Bernie Sanders campaign kickoff announcement in Burlington, Vermont
The media barely noticed Bernie Sanders entry into the Presidential field; and if they did it was with more than a little derision. They couldn't seem to get over that exotic 'socialist' label. At first, that's all they mentioned as they dismissed the thought of Sanders being a legitimate threat to the coronation of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate for president.
In just a few weeks the conversation has changed as it becomes difficult for the traditional media to ignore the Sanders over-flow event crowds and the passionate enthusiasm he generates where ever he goes. Witness the piece in the Washington Post by John Wagner and Anne Gearan, where they call Sanders a real threat to Hillary Clinton .
Sanders’s emerging strength has exposed continued misgivings among the party’s progressive base about Clinton, whose team is treading carefully in its public statements. Supporters have acknowledged privately the potential for Sanders to damage her — perhaps winning an early state or two — even if he can’t win the nomination.
“He’s connecting in a way that Hillary Clinton is not,” said Burt Cohen, a former New Hampshire state senator and Sanders supporter who attended Sunday morning’s event, where a nasty rain didn’t seem to deter many people from coming. “He’s talking about things people want to hear. People are used to candidates who are calculated, produced and measured, and they see through that. Bernie’s different.”
Sanders doesn't back down as he showed when asked about the SCOTUS decision on marriage equality. He mentioned his 1996 vote in Congress against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law signed by President Clinton, which defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted by other states.
“It is one thing now for every politician in the world, at least on the Democratic side, to be wildly enthusiastic about gay rights,” Sanders said. “That wasn’t the case back in 1996. . . . You can come up with any position you want today, but people have a right to know: Have you been consistent?”
Sanders consistency is what is being recognized; such as his career long support of civil rights for gays and his
life long support for the rights of African Americans and other minorities.
People are really liking what they see in Bernie Sanders and it's finally getting noticied.