People Are Furious With Democrats. Bernie Sanders Knows Why.

"Poll after poll in recent months has revealed that, while approval ratings for Donald Trump are tanking and are also down for congressional Republicans, attitudes toward the Democratic Party are even more negative. And, as The Christian Science Monitor has pointed out, "One subgroup driving the Democrats' poor ratings [is] their own base. A recent CNN poll found that Democratic voters currently hold far more negative views of their own party than Republican voters do of theirs."

"Senator Bernie Sanders shares their frustration. The Vermont independent and two-time contender for the Democratic presidential nomination has spent recent months traveling the United States with a "Fighting Oligarchy" message that has drawn massive crowds at dozens of events, including in some of the bluest and reddest parts of the country. He has come away from the experience with a powerful sense that the party needs a new direction."

Recent polls show approval ratings for Donald Trump and congressional Republicans falling, but attitudes toward the Democratic Party are even more negative. Democratic voters and grassroots activists express mounting anger with party leaders for failing to mount coherent opposition to Republicans or to articulate bold policy positions. Bernie Sanders has campaigned nationwide with a "Fighting Oligarchy" message, endorsing insurgent Democratic primary candidates and sometimes independents where party organizations are weak. Sanders has backed 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for New York mayor even as local party leaders declined to campaign for him. Sanders argues the party must reconnect with working-class voters and expand its base.

Read at The Nation