Three weeks ago, rapper Killer Mike sent out a tweet announcing his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and H.A. Goodman wrote on Friday that Killer Mike’s endorsement of Bernie Sanders could spell trouble for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
Furthermore, some things can’t be forecasted by number crunchers, political strategists, and pundits eager to jump on the bandwagon of political power. When grass roots organizations supporting Bernie Sanders in 2016 have names like Limbaugh’s Hometown (“if we can organize in hometown of Rush Limbaugh nothing can stop us”), support for the Vermont Senator is coming from politically astute voters cognizant of the partisan divides in American politics. It says something about the upcoming election that Bernie Sanders has raised $15 million in just two months, without the help of billionaires or a super PAC, and primarily from people who contributed $250 or less.
As a result of a groundswell of enthusiasm that money can’t buy, Sanders has surged in both Iowa and New Hampshire, cut into Clinton’s lead (something unimaginable even several months ago), and can realistically win both the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary, as well as the presidency. Killer Mike’s endorsement of Sanders might not be part of any aggregate data and number crunching used to forecast election results, but it represents something far more relevant. Many voters are tired of Republicans and Democrats who vote for the same wars, support the same drones that often times kill innocent people, and look the other way when it comes to income inequality. These people will be searching for alternatives to political dynasties and vapid, carefully crafted promises in 2016. They might eventually be searching for the same candidate endorsed by Killer Mike and Americans filling arenas and venues throughout the nation: Senator Bernie Sanders.
While Bernie Sanders obviously still has an uphill battle (and that’s putting it mildly) if he’s going to win the Democratic presidential nomination, it’s encouraging to see so many people waking up and realizing that the status quo as represented by Hillary Clinton simply isn’t working for a broad swath of Americans.