Unvarnished and grumpy, presidential hopeful Sanders fires up the left in America
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/09/23/world/politics-diplomacy-world/unvarnished-grumpy-presidential-hopeful-sanders-fires-left-america/#.VgLlqyuaI22
Bernie Sanders doesn’t kiss babies. He promises them a revolution. “This is for you,” the upstart Democratic presidential candidate told 3-month-old Lily Landretti after an event in southeastern Iowa. By “this,” he meant his insurgent campaign. Lily just kept gurgling.
In an age of carefully planned campaigns, the Vermont senator is different. A self-identified grump, Sanders gets angry, rolls up his sleeves and winds up drenched in sweat. Like Donald Trump in the Republican race, Sanders has been drawing big crowds and giving the buttoned-up candidates a run for their money. Although polls through most of the year have found Hillary Rodham Clinton with a strong lead nationally, Sanders has been gaining ground in recent surveys, especially in the key early states of Iowa and New Hampshire
For his supporters, Sanders’ grouchy persona is one of his charms. They say the independent senator, who has shaken up the Democratic nominating race with his anti-establishment campaign, feels like a real person, not a slick politician. They believe him when he bellows his unvarnished liberal message, pledging to work for single-payer health care, paid maternity leave and a higher minimum wage. “I wanted to give him a hug,” said Lily’s mom, Jane Landretti, 37, of Madison, Wisconsin. She said he is like a “very smart-thinking grandpa.”
Eight years ago, Barack Obama offered a message of hope and change, presenting himself as a leader from a new generation. This time around, Democratic imaginations and hearts are fired up by a white-haired 74-year-old socialist who is riding a populist surge. Iowa Democrats who attended Sanders’ events during a recent swing said they just like his style. “I love a person who is going to stand up and be a straight shooter,” said Lynnea Ellison, 62, who watched Sanders address crowds in the Grinnell town square. “I think he’s the perfect candidate.” Trudy Magurshak, 66, agreed that Sanders does not come across as a normal politician who “wants to be your best friend. We want them to be real people.” Chad LaRue, 54, waited to see Sanders open an office in his town later that day. He liked that Sanders could be rough around the edges. “I think it makes him real,” he said. “Bernie is the anti-establishment candidate for me.”
Asked about his attitude, Sanders joked, “Me, grouchy?”
= new reply since forum marked as read
