The Intercept
Can we agree, in the wake of primary contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and now Nevada, that everything we were told about Sen. Bernie Sanders was wrong? That the press, the pundits, the politicians were all wrong about him? And not just wrong, but completely, utterly, demonstrably, embarrassingly, catastrophically wrong?
You would have to go back to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to find another example of where our political and media elites were so out of step with reality; so off in their predictions and prognostications; so keen to peddle myths and misinformation. (On a side note, whenever we mention Iraq, it’s always worth recalling how Sanders opposed that disastrous conflict, whereas his rivals Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden both supported it.)
Let’s consider the nonsense that has passed for “reporting,” “commentary,” and “analysis” on Sanders over the past year or so.
He isn’t electable. The 78-year-old independent senator from Vermont, goes the argument, is too old and too kooky to win — and also, Americans won’t vote for a socialist. Yet in the wake of his blowout victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, Sanders is now the first candidate in the nation’s history, of either party, to win the popular vote in the first three races. You might think the concept of electability should be connected somehow to, y’know, actually winning elections (hello Joe Biden!).
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