Why is Bernie so popular?

[beastie boy]

32. I believe Churchill answered this question back when:

“If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain.”

He doesnt use the words "socialist" and "conservative" here in a political sense we are used to. He more likely meant something like "idealist" and "pragmatist", but in either case it explains Bernie's popularity with the young people.

My take is that young people don't have as much benefit of a hindsight to have experienced the multitude of nuances associated with the sentiment they espouse to. What sounds profound in theory, doesn't usually reflect in historical precedent. Realizing this only comes with the experience of living through it.

To your point of things not changing much if Bernie becomes President, that would make Bernie a piss poor leader. He is running on a platform of radical change in government. What scares me about Bernie is how he plans to accomplish it: he repeatedly stated that his intention is to build a "movement, and govern by mandate on behalf of the "people" (however he happens to define "people" at any given moment, in circumvention of the legislative branch whenever the legislators don't agree with his agenda. Scary indeed, if you come to think of it.