Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), the increasingly popular socialist vying for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, hits on a familiar theme in his speeches and press appearances: Those billionaires are the absolute worst.
Sanders' wrath falls upon "millionaires and billionaires," "the billionaire class," the "handful of billionaires" who control this country, and of course, two philanthropist, anti-cancer gentlemen named the "Koch brothers." Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) can personally attest that consistent attacks on the latter is not a successful election strategy.
However, with trusty Ed Schultz of MSNBC cheering him on, Sanders is making squishy liberal Hillary Clinton sweat out what should have been a slam-dunk bid for the party nod. The enthusiasm for Sanders is palpable, CNN reported earlier:
Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) received more than 76 percent of his haul from donations of $200 or less, compared to 17 percent for Clinton. Sanders, who has drawn the largest crowds of either party to his rallies so far in the young campaign, trails Clinton in the polls but is posing a stronger challenge than the Clinton team thought, enough so that her own supporters have teased the possibility he could win Iowa, New Hampshire, or both.
"They want to make sure that everyone in the media and everyone in the public knows that she has support and enthusiasm among the rank-and-file Democratic Party voters, but these numbers aren’t great for her," said Associated Press reporter Lisa Lerer.
"Her poll numbers [among Democrats] and favorability are fine, but they seem to have an ‘eh,’" host John King said.
In Madison, Wisconsin on July 1, Sanders drew roughly 10,000 people, showing his campaign is not the total long-shot proposition many observers said. CNN reported on his remarks:
"What I would like to ask of you: Please think big, not small," Sanders said, referring to the audience as his "brothers and sisters."
Calling for a "political revolution," Sanders added, "there is nothing that we cannot accomplish."