Traditional mainstream media acknowledging Bernie Sanders surge?
Bernie Sanders appeared on ThisWeek on ABC. He responded to his just released poll numbers which shows him surging in Iowa. The clip above is his conversation with Martha Raddatz about that new Iowa poll. Notice he does nothing to disparage Hillary Clinton. He stays disciplined as he discusses the issues.
Senator, good morning. You saw those new poll numbers. Is Hillary Clinton’s campaign in trouble?
Senator Bernie Sanders: Well, I don’t know if her campaign is in trouble, but our campaign is doing great. You know, it’s not just in Iowa, it’s in New Hampshire. It’s all across this country, Martha. I think people are responding to our message that something is wrong when the middle class of this country continues to disappear. People are working longer hours for lower wages. And almost all of the new wealth and income is going to the top 1 percent. That is not the type of country, not the type of economy that the American people want or deserve. And I think they’re prepared to support somebody who’s going to take on the billionaire class and make an economy for ordinary people, not just for the people on top.
Martha Raddatz: Well, Senator Sanders, Hillary Clinton has lost about a third of her supporters since May, but the polls don’t show those supporters, a significant number, are not heading your way. Why not, given what you’ve said?
Senator Bernie Sanders: Well, the polls that I saw said that there was massive enthusiasm for the message that we’re delivering and that the vast majority of the people who are voting for me in that Iowa poll — and I think it’s true all over this country — are not necessarily anti-Hillary Clinton, they’re pro-Bernie Sanders. And they want a candidate who is not dependent upon super-PACs, a candidate who is prepared to take on and overturn this disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, help have the United States lead the world in combating climate change, make college affordable to all people. I have to tell you, Martha, I think the gains that we are seeing, and the enthusiasm, and the huge crowds that we are seeing, this is not anti-Hillary Clinton. This is pro-Bernie Sanders and pro a message that says enough is enough. This country and our government belong to all of us, not just a handful of very wealthy people.
Martha Raddatz: Senator Sanders, this morning, again, we know you’ve voicing great concern about the middle class, the cost of college, climate change. And yet there are two issues that are entirely missing from your campaign website, and those are issues of national security and foreign policy. Don’t you feel these are issues that a president should be very concerned about?
Senator Bernie Sanders: Absolutely, Martha. And we will — you know, in all fairness, we’ve only been in this race for three and a half months. And we’ve been focusing, quite correctly, as you’ve indicated, on the economy, on the collapse of the American middle class, on massive income and wealth inequality. But you’re absolutely right, foreign policy is a huge issue. Let me just say a word or two about that. And we are going to spend more time on that. You are a looking at a senator and a former congressman. And as a congressman, I voted against the war in Iraq, which I think will go down in history as one of the worst foreign — foreign policy blunders that we have ever seen, leading to the enormous destabilization of that region right now.
So far running a issues based campaign has done well by Bernie Sanders. One hopes it can continue at this level.