Bernie! Bernie! The chant grows in its frequency and intensity as Bernie Sanders briskly climbs on stage in electoral rallies in the United States. Considered an outsider due to his socialist and anti-war rhetoric, Sanders is now the most eagerly awaited and watched candidate for the Democratic Party nomination preceding the November 8 presidential election.

At 74, Sanders is the oldest amongst the presidential hopefuls and, interestingly, shares his September 9 date of birth with Abraham Lincoln. He comes from a family of Polish immigrants; his father earned his livelihood from selling paint. Growing up in a struggling working-class family, Bernie witnessed America’s economic disparity. “I saw unfairness. That was the major inspiration in my politics,” he said in a newspaper interview.

Sanders became involved in the Civil Rights Movement during his university days in Chicago. After finishing college in 1964, he lived on a kibbutz in Israel before settling in the state of Vermont. He tried different jobs like filmmaker and writer before gradually moving on to politics. His first success came at the age of 40, when he was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Bernie has never looked back; he was elected as a Congressman in 1990 as an independent but moved closer to the Democrats.

Yet, Sanders criticised both parties whenever he felt they were in the wrong. He was a vocal opponent of the invasion of Iraq on moral and economic grounds. Even though he endorsed the war in Afghanistan, upon reconsideration, he said that he would vote against it. After several terms in the House of Representatives, Bernie, a self-described democratic socialist, contested the Senate election in 2006, beating Republican tycoon Richard Tarrant in the process, who had spent $7 million of his personal wealth on the campaign.

Bernie’s years in the Senate have been marked by his criticism of a system that constantly favours the rich to the detriment of America’s diminishing middle class. More recently, and especially after entering the presidential race, Sanders has relentlessly attacked the growing accumulation of wealth amongst the “one-tenth of one percent” of Americans.

The long-time independent senator joined the Democratic Party in April 2015, when he announced that he was entering the presidential campaign. Pundits thought that Bernie did not have much of a chance to upstage the party favourite, Hillary Clinton, but that is exactly what has happened in recent weeks. Bernie is no longer the underdog; rather, he is the leading contender.

America and even the world at large is rushing to understand Bernie’s election manifesto for the world’s premier power and bastion of democratic capitalism. According to Wendy Mead, the writer of a biographical sketch of Sanders, his platform focuses on economic inequality. Mead writes: “He favours tax reform that increases rates for the wealthy, greater governmental oversight of Wall Street and balancing the disparity of wages for men and women. He also believes in a state-administered health care system, more affordable higher education and an expansion of the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid systems.”

Sanders appears particularly determined to take on the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, which are raking in billions in profits that he claims are stashed in offshore accounts to evade taxes. He has taken up the issue of discrimination on the basis of race and gender. For instance, he claims that the real unemployment rate amongst African-Americans is close to 50 percent and that one out of four African-American men face the prospect of ending up in jail.

Bernie’s speeches are full of unpleasant facts and statistics to show how unfair the US economic system has become, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The US has the highest proportion of people in jails and 29 percent of the people do not have health insurance. He reminded the voters that despite their illegal actions, the people bailed out Wall Street and it is now their turn to help in providing free education in public universities and making college more affordable in general.

Bernie has turned the tables on the party establishment’s candidate, Hillary Clinton. The system of super delegates gives Hillary a chance to clinch the nomination but, if Bernie’s popular lead remains, the establishment may just have to accept the people’s preference. The fury unleashed by the Hillary-Bernie duel has overshadowed Donald Trump’s maverick behaviour in the Republican camp.

The phenomenal rise of Sanders has resulted in a situation in which the Democratic nomination battle seems like a presidential election. The Republicans can hardly digest the fact that, of all people, a Democratic socialist will further diminish their chances of getting to the White House after eight years of Obama’s presidency. Sanders’ campaign strategist Tad Devine explains this success by saying, “The message that has made him a serious contender is the economy that is rigged, and that rigged economy is held in place by a corrupt system of finance. The result is enormous income inequality. That is where the votes are.”

Serious questions remain about Sanders’ ability to deliver on his promises if he is elected president. Hillary promises a more measured approach towards goals in the social sector. She represents reason, in contrast with Bernie’s passion.

The race is open, but Bernie is no longer the underdog. Responding to Hillary’s doubts about accomplishing his agenda, Bernie said that his victory will be a historical accomplishment in itself. The race has truly taken off.

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