March 3, 2020—Super Tuesday, or the final race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President, draws nearer. Massachusetts, along with fourteen other states, will hold elections on this day to decide the fate of most of the delegates. According to the Washington Post, “More than a third of all delegates for the Democratic National Convention are up for grabs on this one day” (1). Since most of the student body, as well as the faculty, will find themselves at the voting booths within a few short weeks, an overview of the frontrunners would be appropriate to an active political campus such as UMass Boston. As we prepare for the national election in November, having an idea of the candidate’s journey and actions will give us better insight into their time as President.
With March 3 on the horizon, the Democratic National Party may see two or three clear frontrunners appear following states allocating the majority of the delegates. While some candidates, such as Former Vice President Joe Biden, are severely underperforming, lesser known moderates seem to be stealing the spotlight in the two earliest voting states: New Hampshire and Iowa. The candidates that are beginning to overperform are Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Much can be inferred following the first two state elections that provide insight into the rest of the national election.
As a college campus community that leans substantially to the left, contemplating the results of the democratic primary is something that would benefit even apolitical students. From free public universities to increased taxation, future working class individuals such as ourselves have a vested interest in seeing that the U.S. President represents the entire population, from the homeless on the streets, to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Regardless of socioeconomic status, the factors of a democratic constitutional republic insist that every citizen of the given nation has the God-given right to vote for representatives (as expressed through the United States Constitution and later amendments). As we are all mostly of voting age, it is imperative to be politically literate and line yourself with someone that represents your political convictions.
Following the absolute national disgrace that was the Iowa Caucus, rumors of corruption spread as a result of mismanaged actions. However, following the eventual release of the results, several winners came out successfully at the end. Bernie Sanders won twelve delegates, while Mayor Buttigieg earned thirteen delegates. The New Hampshire primary provided a similar result with Sen. Sanders achieving the delegate win as well as the popular vote win. Also in New Hampshire, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who has been polling particularly weakly, found herself in contention with a third place finish behind Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. Klobuchar won six delegates while Sanders and Buttigieg both won nine delegates each. With a clear frontrunner in the form of Bernie Sanders, will the democrats find themselves nominating a far-left socialist to run against Donald Trump in a desperate attempt to unseat an incumbent president during a relatively successful economy?
If you had asked me who I thought were the front runners from the Democratic Candidates for President before the two elections, I would have confidently replied with Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. However, following Biden’s weak performances in the two preliminary states, and with the momentum Bernie Sanders holds in his position at the moment, it seems that Bernie Sanders is set to continue polling strong with minimal resistance on his way to the Democratic nomination.
So what does the national election in November look like? At the moment, it looks like to be a clear road for Bernie Sanders and an even clearer road for Donald Trump. The next logical question would be if Bernie Sanders poses a significant threat to Donald Trump; my personal opinion would be no. Hillary Clinton, the corrupt “moderate” with the support of former President Barack Obama and the entire DNC, couldn’t beat Trump; it would be highly unlikely if Sanders could. If anyone was going to beat Trump, given his strong supporting base, it would be a well-known and recognizable name such as Hillary Clinton. Rather, a career politician with a somewhat consistent track record seems to be the most likely challenger to Donald Trump in November. And this politician seems to be in a much weaker position than Clinton was in.
College students often find themselves in a predicament: vote in alignment with peers in keeping with being socially acceptable, or vote based entirely on political conviction. Oftentimes, as is the case with people who lean center-right or perhaps libertarian, the prospect of a large federal government disgusts small government conservatives such as myself. However, once people label us racist or hateful of the working class, we may find ourselves falling in line behind our peers and professors who suggest that more government intervention is the solution to all our problems. While Bernie Sanders prepares to face Trump, people will point out their many differences in an attempt to make Sanders appeal to moderates, Independents and Republicans who are disgusted by Trump’s rhetoric; but upon further inspection, these proponents of large federal government overreach and power, may not be as different as people suggest.