Who’s drawing the crowds?
Ted Cruz visited Chattanooga on Monday and drew a few hundred people to his event. Meanwhile, a Bernie Sanders rally in Portland, Ore., on Sunday drew 28,000.
No one in the Republican field, not even Trump, has come close to drawing the same kind of crowds as Sanders. I started wondering what the real gut level difference is. I could belabor the obvious: Sanders eschews big money donors while the others court them; Republicans are pro-corporations and Sanders pro-people; Republicans rattle sabers while Sanders votes against wars; Republicans would gut environmental regulations, Sanders would strengthen them; Republicans still tout trickle-down economics while Sanders points out that history has disproved the idea; Republicans say no to a Scandinavian-style health care system, Sanders says yes.
Big differences, I know, but do they explain the tremendous differences in crowd appeal? No, I think it goes deeper. Sanders is reaching the people who believe everyone has the inherent right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and an equal opportunity to achieve the American dream. The rise of the billionaire class is crushing any chance for most people to achieve that dream. Sanders wants to level the playing field and restore opportunity. It’s that simple.
Geraldine Powell, Signal Mountain