A Cry for the Establishment Chaotic times call for conventional leaders By Peter W. Beck Imagine a coliseum and a convention center – two places within a football field of one another. Imagine each room filled to the brim with boisterous supporters clad in catchy merchandise as they eagerly push closer to the center of the room. In the center of the room there is a stage with a podium that awaits a worthy orator whose mission is to ensnare its audience’s cult-like loyalty. Pressure builds as fervent supporters cannot contain their excitement as they chant the name of their idol and supposed savior; anxiety and impatience swells the cries of the crowd until it reaches its pinnacle as the exalted one walks across stage to the podium. What I’ve described are two separate events that happened over fifty hours apart only a few months ago. Two presidential campaign rallies of men who couldn’t be further alike in policy or ideology but are nearly uniform in their hate-inciting rhetoric and rabid fanbases. These men: President Donald J. Trump and Senator Bernard Sanders. The persistent headache of Donald Trump is a problem conceived far before former President Obama announced his reelection bid. I am unable to solve the Trump problem of our country and the Republican party; I believe that it is Republicans who have to undo the havoc wreaked on their party by Donald Trump, it is not the place of a Democrat. The Republican party is historically the Republican party that represents conservative values and champions limited regulations – it is up to them if they wish to realign themselves. It is my place – as a young Democrat – to speak my concerns for the direction of my party heading into a national election. I know what you’re thinking: “Peter, why would you as a Democrat attack a member of your own party?” First, Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat; he is too far left for the Democratic party and votes as an independent in the Senate. Second, it is only out
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of desperation and a sense of urgency that I am identifying Bernie Sanders as a plague the Democratic party cannot afford to ignore. Finally, Bernie Sanders is not identical to Donald Trump, but he is the Democratic party’s version of Donald Trump. I do not make this comparison lightly – the resemblances between the two are uncanny. The loudest cheers that came from supporters at the Sanders and Trump rallies, respectively, came when both railed against the establishment. In the age of post-Obama, large swaths of angry Americans who have felt marginalized by the modern political process have channeled their frustration into new kinds of candidates for public office: candidates who call themselves “political outsiders” who are here to create substantial change and “challenge the establishment.” Candidates who embody the rejection of the established political process can be best exemplified by Sanders and Trump; both Sanders and Trump tout their triumphs from the outside by proclaiming themselves as political outsiders here to fight for the common man. Furthermore, both are excellent in utilizing this tactic to bolster their support bases by finding Americans who feel alienated and dejected from politics. As a result, their most avid supporters are the people who are the most angry about American politics. Although you’d expect Sanders and Trump supporters to be polar opposites, they hold overwhelmingly more similarities than differences. If you mixed the two together, they would be indistinguishable from one another if it weren’t for their respective “Feel the Bern” and “Keep America Great” gear. Both of these support bases boast nearly identical causes to support their candidates. As a result, many of these supporters are driven by Trump and Sanders’ reckless rhetoric to go to extreme lengths. These supporters have placed their hope in Trump and Sanders as messiah-like figures who are ultimate compasses for right and wrong. This means that anyone who opposes Trump or Sanders is wrong.
