THE BERNIE SANDERS PHENOMENON

LARGEST INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGN DONATIONS IN HISTORY

bernie sanders

(College: USA Today - Boston Rally, 10-4-15)

bernie sanders crowd

(Daily Kos - Boston MA 10-3-15)

BERNIE SANDERS MAKES HISTORY WITH LARGEST INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGN DONATIONS

In a recent interview with NPR, Sanders announced that his campaign has accomplished a history making event: The 2016 Democratic hopeful has accumulated more individual donations than any candidate in history.

Sanders went on to say, “When we began this campaign six months ago, I’d say that 80 percent of the American people did not know who Bernie Sanders was, what I stood for. First polls that I saw had us at three percent or five percent. We have come a very, very long way. We have hundreds of thousands of volunteers in fifty states in this country. We have received more individual contributions, 750,000, than any candidate in American history at this point in the campaign.”

BERNIE'S METEORIC RISE IN THE POLLS - MORE POPULAR NOW THAN TRUMP

Not only does Sanders have the most individual campaign donations, but according to RealClear Politics, in a general election he dominates the Republican's lead runner, Donald Trump. Sanders is up by nine points over Trump. Not only that, but Sanders leads over Trump in every major poll - an astonishing feat that the media has been largely silent about.

Now, it is true that Clinton retains around a 20 point lead over Sanders, according to the most recent polling numbers. However, her numbers have dropped from their initial height in June (although they have risen up again after a dip) (Real Clear Politics).

This is not to mention that Sanders now corners the celebrity vote as well, with the support of over 120 artists, writers, musicians, actors and more. This includes the UFC's first and current Women's Bantamweight Champion and mixed martial artist, Ronda Jean Rousey.

BERNIE'S ONLINE FUNDRAISING PHENOMENON

So what is the explanation for the Bernie Sanders magic? How has a candidate who was once mostly unknown experienced such a meteoric rise to prominence? Part of his success is his brilliant, online fundraising machine. He is doing far better at online fundraising now at this point in the campaign than Obama did back in 2008. (New York Times)

SANDERS IS SUPPORTED BY WORKERS AND UNIONS, WHILE CLINTON IS SUPPORTED BY WALL STREET AND THE BIG BANKS

It is also interesting to compare the donors who give to Hillary vs. those who donate to Sanders. Despite Hillary's tough talk on reigning in Wall Street excesses and the big banks, banking firms like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley are among her biggest donors (Open Secrets). Compare this to Bernie Sanders, who has so far waged a successful grass roots campaign, with an unprecedented amount of individual donations. Not to mention that his biggest donors are unions (Open Secrets). So if you really want to know who these candidates represent, you must follow the money.

BERNIE SANDERS - A MAN OF THE PEOPLE

However, the real secret weapon of the Bernie Sanders campaign is that he is openly and honestly talking about the issues that everyday Americans care most about. He has tapped into a vein of public outrage often ignored by the mainstream media. He is willing to talk frankly about the destruction of the middle class, the growing environmental crisis and the astronomical cost of education.

Sanders’s core message is one that very large numbers of Americans agree with: The system is rigged. The top 1 percent—“the millionaire and billionaire class,” as Sanders puts it—take too much of the nation’s wealth. Our political system and its elections are corrupt: The rich can buy a government that’s to their liking by throwing unlimited amounts of money at elections. (The Nation)

As he stated at the beginning of his run: "Today, with your support and the support of millions of people throughout this country, we begin a political revolution to transform our country economically, politically, socially and environmentally. Today, we stand here and say loudly and clearly that: ‘Enough is enough. This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their Super PACs and their lobbyists."

In an email he sent to supporters, he wrote: "Our country is in serious trouble, and it is up to us to stand up and fight back."

So there you have it. Bernie Sanders may not have the support of the super PACs, the billionaires, the banks or the mainstream media. But he has a weapon far more powerful - and that weapon is the truth.

SANDERS HAS TALKED FRANKLY AND OPENLY ABOUT THE ECONOMY

BUT NOW HE NEEDS TO DO THE SAME FOR FOREIGN POLICY, TO BETTER CONTRAST HIMSELF AGAINST WAR HAWK HILLARY CLINTON

One issue that he has not touched too heavily upon is foreign policy and America's military interventions around the globe. This is an area where he has a chance to contrast himself against Clinton's more hawkish military agenda. So we think he should definitely be more willing to talk just as openly and frankly about foreign policy as he does about America's domestic issues at home.

COULD SANDERS WIN?

It will be interesting to see how things play out in the 2016 Presidential Election. He started out as a candidate who was only at three or five percent in the initial polls, and now he has the most individual campaign donations in history - not to mention a clear lead over the Republican front runner. Could Sanders win? It is possible - very possible.

BERNIE SANDERS WEBSITES

Official Bernie Sanders Site

Bernie Sanders on the Issues

Bernie Sanders on Twitter

OFFICIAL FUNDRAISING NUMBERS

The 2016 Money Race - Money Raised Per Candidate (Wall Street Journal)

Bernie Sanders Top Donors (Open Secrets)

Hillary Clinton's Top Donors (Open Secrets)

POLLING

2016 Democratic Presidential Nomination (Real Clear Politics)

In new shock poll, Sanders has landslides over both Trump and Bush (The Hill, 11-11-15)

Media Silent As Sanders Overtakes Trump In Every Major Poll (Occupy Democrats, 11-5-15)