Bernie Sanders can beat Trump in November

In one way or another, every single Democratic candidate for president has proclaimed that they are the best person to beat Trump in November.

To understand which candidate is correct, voters should ask themselves not who is the best person to beat Trump, but rather what does it take to beat an incumbent president with almost limitless campaign funds and an energized base?

I would say that it takes a massive coalition of working people and the largest voter turnout in American history.

When I think about a successful coalition, what comes to mind is the 1981 mayoral election in the small New England town of Burlington, Vermont. The fourterm incumbent Democratic mayor was up against two independents, a businessman and a democratic socialist activist named Bernie Sanders.

Sanders had previously run for office four times, for governor and U.S. Senate. Though his previous attempts had been unsuccessful, what was noticeable was which demographics he was appealing to and where he had garnered the most support.

In a 1981 article, the New York Times wrote: “Mr. Sanders put together an unlikely coalition that included poor people’s and tenants’ rights organizations, students and faculty members at the University of Vermont here and members of the Burlington Patrolmen’s Association and other city workers groups upset over pay and working conditions.” You read that correctly, a self-described socialist earned the support of the conservative men in blue.

Bernie Sanders won that election and was re-elected to three more terms.

In 1987, U.S. News and World Report named him one of the nation’s 20 top mayors, crediting him “with preserving affordable housing, holding the line on property taxes and making a serious push for home rule in a state where cities had little autonomy.” Bernie also made good on his promise to increase the pay of police officers.

Yes, Burlington is a small town. Yes, that was nearly 40 years ago. But when you look at the approach and strategy of that election you see similarities to what Sen. Sanders is doing right now on a national scale (to great success). The major difference is before he had no name recognition and no political power — now he has both, along with the support of national labor unions, elected officials, celebrities, and one of the most effective social media followings of any public figure.

The Democratic party establishment says their nominee needs to be someone who can appeal to Republicans, someone who can get things done, and someone who is not Bernie Sanders.

While caucusing with Democrats in Congress, Bernie has maintained considerable support among conservative voters and no-political-affiliation voters; and he’s also actually got things done with Republicans.

In 1990, he beat an incumbent Republican for Vermont’s lone seat in the House of Representatives. Winning 56% of the vote, he became the first independent elected to Congress in decades. In reference to his tenure in the House, Bernie is often referred to as the “Amendment King.” From 1995 to 2007, he passed 17 roll call amendments which is more than any other member during that time; all of this in a Republican-controlled Congress.

In 2014, Bernie worked with the late Sen. John McCain on legislation to reform the Department of Veteran Affairs. The bill expanded veterans’ access to healthcare. Bernie has also worked with Republican Sen. Mike Lee to push legislation asserting congressional oversight of military issues. The two led a bipartisan effort on a war powers resolution to end U.S. support for the military conflict in Yemen. Their bill passed both the House and Senate.

Sen. Sanders is now the longest serving independent and consistently surveyed as the popular politician in Congress. Almost every poll since 2016 has shown that Bernie would beat Trump by the largest margin of any candidate.

The reality is Bernie Sanders has what it takes to beat Trump. The Sanders campaign has more individual campaign contributors and more money in the bank than any Democratic candidate. What he’s been able to accomplish is a direct result of being a lifelong organizer, committed to the needs of working class people.

In a time of massive wealth and income inequality, we need a president who understands the economic anxiety felt by so many American citizens, including those who voted for President Trump. Bernie Sanders will lead not just as commander-in-chief but also as organizer-inchief; and with the help of a massive coalition, build a government that works for all of us.