opinion

Editorial: Sanders brings passion to primary

Sen. Bernie Sanders' brand of rhetoric full of populist indignation will add welcome passion to what so far has been a one-woman show in the Democratic primary.

Sanders' naked passion provides a contrast to presumptive Democratic front runner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's carefully crafted campaign pronouncements that too often smack of poll-tested positions on issues vetted by focus groups.

The Vermont independent will serve as the flag around which the progressive forces in the Democratic Party can rally, giving better focus to issues and views that otherwise might be less central to the overall debate.

Sanders says his campaign will ride the themes familiar to Vermonters who have followed the senators political career, including the growing disparity between rich and the rest of America, big money in politics, climate change and the struggles of the middle class.

These are the themes that have defined Sanders' political career since even before he won his first election as Burlington mayor in 1981. Few politicians can claim such a consistent track record as Sanders.

The senator pushes his point vigorously, turning impatient with those who fail to see the world his way.

Expect Clinton to quickly adopt some of Sanders' campaign themes. She needs to cover her bases to protect her left flank in the primary and into the general election.

In fact, only hours after Sanders' Thursday announcement, the Clinton campaign tweeted: "I agree with Bernie. Focus must be on helping America's middle class. GOP would hold them back. I welcome him to the race. — H"

The Sanders campaign responded, "Thanks @HillaryClinton. Looking forward to debating the big issues: income inequality, climate change & getting big money out of politics."

Sanders' announcement this past week launches an improbable run for the Democratic nomination, let alone the presidency. He faces a serious deficit — some would say insurmountable — in both money and name recognition against Clinton, who is the party establishment's favorite and has been in the national political scene since her husband, Bill Clinton, ran for president in 1992.

Yet Sanders is a politician's politician, a shrewd grassroots campaigner known for his lasagna suppers and skilled at connecting with the voters in this largely rural state. Vermonters have returned him to Washington for more than 2 decades, at times with nearly 70 percent of the vote.

Sanders has shown the ability to swing key constituents — even hostile ones — into his camp given the right issues. How he came to be seen as one of the chief champion for veterans benefits is a case in point.

Early in his career in the U.S. House, many veterans saw Sanders' anti-war stance disrespected service members. Today, after advocating for Vietnam vets suffering from after-effect of Agent Orange, he is seen as one of the staunchest supporters of veterans in Congress, speaking up especially for those who served their country but are left on their own when they face service-related health problems and other needs.

The turnaround reflects Sanders' political savvy and his ability to garner support from what appears on the surface to be unlikely sources.

He told USA Today in announcing his run, "It probably would not be a good idea for people to underestimate me."

The very fact that Sanders, who started as a founder of the Liberty Union Party and suffered one election defeat after another, is a U.S. senator lends credence to his words.

If nothing else, Sen. Bernie Sanders' run for the Democratic nomination will liven up what was otherwise shaping up to be a tooth-numbing primary season.

Join the conversation online at BurlingtonFreePress.com or send a letter to the editor to letters@freepressmedia.com. Contact Aki Soga at asoga@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @asoga.