Dawn of the Berniecratic Party

Dawn of the Berniecratic Party
The center of power in the Democratic Party is moving rapidly leftward and Sanders is serving as the conductor.

By David Catanese, Senior Politics Writer | Sept. 15, 2017, at 6:00 a.m.


Excerpts:

"This week looks like a moment where it's crystallizing in a lot of people's minds that Bernie Sanders is the future of the Democratic Party," says Mark Longabaugh, a Democratic consultant and aide to Sanders' presidential bid. "There's an assumption within the Democratic Party that a progressive candidate is a weakness. That's not a weakness, that's a strength. We have to lose some of the timidity that the party has had for too long on policy issues. How did Donald Trump end up as president? The public is restless and extremely unsatisfied with the performance of government. You have to make an argument. Put big bold ideas on the table. The public may not agree with every aspect, but they're going to give you credit for trying to do something. Bernie Sanders put it on the table and argued for it."

Just look at some of the names who stood next to him Wednesday to roll-out his universal health care pitch: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. All are prospective candidates for the presidency in 2020 – and 10 months following the party's harrowing 2016 defeat, they found themselves moving towards Sanders ideologically and physically, as each waited for his call Wednesday to make remarks at a Capitol Hill podium.

"During the 2016 primary, Hillary Clinton understandably felt that she owed it to voters to only promise what she honestly felt she could deliver as president. But as Democrats engage in this post-2016 rebuilding, progressives appropriately believe it is important to make a statement on principle in favor of a Medicare-for-all system, regardless of the practical hurdles," says Brian Fallon, the national press secretary for Clinton's 2016 campaign. "I would bet many Democratic candidates running in the midterms may, for now, hew towards some of the on-ramp style proposals, such as those offered by Sens. Brian Schatz and Chris Murphy, but anyone seeking to lead the party in 2020 should probably be wary of rejecting the aspiration behind Sen. Sanders' plan."

What's unclear is if Sanders will harness his skyrocketing influence around other issues, like a $15 minimum wage and his plan for free college tuition. Longabaugh sees the trend as inevitable. "Look at the number of people standing with him. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo standing with Bernie Sanders for free college tuition," he said, referring to their joint appearance in January. "Clinton can talk about registration labels. But when they were in the Senate at the same time, Bernie Sanders voted with Democratic leadership more than Hillary Clinton did." Sanders himself may decide to run for president again, but regardless of his personal decision, he's setting an early bar of what constitutes a true progressive in the era of Donald Trump.

https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-09-15/bernie-sanders-sets-the-bar-for-democrats-ahead-of-2020