The Trailer: What makes Bernie run?

By David Weigel
January 27

In an interview Wednesday, we asked Sanders a question about how the 2020 field was different, and closer to his own beliefs, than the one he entered four years ago. He has been telling audiences that he is looking into whether a new kind of campaign was even possible, so what did that mean?

His reply:

“I’m determining whether or not I should run, and if I do run, it will have to be an unprecedented grass-roots effort, never before seen in American history. I’m proud of what we accomplished last time, in attracting hundreds of thousands of volunteers. But we’d have to do even better this time. And the reason for that is that we will take on the entire establishment. That means, in a very bold way, taking on Wall Street, because the kind of concentration of major banks is extraordinary, and something we don’t talk about. It means taking on the fossil fuel industry, because they cannot continue to profit as they release carbon into the atmosphere and continue to destroy the planet. It makes taking on the insurance companies and the drug companies as we fight for Medicare for All. It means taking on, obviously, the Republican establishment, it means taking on the Democratic establishment, and it means taking on the president. That's a lot of people."

We followed up, asking what space he saw for his agenda when three announced candidates (Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand) have already endorsed his key legislation, including Medicare-for-all.

“I don’t want to go forward unless there is the kind of support out there that will not just send $27 — though that’s great, we need that — but are prepared to really roll up their sleeves and work. Because the opposition from the economic establishment and political establishment will be extraordinary. Look, Elizabeth Warren is a friend of mine. Cory Booker is a friend of mine. Kamala Harris is someone I’ve gotten to know. Kirsten Gillibrand, and many other good people are running. But I think it's fair to say that what we'd be doing would be different. When I talk about taking on Wall Street, I mean breaking up, not just regulating, the major financial institutions, because I feel that we are headed down the path to financial collapse. When I talk about taking on the health-care industry, man, they're already putting zillions of dollars together to defeat our agenda. I have to know that we can run a kind of unprecedented, anti-establishment campaign."

This is a tougher case than the one Sanders had to make in 2016, and he knows that. And that's why the decision is taking longer than many of his supporters would like.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paloma/the-trailer/2019/01/27/the-trailer-shutdown-lessons-plus-the-most-exciting-contest-right-now/5c4dbb521b326b29c3778cdb/