America should listen to Sanders
On a day of the underdogs, media favourites Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were put in the shade after strong performances by Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders in the Republican and Democratic contests for Wisconsin. Seven of the last eight primaries or caucuses have gone to Sanders. That’s an impressive figure, which the veteran is wasting no time to capitalise on. It will give him extra media time to spell out his agenda, though he made a mess of his last interview. The 74-year old is on song and Hillary the frontrunner has reason to be worried, with voting for Americas big states coming up, including the former first lady’s home state of New York. Sanders was expected to win Wisconsin, and he did it convincingly, without a fuss. Hillary on the other hand, is desperate to shake off the elitist tag that has haunted her in race for the White House.
But are these victories enough for Sanders to make a comeback and beat Hillary? The Democratic socialist certainly has the momentum with women and youth drawn to his largely idealistic agenda, which may not see the light of day in the practical sense if he becomes president. How he’s going to implement his revolutionary plans is anybody’s guess when he has to deal with Washington’s wheeler-dealers and lobby groups. However, his clean image is so far holding him in good stead as he taps into mass resentment against Wall Street, which is close to the Clinton camp. His message also got a boost from latest revelations on how world leaders park their wealth in tax-free havens like Panama. Yes, inequality is rife. But that’s the reality in an era of dwindling resources and mass exodus where the rich scent any opportunity to get richer at the expense of the poor. Sanders, surprisingly, has not attacked Hillary directly, but often brings up Trump and his brand of polarising politics during his speeches. Perhaps, he sees the real estate baron as his main rival — only if Trump can cover his latest missteps and get past Cruz and the Republican establishment bent on denying him a shot at the presidency.