietnam Anti-War Peace Movement discussions and I’ve likely met him somewhere during those difficult war-torn protest days. I then observed him become mayor of Burlington, US congressman, US senator and then a substantial presidential candidate. I’ve supported his cause as my own cause since my own political awareness first took shape.
I spent nearly every day on my computer championing his 2016 candidacy and have written extensively about it, how his advocacy and his hopes have intersected with citizen need; and also how he got screwed out of the nomination and much more.
I support and endorse his candidacy for 2020!
Bernie has had the entire US political establishment working against him, especially since he announced his 2016 presidential campaign. Ever since, America’s Oligarch Enrichment Project has spawned an ‘Anybody-But-Bernie’ campaign, using the immense power of controlled politicians and controlled media.
The DNC especially holds an ‘Anybody-But-Bernie’ mentality. Examine all of the national Democratic online sites (Democrats.com, for example) and it’s rare you’ll find anything positive posted about Sanders. In fact, you’d be lucky to find his name at all! Other candidates on those sites are frequently highlighted. One could easily surmise this as odd given Sanders led Donald Trump by double digits the entirety of the 2016 campaign!
So Bernie has ‘the establishment system’ as an incredibly powerful enemy. No problem! Bernie’s faith and determination has shown he knows his policies are right on the mark and necessary for America. Common sense is on his side! Bernie can, would and will beat the system if provided the opportunity by the voters and a non-rigged electoral process.
After all, the electorate was hungry for an outsider in 2008 when Obama campaigned as an outsider and won. But, sadly, once in, Obama appointed a Wall Street cabinet and governed as an insider. The electorate was hungry again in 2016 and this is why Hillary Clinton was defeated. But Trump was a fake outsider. Really now, there’s no such thing as a billionaire outsider in American politics. There never has been one and there isn’t one today. The 2016 voters were fooled again!
Had it not been for Trump doing to Clinton what Clinton did to Sanders (cheat!), Bernie Sanders should have become America’s 45th president, not Trump!
New Problem for Bernie
It appears, today, Bernie has an emerging problem, one I think more difficult to beat than the system itself: The voting of younger generations!
Sanders, because of his honesty and political advocacy has strongly carried the important age demographic of younger voters. In fact, all throughout they’ve represented an important cornerstone to his campaign. It’d be impossible for Bernie to win the Democratic Primary or the presidency without them.
I maintain every bit of faith Bernie will defeat the DNC multi-packed row of straw candidates who’ve announced not to win but more to dilute the Sanders voting pool to thus enable a 2nd Ballot super delegate-selected Biden or Clinton nomination. Forget not, Clinton thinks Russiagate has effectively covered over her 2016 loss and she thinks she remains viable as either the 2nd “Clinton Comeback Kid” or the “I Wuz Robbed” candidate. Unfortunately, she’s not out to pasture yet; and neither is Biden.
The first phase of the race will see the Iowa Caucus, NH Primary, Nevada Caucus, South Carolina Primary and then the very crucial Super Tuesday! California, which traditionally voted near the end of the primary process, has moved forward.
To cite a few examples of the straw candidates in the race, purposed to prevent Sanders issue-related momentum, are the following: Environmental voters (Inslee and the others), LGBT voters (Buttigieg and the others), minority voters (Castro, Harris, Booker and Messam), youth voters (O’Rourke, Moulton, Swalwell and Buttigieg), feminist voters (Warren, Harris, Gillibrand and Klobochar), cannabis voters (Hickenlooper), veterans (Moulton) and labor voters (Ryan).
Also, there are the candidates capable of diluting the Sanders vote during the early phase of the primary elections. For example, Vermonter Bernie’s important home field advantage among NH primary voters will be challenged by Gillibrand of NY, Warren and Moulton of Massachusetts. Super Tuesday advantage will be sought by Harris and Swalwell in California and Warren and Mouton in Massachusetts; Hickenlooper and Bennett in Colorado; in Minnesota by Klobochar and in Texas by O’Rourke and Castro.
Although not part of the DNC-pedigreed insider straw candidates, Bernie must also be concerned, even though closely aligned, with Tulsi Gabbard, a military veteran currently serving in the National Guard who stands to gain a solid chunk of both veteran and anti-war voters.
The New, Emerging and Unexpected Threat to Bernie
It is the name most unfamiliar among the 22 announced candidates who Bernie needs worry about the most. Based on my analysis, Sanders will face a threat from a soon-to-emerge candidate who also is an outsider and who also possesses radical ideas.
Introducing Andrew Yang!
The young Yang is rapidly inspiring a new political concept into established politics and mainstream media — as usual — seems clueless. The media has yet pick up on or discover the potential power of ‘The Yang Gang’ mo-mo. Cleverly and intuitively carving out a niche, Yang has proclaimed himself as a highly-innovative “Libertarian Liberal.”
[As a sidebar note, I was presented with the Medal of Freedom Award from the New Hampshire Libertarian Party. I won this award as a NH Democratic state representative who introduced a controversial drug legalization study bill in 1989. Accepting the award, during my presentation, I pointed out Libertarians should be more like Democrats instead of always siding with Republicans.
It’s always been my belief that the non-interventionist, anti-war and liberty-centric Libertarians made a terrible and, yes, tragic error by siding with Republicans instead of Democrats. Indeed, this error helped to enable the political manifestations of Bush-Cheney-Trump! Thus, causing Democratic political operatives, also beholden to America’s Oligarch Enrichment Project, to become more Republican-like.]
Libertarian-Liberalism
Regardless to what happens, the very fact Yang has introduced Libertarian Liberalism into our politics of the day itself is a substantive political contribution and it’s an idea that will certainly gather consideration as the 2020 campaign moves forward.
When Sanders first announced for the presidency, many thought his politics were too radical for 2016. But Bernie proved everyone completely wrong. Today, his 2016 platform is embraced by most of the nation and many candidates are gradually adopting his positions. Yang, too, has recognized this. He also champions Bernie’s ideas and goals. Theoretically, in political spirit, Sanders and Yang are natural allies.
Below are Yang’s three principle issues. However, if you watch him speak you’ll soon learn the man is full of bright and innovative ideas that clearly fit well with today’s world of technology. Thus, I think, his very strong appeal to younger voters.
- Universal Basic Income of $1k/month per adult called “The Freedom Dividend.”
- Evolution to the next stage of capitalism, “Human Capitalism” geared toward optimizing around human well-being in addition to GDP.
- Single-payer healthcare — necessary in the aftermath of job reduction.
Why do I think that Yang will come on strongly?
First, his ideas and solutions are brilliant and once heard hard to ignore. I submit the way things have been there is even more awareness to look for and find new ideas. I think his ideas will catch a receptive audience. In a way this is already being proven by the audiences he has been drawing.
Second, Yang will likely perform better than expected in New Hampshire. Well enough to get a bump of recognition. He attended and graduated Philips Exeter Academy which is located in the very populous seacoast of New Hampshire so he’s got some roots that’ll help him gain a nod of approval. Forget not that all politics in NH is local!
Third, using strawpoll.com, I’ve been sponsoring a series of polls related to the 2020 presidential candidates. The first poll, which included Democrats and Independents, drew about 20,000 participants and lasting about two months. Bernie won this poll of 10 candidates with over 60% of the vote. Then there were a couple of short-lived polls which Bernie again won substantially. Since his announcement, Bernie has dominated every other straw poll, especially the bi-weekly Daily Kos polls.
Weddle’s Straw Poll #4
On May 2nd, with 22 announced Democrats, I created Poll #4 which included all candidates and I distributed it to many online veteran, union, minority advocacy group sites. I also presented it to the blue check-marked sites of each of the 22 candidates. The poll started out with Tulsi taking an early lead. Then Bernie, like always, came on extremely strong and again took an over 60% lead in the poll, which is still ongoing.
But two days ago, The Yang Gang made a sudden appearance. I track near-hourly my poll both to observe and also to look for any discrepancies. Within a day Yang had surpassed the 2nd place Gabbard. The day after this the poll saw an incredible surge Yang votes. At first I suspected bot activity due to the sudden increase. Then sincere Yang supporter comments began appearing with the votes in the comment section of the poll.
Simultaneous to creating this poll I also created an age demographics survey on the two presumed front-runners, Bernie and Joe Biden. Quickly, hundreds of Bernie supporters responded but only a handful of Biden supporters responded. Presently, there are only 33 Biden respondents:
With 90% of Americans online, Biden seems only to have Clinton ghosts for support. Clinton, of course, used not only the DNC but ghost voters to screw Sanders out of the 2016 nomination.
Noting the huge Yang surge, I then created an age demographic survey for his supporters to participate and also to help ascertain whether bots were involved. The Yang participation rate was near instant. Compare the below Sanders age survey and the below Yang age survey.
Bernie Sanders
Andrew Yang
I’ve since done my homework and I’ve communicated online with many Yang supporters. I’ve also watched some videos of his recent speeches. Yang, to me, appears as a real deal. I’m predicting he’ll become a political force so strong his campaign will become the total surprise of the 2020 race, perhaps even an upsetting force with which to reckon. His recognition won’t be media-manufactured like Beto, Kamala and the young Pete. It’ll become a well-deserved recognition based on the quality of sound ideas and proposals for moving our nation forward and reversing the tend towards fascism.
The viewpoints of Andrew Yang will not become denied!
My Worry
The 2020 presidential race must become more than just dethroning the warmongering mobster Trump. Clintonism, now Bidenism, must also be defeated. I’m presently very concerned not only will Bernie take a hit from the the Democratic centrist-right (the intended DNC infusion of straw candidates, coupled with dirty trick shenanigans), but he’ll also take a hit on the youth vote from the left as a consequence of the growing The Yang Gang.
Yang supporters with whom I have communicated also stress they like and would vote for Bernie Sanders. They would be happy if either became the president. But I think it true that if a large enough segment of the youth vote were to go to Yang, Bernie won’t be able to win the nomination on the first ballot, which is a must, given the establishment system — the Oligarch Protection Unit — lays in wait banking on a second ballot super delegate selection which, woe, might even involve Clinton again.
My best hope is that the Bernie Sanders, Mike Gravel, Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang political forces conference and figure out the best strategy to win with a victory so strong America’s Oligarch Enrichment Project, depicted below, will become defeated once and for all time. Ideally, I’d prefer the wisdom of Bernie Sanders as president with Gravel, Gabbard and Yang — Nina Turner and Marianne Williamson too! — all helping to provide sound and meaningful governance.
