CNN’s Brooke Baldwin went to Iowa and asked Bernie Sanders supporters to define socialism and explain their enthusiasm for him, but they struggled.
Sanders’s authenticity sparked a strong attraction. He connected with voters who wanted a politician who seems sincere and honest, rather than someone who tries to appeal to every person.
“Bernie Sanders is like the only candidate who’s really unwilling to pander to just whatever’s going on,” Katie Senn said.
“He’s been steadfast in his ways … and he’s always advocating for the people,” George Theogokatos said.
That can be a risky tactic, but for the 2016 election, it’s worked well for Sanders. By Tuesday morning, the Clinton campaign declared victory in Iowa, but Iowa Democratic Party officials have been reluctant to declare it.
“The results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history,” Iowa party chairman Andy McGuire said.
For the Sanders campaign, the results have been a strong confirmation of his surprising rise.
Supporters also admired his opinions on immigration, health care reform, and drug reform.
They struggled, however, to give coherent responses that defined Sanders’s brand of socialism.
“Can I define socialism? Probably not, if I’m being totally honest … like social security, roads, Medicaid depending on the form that it takes, anything that sort of come together and publicly funded through our government would be socialism. I might be wrong,” Theogokatos said.
He wasn’t alone for being at a loss of words.
“Socialism, oh boy. I don’t think I can [define it],” Senn said.
The Red Guard has not been in the streets for Sanders. It’s surprising that a democratic socialist has had such high levels of success in the Democratic field, but for all the socialist agitation behind Sanders, many supporters have been attracted to him for being left of Hillary Clinton, not a full embrace of his policies.
“It’s nothing wrong with dreaming. We want to teach our kids to dream. … there can be political revolution,” Supporter Martese Chism said.
If voters don’t dig deeper into Sanders’s views and understand his vision for a democratic socialist president, however, they could be in for a surprise if his political revolution wins the White House.
