Bernie Sanders, my favorite Senator, and the man who gets it, is preparing a run for President.
This is a big deal, and for more reasons than you might think.
I've seen a lot of complaining around here about Hillary Clinton - is she inevitable, can she be pushed to the left, ect. I think that many of these concerns are well founded - Hillary Clinton is a centrist, she confirmed as much in her most recent interview. What I haven't heard is what alternative we have to Hillary.
Well, here he is! For those of you who don't know him, Bernie once filibustered tax cuts for the rich for 8 and a half hours. And unlike Ted Cruz, whose speech quickly devolved into non-sequiturs and Green Eggs and Ham during his filibuster, Bernie's speech was so eloquent he turned it into a book.
Now, can Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton in the primary? In all honesty, probably not. However, he can accomplish many important things with his run.
1. Bring truly left wing ideas into the traditional media's consciousness. Just imagine if the media had to give a platform to a self-identified socialist. Just imagine what he could inspire in the next generation of future Democratic Party activists if he was perceived as a potential party leader.
2. Help build the party - even if he doesn't defeat Hillary, if he looks like he'll have a strong showing, it will force both camps to engage the electorate. In 2008, the long primary helped build the party's strength, as each state received state of the art voter registration and outreach.
3. He could become President. It's possible (though unlikely) that Hillary won't run. There is no consensus choice for second place. Bernie could be our guy - he could run and win, if the field becomes "Clintonless."
What do you think? Should he go for it?
2:12 PM PT: Update: I stepped away for a few hours to take a job test for SEIU and meet someone interested in my student Atheist club...and this gets to the top of the rec list when I get back? Thanks so much everyone.