Bernie Sanders Explains How Democrats Will Win in 2014

Sen. Sanders isn’t a Democrat, but on MSNBC he mapped out the perfect strategy for a Democratic victory in 2014.

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Sen. Sanders was asked if the Republicans will take over the Senate in 2014.

He answered:

Well, who knows who will take over the Senate. Certainly, the Republicans could do that, and certainly the Democrats could retain strong control of the Senate. We’ve got a long way to go until the election. I think what the Democrats have been very concerned about is the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, and the Republicans have been all over that issue.

I think what the Democrats have going for them is that our Republican friends believe that the way you deal with the deficit, which by the way as the president just mentioned has been cut in half in the last four years, that you do not, what the Democrats, or most Democrats believe is that we don’t cut Social Security, which the Republicans want to do. You don’t cut Medicare or transform Medicare into a voucher program. You don’t make massive cuts in terms of Medicaid, education, or nutrition programs. All of which the Republicans want, and all of which is massively unpopular, and what the Republicans also want to do is defend the wealthy and large corporate interests and prevent them from paying their share of taxes.

So I think if the issues revolves around we create jobs, how we deal with wealth and income inequality. And by the way, the Pope today just made an extraordinary statement on unfettered capitalism, and what it means when so few have so much and so many have so little. I hope that’s a lesson that the Congress can absorb, but I think if you focus on the economy, I think the Democrats will do just fine.

Sen. Sanders laid out the road map for Democrats in 2014. Contrary to what the media is saying, the ACA website drama will pass. President Obama discussed the economy today in similar terms that Bernie Sanders used, and what the Republicans don’t get is that people care more about having a job than they do a health insurance website.

The path for Democrats is simple. They need to campaign on raising the minimum wage, creating jobs, and a message of economic fairness. Democrats should hammer Republicans on the economy every single day in 2014. Republicans in Congress are historically unpopular, and it is not unrealistic to see an electoral outcome where Democrats pick up a handful of House seats and keep control of the Senate.

Sen. Sanders is correct. If Democrats pummel Republicans on the economy, they will do just fine in 2014.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association