Bernie Sanders

The complex history—and promising future—of a movement

The senator’s reasonable concern—that Muslims and people of all religions be treated equally—led to an unreasonable demand.

Populism is a predictable recurring feature of any society that is unwilling or unable to be as democratic as it claims to be.

In the civil rights movement, language of political participation was central. BLM activists are making a more profound demand.

Americans tend to have a romanticized, inflated sense of the White House and its power. In domestic affairs, most of the power is elsewhere.

The state of U.S. politics makes it tempting to throw energy behind a messianic bid for the presidency. It also makes this a dubious strategy.

So far, this presidential campaign season has been dominated by the narrative of the steadfast outsider. A July poll found that more than three-quarters of Donald Trump’s supporters like him because he stands up to the media and isn’t interested in political correctness. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders, a secular Jew and registered Independent, is energizing the Democratic base—not by minimizing his European-style socialism, but by shooting straight. “He’s so authentic, he’s hip,” wrote Steve Winkler in the Guardian. 

Then there’s Joe Biden, who hasn’t said yet if he’ll run.

It is intriguing that the Republican presidential candidate who's leading the polls and the Democratic candidate who's close to tying the front-runner are both outliers.

At a moment when the spotlight shines on those who say the most outrageous things, it's worth noting Bernie Sanders's approach at Liberty.