Sanders: Week In Review

Bernie Sanders is strong through the week of the September 28; campaign instability to come, for better or worse.

Polling

The latest national polling data available, from September 30, shows Bernie Sanders tracking steadily behind Hillary Clinton. While national polling data shows Hillary Clinton with a 14 percent lead over the senator, in the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, The race is very much alive. Sanders trails Clinton by only three and a half percent in Iowa, and leads the democratic front-runner by nine percent in New Hampshire. Wins in these states early in the primary process would give the Senator significant momentum moving into later primary competitions, a type of energy which the sander's campaign has shown an uncanny ability to capitalize on. If sanders can prove early that he is a powerful contender in the primary contest, and show supporters that he has a strong chance in a general election, many Clinton supporters may abandon their safe-bet candidate for the more radical idealist. This type of exedous from the Clinton camp could produce a primary landslide with energy sufficient to have implications in the general election. On the other hand, a share of Sanders' supporters may be willing to jump ship for a safer bet at a democratic presidency if the campaign, once considered a long shot, shows signs its losing steam.

The Washington Post's Attack; Liberal Journalism's Rebuttal

Yesterday the Washington Post leveled an attack against the Sanders Campaign, specifically criticizing the feasibility of actualizing Sanders' goal of free college education for all Americans. The article is framed to echo long abandoned anti-socialist rhetoric dating back from the cold war period, frequently using words like "bureaucracy" and "control". The substance of the article is a speculative critique of the difficulties involved in allocating federal funds to public universities, and it points out significant inefficiencies in the status-quo, where federal funding of this type is minimal. It argues, intuitively, that these bureaucratic problems will be magnified by an influx of federal dollars, and that inefficiency will eat away at taxpayer money and inflate already high cost of the proposition. However, in a Huffington Post article, Robert Reich fires back. He reminds readers that in the 1960's and 70's, federal and state funding of public institutions made up for a large share of their costs, tuition was low, and American education thrived. In the 1980's, this funding started drying up, and ever since, tuition has been skyrocketing. We now refer often to both our education crisis and our student debt crisis. The author also pointed out that in lue of government funding, private corporations sometimes step in to fill voids in public college's budgets, often in exchange for having say in the curriculum. This point counters and outweighs the Washington Post's fears of government controlled curriculum even before Reich provides an example of corporate controlled and approved economic curriculum. While The Washington Post's article served as a well framed attack on the Senator, its language may contain more punch than the substance behind it. Before a rebuttal was in place, the Washington post article appeared speculative and oversold, though not devoid of reason for legitimate concern. However, when the substantive layer is rebutted and analysed in depth, only the framing of the arguments continues to be of any consequence.

Fundraising Milestones Boost Confidence

A significant source of campaign news early in this week was Bernie Sanders' significant fundraising haul. Sanders became the first candidate of the election to reach one million individual campaign contributions, with small donor contributions being a staple of the campaign. Sander's third quarter contributions also rivaled, though did not match, those of Hillary Clinton, who is seen to have the support of the democratic establishment and much more "big money" support. In a final comparison, Sanders, who's campaign has many parallels to Obama's 2008 campaign, has now raised more money to date than had Barrack Obama's at this time in 2007. Sanders frequently campaigns on his unwillingness to accept corporate contributions, and pledges to reform the campaign finance system. To see a candidate raise competitive funds without violating his own convictions about the corruption of campaign finance is a hopeful sign to many who support Sanders' ideas on the issue.

Looking Forward: an Inevitable, Disgusting, Debate on Guns

In light of the recent tragedy in Oregon, politicians of all parties will be forced to address the issue of gun control, as it is currently framed in the national spectrum. This will affect the pull of candidates' campaigns, however morbid it may be to calculate political effects of a killing. Bernie Sanders' statements on this issue, as well as his poll movement, will be interesting to watch. The Vermont Senator doesn't take the hard left, activist anti gun positions of other democrats, and as of yet has not shown any willingness to pander. As a senator of a primarily rural state, and as one who is in fact quite popular with the conservative portion of his constituency, his approach to gun control is much more nuanced than the polarizing approaches debated about in the political spotlight. While he advocates closing loopholes that allow criminals and the mentally ill to obtain weapons, the Senator has also defended the rural hunting lifestyle. This moderate and tempered approach is likely in line with what a majority of Americans want to see. However, in the days after a shooting, other democratic hopefuls may be willing to make bold statements on gun control that sanders cannot match. How Sanders' base will react to the senator appearing to be on the conservative side of the democratic field on this issue is yet to be seen, though it may be an uncomfortable position for some liberal activists within his base, I believe that an overwhelming majority will be satisfied with Sanders' long held, more moderate gun positions, about which he has always been transparent. There has also long been talk of a subset of the republican party coming to support Bernie Sanders for his social libertarianism. A failure to give in to political pressure to condemn gun ownership may help the candidate with this constituency in the general election.