Like many others, over the last few months I've been paying a lot of attention to the ongoing democratic presidential primaries. I've spent more than enough time following the candidates, the debates, the polls and the actual primaries (results broadcasts).
Indeed, as a some sort of a political junkie (from Scandinavia), I can't help but to be interested in the U.S. politics. I find it to be so fascinating and interesting - especially because there are so many things so wrong with how the political system works there.
In any case, so far we've had two primaries (in Iowa and in New Hampshire) and based on those states, the frontrunner is none other than senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. He's the most likely to become the nominee for the democrats in the November election.
The reason for this is that as a presidential candidate, he's pretty much the only person who actually cares and is trying to help others. He has a consistent history of pushing issues like medicare for all, free college and green new deal - which voters find to be popular.
At the same time, even though Bernie is doing well, it's not guaranteed yet that he's going to be the nominee for the democrats. There are still obstacles left that he needs to clear before he gets his chance to battle Donald Trump in the November election.
So when it comes to the candidates that were the biggest threat for Bernie, at first it seemed that former vice-president Joe Biden would be the one to beat. It seemed that he was the one who was unbeatable and who would stay high in the polls.
However, right before the first primaries, after months of speculation, Biden finally tanked in the polls. It took much longer than expected but his support finally took a hit (first two primaries Biden placing 4th in Iowa and 5th New Hampshire was a disaster for him).
Another candidate that actually did well in the first two states is South Bend Indiana's mayor Pete Buttigieg. He's the candidate that has gotten a huge amount of free positive press from the mainstream media (he's an obvious Wall Street candidate).
However, the problem with Pete is that even though he tied with Bernie in Iowa, he doesn't have a strong campaign infrastructure or support from the minorities (especially blacks). This is such an issue that he won't probably make it much further in the race.
The last remaining card for the corporate democrats seems to be former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who only got in the race a couple of months ago. He was so late that he didn't even meet the deadlines to take part in the Iowa & New Hampshire primaries.
The real danger about him is that Bloomberg as a billionaire oligarch (he even has a news service named after him) has unlimited amount of money to spend (worth 52 billion dollars). He has already spent at least 400 million dollars on his campaign out of his own pockets.
At the same time, the problem with Bloomberg is that he has a pretty awful history as a Mayor. He has his problems with racism (unconstitutional 'stop and frisk' in NY), numerous sexual harassment cases and other things that should sink his campaign.
So based on all these things, when you look at the primaries so far, even though you can't tell for sure how things are going to go, it currently looks like that there is a path for Bernie Sanders. It looks like he might actually get the nomination here.
Indeed, not only does he have the best campaign operation going (pulls big crowds, the most amount of individual donors etc.), but he's also the real deal. He has managed to give people real hope, which is what matters and why things look so good.
Still, when you take into account that the mainstream media and the DNC (democratic party apparatus) are 100% against his candidacy, one has to tread carefully here. One shouldn't take anything for granted until he has managed to get the majority of the delegates.
After all, considering that the 'notorious' Nevada's caucus is next, the DNC is going to pull all the stops in trying to kneecap Bernie and his presidential campaign. They (like in 2016) most certainly aren't going to give him the nomination without a fight.
After all, considering that the 'notorious' Nevada's caucus is next, the DNC is going to pull all the stops in trying to kneecap Bernie and his presidential campaign. They (like in 2016) most certainly aren't going to give him the nomination without a fight.
In that sense, when it comes to next Saturday's caucus in Nevada, I really hope that Bernie will win there. I hope he wins the caucus, because even though pretty much nothing is guaranteed in this election, clearly he's the best candidate to beat Trump in November.
