Bernie Sanders

I think that Bernie Sanders, whether he becomes the president or not, will go down in history as one of the defining figures of this generation. There are many things I like about Sanders. I like his energy, I like his charisma, and I absolutely love the fact that he's brought issues such as wealth inequality, climate change, and social justice into the front and center of the American political landscape. Bernie Sanders seemed to surprise everyone in 2016 with how well he did, and he certainly gained a large and loyal fan base that I'm sure will serve him well in the upcoming 2020 election. Part of his appeal, if you ask me, is his fearlessness to say exactly what's on his mind without a filter. In this sense, he is somewhat like President Trump, but instead of using his bombast for provoking hate and fear, he uses it to fight for issues that deeply matter to him and that he truly believes will make this country a better place for everyone. Leading up to the 2016 primary, he was largely written off as a joke. So many people in the media said he never stood a chance, they said that he was too "fringe", but then he went and surprised everyone with how well he did. I think the reason for that is that he harnessed the mentality and issues that matter to the American youth and channeled his plans and ideas with a refreshing, energetic, and powerful demeanor. He isn't, however, free from his flaws. His self description as a democratic socialist immediately turned off the older generations that view "socialism" as a dirty word. People called him a communist and said that he would turn the united states into a country like Venezuela or the Soviet Union. This is an errored way of thinking because the people who think that are confusing democratic socialism (very much like the Scandinavian countries use) with flat out authoritarian communism. Never the less, there are still many people who dislike him for such policy ideas and I think that because of this, the smear campaign that president Trump can make of Bernie pretty much writes itself. Another big drawback of Bernie Sanders is his age. Don't get me wrong, I love Bernie, but we need to be realistic about his age. If elected, he would be 79 when he would be sworn in, and he would be 83 by the time he would be running for reelection. This is concerning to me, and it should be concerning for everyone in the United States. Personally, I think that because of his age, he would really only have it in him to be president for one term. That doesn't, however, steer me away from supporting him, because I would be completely on board with him being the nominee if he were to choose a young, charismatic, and competent vice president that could take over when he would most likely need to step down. I think Bernie would get a lot done even if he was only a one term president. While he's definitely the biggest name in the field of democratic presidential candidates, I will continue to closely observe all of the other candidates to see if one of the younger ones can channel a similar kind of energy and support. If no one else can, I will definitely support Sanders should he be the nominee. I wouldn't say I'm "feeling the bern" in the sense that I'm as fanatic about him as some of my peers are, but I recognize and admire the political powerhouse that Bernie Sanders has become.