"... by beating the drum that the political system is corrupt and rigged, Sanders is unwittingly reinforcing the beliefs of Trump’s core supporters."

...................................................................................................................................................................
Pulling Back the Curtain on New Hampshire Politics
Bernie Sanders’ Anger Is Smart Politics, Dangerous for the Country
By Judy Readon, January 18, 2016

The angry, leftwing populism of Bernie Sanders is smart politics in a contest for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, but is it good for the country’s future?

Both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are benefitting politically from the frustration and fear millions of Americans have about growing income inequality and persistent wage stagnation.

Seeking the Republican nomination, Trump’s basic message is Mexican immigrants and Muslims and weak and corrupt office holders are at fault for the country’s problems. His message is perfectly encapsulated in his first campaign TV ad, in which a male narrator tells us: “The politicians can pretend it’s something else, but Donald Trump calls it radical Islamic terrorism. That’s why he’s calling for a temporary shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until we can figure out what’s going on….And he’ll stop illegal immigration by building a wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for.”

Seeking the Democratic nomination, Sanders’ basic message is Wall Street and billionaires and weak and corrupt office holders are at fault for the country’s problems. His message is perfectly encapsulated in a campaign ad that aired recently, in which Sanders himself tells us: “It’s called a rigged economy, and this is how it works. Most new wealth flows to the top 1 percent. It’s a system held in place by corrupt politics where Wall Street banks and billionaires buy elections.”

Both are practicing a politics of anger with an us-versus-them theme.

Of course few tears need be shed for the billionaires and Wall Streeters who are Sanders’ targets. They can take care of themselves.

It is, however, worth looking at who the 536 American billionaires are (note: Communist China actually has 60 more billionaires than the United States). In a list compiled by Forbes of Americans worth at least $1.7 billion in 2015, there is a sprinkling of hedge funders and other Wall Street types, but the vast majority of billionaires derived their fortunes from manufacturing, including chewing gum and beer, and other industries, such as software, the internet, media, retailing and real estate. Interestingly, no one from New Hampshire made the list, and only one person from Iowa.

The top 10 billionaires are Bill Gates (Microsoft), Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Charles and David Koch (oil, coal), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Michael Bloomberg (financial data and media); Jim Walton (Wal-Mart), and Larry Page (Google). None of these men are Wall Streeters and only two – the Koch brothers – invest heavily in elections. Most appear to have earned their wealth fair and square, but, again, all of these folks can take care of themselves.

Where Sanders and Trump do overlap is in their targeting of what they describe as a corrupt political system, and this is where the danger of Sanders’ campaign lies.

As he does in his TV ad, on the campaign trail Sanders constantly refers to a rigged economy and corrupt political system. Sometimes he calls the political system both rigged and corrupt. Rigged. Corrupt. Rigged. Corrupt. Rigged. Corrupt.

While there is little worry that Sanders’ supporters will transfer their allegiance to Trump, by beating the drum that the political system is corrupt and rigged, Sanders is unwittingly reinforcing the beliefs of Trump’s core supporters. Sanders rhetoric assures them their anger is not only justified, but righteous.

If Trump fails to win the Republican nomination, won’t Trump supporters simply consider it further evidence that Trump and Sanders are correct that the political system is corrupt and rigged? If the political system is corrupt and rigged, why participate in it? And if in the future a charismatic rightwing populist calls for arms not votes, will they heed that call? At a time when some people take up guns to turn away federal agents seeking to collect grazing fees, is that out of the question?
...................................................................................................................................................................