Bernie Sanders Presents 2020 Presidential Tour with 2020 Presidential Tour

COLUMBIA, SC – In South Carolina, one of the most humiliating defeats of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential race. He won only 26% of the vote in the first primary of the Palmetto State, presaging a shutout in the south of the country, which ensured Hillary Clinton to be named Democrat.

Worse still, his defeat in South Carolina embodied the difficulty he had in gaining the support of black voters, a central constituency of the Democratic Party.

Before a political rally last Saturday, there were signs that the state was still unwelcoming land for Sanders. Two senior Democratic leaders in the state confessed in the press that he had to "get lost," arguing that the visit was of no help in a conservative state where party candidates generally compete for return to the center.

But when Sanders arrived on the scene at the University of South Carolina under the adoration of 1,000 supporters waving "Medicare for Y'all" signs, it was clear that he had his share of supporters here. Fed up with the energy of the crowd, he got rid of his detractors with a bit of sarcasm.

"It's an excellent participation. And it's pretty funny, I was told there were no progressives in South Carolina, "he said deadly before an enthusiastic crowd.

Welcome to a preview of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. As part of a warm-up for Sanders' second expected run, he promoted the party's prospects during the November 6 elections at a popular event. Electoral campaign in nine states, which began in Bloomington, Indiana on October 19 and ends in Oakland, California. , this Saturday. Barbara Lee, representative of California, a member of the Progressive Democratic Party, will join the last stop.

The event in South Carolina, organized by the state chapter of Our Revolution, the group created to continue the mission of Sanders' 2016 campaign, was touted as a "Medicare for All" rally. It was Sanders' first trip to South Carolina since the main battle of the 16th edition.

The turmoil of health care has shown Sanders' unique position in the already acclaimed circle of purported 2020 presidential candidates: he has already done so and he has the organizational power to show it, even in a state like South Carolina, where he behaved badly. & # 39; 16.

During his 40-minute interventions in South Carolina and three interventions in Iowa later Saturday and Sunday in Iowa, Sanders did not hide that he was keenly considering a another race for the presidency. He spent a good deal of his time telling how much of the politics he defended as a presidential candidate were now squarely in the democratic system.

"Three years ago, while I was campaigning in South Carolina and other states, my opponent and editors across the country said," Bernie Sanders is crazy. It is far. His ideas are extreme. Nobody supports these crazy ideas, "he said with a false sense of alarm. "Well, guess what happened, guys? Three years have passed and these ideas that were considered radical and extreme three years ago are now widespread, supported by the vast majority of the United States.

While the Democrats no longer have power in Washington, there is no chance that his most ambitious ideas will become law. But there is also clear evidence that his proposals have gained momentum among Democrats.

Sanders' single payer legislation, passed in September 2017, has received support from about one-third of the Democratic Caucus members of the Senate; even former President Barack Obama praised the underlying policy. And as Sanders likes to note about the strain, 70% of Americans say they support "Medicare for All," according to a poll by Reuters in August.

In April 2017, a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15, which had once received the derisory support of his colleagues, now enjoys majority support among the ranks of Democrats in the Senate. And more recently, Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Have successfully lobbied Amazon to adopt a minimum wage of $ 15.

Sanders, who preaches about American politics in moral terms, remains very comfortable with explaining economic policy. This is a trend that has prompted criticism from some liberals eager to hear about systemic racial justice and sexism rooted more explicitly.

He also raised his eyebrows left with his April 2017 decision to campaign for Democrat Heath Mello, an abortion rights opponent who unsuccessfully presented to the mayor's office. Omaha, Nebraska.

But Sanders has since bothered to court his black allies, defend policies outside what is often strictly defined as issues of "economic justice" and incorporate them into his speech. He can no longer be accurately described as a politician focused on economic class issues.

In an interview with HuffPost in April, he was asked if he had become more sensitive to the need to speak about the particular challenges faced by blacks – who were just a small segment of the Vermont – Sanders admitted he did.

"I have traveled to 48 states of this country. I've traveled to many African American communities and talked to a lot of people, "he said. "And I hope my opinions change in response to what I learned."

Sanders' transformation is evident in his political agenda. The inclusion of abortion coverage in its single payer health bill was welcomed by women's groups. He commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee; held an anti-poverty rally with the leader of civil rights, Reverend William Barber, in Durham, North Carolina; and hosted a live roundtable on economic inequality that featured individuals specializing in the unique barriers faced by colored Americans.

And in June, he introduced a bill removing the use of bail, which, according to a press release issued by his office, "disproportionately" affects blacks, Latinos and Native Americans.

Sanders' speeches in South Carolina and Iowa reflected this diverse goal. He described the criminal justice system as "broken" and "racist", and spoke of the "hypocrisy" of Republicans preaching a small government, except for the right of women to abortion.

He concluded his remarks on an optimistic note, citing the long history of triumphing prejudice and hatred by the Americans.

"I tell President (Donald) Trump that this country has been fighting for too many years, for too many centuries in the fight against racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia," Sanders said. "We do not go back. We are going forward – as a people. "

Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party and guest speaker at the rally in South Carolina, told HuffPost that since the 16-year-old primary school, Sanders had "woven links [in South Carolina] and he understands the terrain.

"I imagine we will go ahead, he will participate in a very different way in South Carolina," Mitchell said.

Sometimes Sanders' current tour has revealed some of the limits of his reach. The gathering crowd in South Carolina was somewhat diverse, but it was visibly whiter than the Columbia population, which is 41% black.

And it was telling that neither the Democratic nominee, the state's representative, James Smith, nor any of the party's party candidates shared the stage with Sanders.

The rally was the product of a long-standing invitation by the state section "Our Revolution", according to his aides, who did not comment on the absence of the various candidates.

Trav Robertson, chairman of the Democratic Party of South Carolina, criticized his colleagues who congratulated Sanders for his visit and said he was pleased with the visit.

If Sanders or other national Democratic leaders "will draw national attention" to Republican state policies that led to the closure of hospitals and increased utility bills, Robertson said, "Let us to come them ".

"It's always exciting for national figures to pinpoint our problems," he added.

During his day and a half in Iowa, Sanders participated in no less than four campaign events for J.D. Scholten, which is making a long-term impeachment attempt to overthrow the infamous white nationalist, Steve King, in Iowa's very rural 4th rural district.

Scholten, a former minor baseball pitcher and fervent Catholic, is a natural ideological ideal for the Brooklyn-born Sanders. Presenting himself as the heir to the forgotten tradition of Iowa's peasant populists, Scholten supports Medicare's action for all and assists the monopolist conglomerates of seeds and livestock that make up their minds. he believes, forced to coerce small farmers.

In an interview with his cruiser crossing the Sioux City Sue district, Scholten rejected the idea that Sanders' leftist politics could be a political handicap in his district.

"There are a lot of things in play right now that are neither left nor right – they are Iowa's problems," he said. "These are our tariffs, it's these farmland all around us."

But among the three House seats held by the GOP in Iowa, Democrats prefer their chances better in the 1st congressional district, which includes Dubuque and Cedar Rapids, and the 3rd, which includes the metropolitan area of ​​Des Moines. Sanders' campaign did not touch the campaigns of Abby Finkenauer, the Democrat in the first row, or Cindy Axne, the third candidate. Although Finkenauer does not show up with non-state Democrats, Axne welcomed Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) To a campaign rally on Monday.

As attention turns to the race for the Democratic presidency in 2020, Sanders, 77, enjoys his surprisingly strong performance in 2016 against Clinton, who started this race as a prohibitive favorite. But some party strategists believe that one of the major reasons for his success is his dislike of voters.

His call has not yet been tested in a group that boasts several powerful candidates – a field that might well include Harris with Sense. Cory Booker (NJ), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and former Vice President Joe Biden. .

One thing that Sanders clearly does not see as an obstacle is his age. Although this problem is likely to surface, its importance could be reduced if Biden, 75, enters the race. And on the day of the elections in 2020, Trump will be 74 years old.

After a rally reserved for men standing this weekend in the state of Iowa, Deidre DeJear, candidate for the post of secretary of state of Iowa, went to Sports complex of the school to photograph hoops.

While Sanders was coming out of the school in a t-shirt, a student called him. "Bernie, are you still tired?

"No!" Replied Sanders. "I just wake-up."