Readers Would Like Bernie Sanders To Get 2016 Democratic Nomination

On the night in 2008 that Barack Obama was first elected president I told myself in the future I wouldn’t support a candidate born before him. In the years since I realized there was nobody born in the 1960s or 1970s I could support. My first choice would be Sen. Elizabeth Warren, like me, she’s also a native of Oklahoma City. A year older than my brother, they briefly attended the same high school — then my parents moved. Like George W. Bush & Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Warren was born in the 1940s — June 22, 1949.

While the GOP field is considerably younger than the six Democratic candidates, none represent my progressive liberal views. I took a look at the ages of all 17 GOP candidates and the Democratic candidates (+ Joe Biden).

Here’s a breakdown of the decade the 17 GOP candidates were born in:

• 1970s: 3 (Cruz, Jindal, Rubio)
• 1960s: 3 (Christie, Paul, Walker)
• 1950s: 8 (Bush, Carson, Fiorina, Graham, Huckabee, Kasich, Perry, Santorum)
• 1940s: 3 (Gilmore, Pataki, Trump)

The average of the field is 59 years old.

Here’s a look at the Democratic side:

• 1970s: 0 (–)
• 1960s: 1 (O’Malley)
• 1950s: 1 (Chafee)
• 1940s: 4 (Biden, Clinton, Sanders, Webb)

Their average is 67 on election day, 68 on inauguration day. To date the oldest president was Reagan — he was 69 at both election and inauguration.  Biden will be 73 & 74, respectively. Clinton will be 69 at both, Sanders 75 at both.

Here is a very short video of Bernie Sanders’ supporters.

Here’s a long video of Bernie Sanders speaking in Los Angeles, with introduction by Sarah Silverman:

Here are the results from the Sunday Poll:

Q: Of the following, who would you LIKE to see get the 2016 Democratic nomination?

1. Bernie Sanders 25 [49.02%]
2. Hillary Clinton 14 [27.45%]
3. Joe Biden 6 [11.76%]
4. Unsure/no answer 4 [7.84%]
5. Martin O’Malley 2 [3.92%]
6. TIE 0 [0%]
   1. Lincoln Chafee
   2. Jim Webb

Some further reading:

• Bloomberg: Hillary Clinton’s Bernie Sanders Problem Is Bigger Than Anyone Realizes
• Huffington Post: Almost Every Major Poll Shows Bernie Sanders Challenging or Defeating Clinton and Republicans. Here’s Why

Missouri & Illinois both hold their primary on Tuesday March 15, 2016:

• Missouri has open primaries, so if you’re registered to vote you can vote for Bernie Sanders. You must register by 5pm on Wednesday, February 17, 2016.
• Illinois has closed primaries, so you must be registered as a Democrat to vote for Bernie Sanders. Those who will be 18 by November 8, 2016 can vote in the primary even though they’re 17.

I recommend everyone — even those who think they know who they’ll vote for —  take the quiz at ISideWith.com to see which candidate from both major parties best aligns with your views. The more detailed you get in the questions the more accurate it’ll be.

— Steve Patterson