Bernie Sanders
In reply to the discussion: Yo, Sandernistas: get a grip! [View all]MightyMax
(5 posts)As much as I want Bernie Sanders to be our next president, I already see a Big challenge that his campaign must address ASAP.
We have to get out of the mentality that it's early in the campaign and that it's Hillary that should be worried. First of all, Super Tuesday in March 1st. On that day, 12 major states will vote for the nominee, and that's after 4 states voted in February (Iowa, NH, SC, NV). The Primary race could essentially be over in March. That means Bernie has about 6 months to build a Large following of African-Americans & Hispanics because THEIR votes can be the deciding factor in this primary. Unfortunately for Bernie, Hillary already has a Huge following among Minorities; no thanks to her record but thanks to the Clinton brand. Minorities still have fond memories of America under a Clinton presidency. They feel it's a safe choice, especially now that Hillary is suddenly sounding so Liberal talking about Voting Rights, Racism, & income inequality.
Those of us who love Bernie believe that his message, his passion, and his political record are so strong and genuine that Hillary should be worried about Bernie's momentum. But actually, Hillary will continue to hold a significant advantage in 3 Key areas during most of this Primary campaign: Money, Minority appeal, and Name recognition. For obvious reasons, Obama was able to overtake Hillary in 2 of these 3 areas. I doubt Bernie will catch Hillary in fundraising or name recognition, but if he can find ways to reach out Directly to Minority voters, he won't have to. We can't expect that the debates alone will shift Minority voters from Hillary to Bernie. It's also not wise for his campaign to expect that his speeches, delivered to mostly white crowds, will resonate with minorities enough to bring them to his side. Bernie has to go on Several media outlets and give multiple interviews to Hispanic & Black hosts/personalities. He should be doing that NOW to ensure that the his minority support is Large enough in time for Super Tuesday because he will not beat Hillary without it.