If Democrats Take the Senate, Thank Bernie Sanders.
By: Lauren Elizabeth
Tags: Government, Elections, Bernie Sanders, Democrats, Politics

If Democrats Take the Senate, Thank Bernie Sanders.

No one in Government is fighting harder for the people than the Senator from Vermont, and it could benefit the party politically.

Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Over the past few weeks in particular, as the situation for millions of Americans grows increasingly dire in the midst of an only worsening pandemic and economic crisis, watching our lawmakers attempt to nickel and dime their constituents has left me admittedly even more cynical than I was before. That said, one of the few silver linings I have still managed to find with electoral politics has been and continues to be Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and his fight with ever-increasing intensity to get the American people the $2000 checks they deserve. Putting aside how fundamentally necessary these checks are, the piece of me who enjoys analysis of political strategy can’t help admiring Bernie’s current efforts. All things considered, there’s no denying that if Democrats do manage to take the Senate after the Georgia runoff election on January 5th, they’ll have Bernie Sanders to thank.

Madison Hall with Business Insider writes:

“Recent polling from Insider and SurveyMonkey showed that 72% of respondents who voted for Trump believe that the stimulus checks should be greater than $600. Conversely, one-in-ten Trump-voting respondents said the stimulus checks should be $0, or effectively no second stimulus check at all. …According to the same survey from Insider and SurveyMonkey, 86% of Biden voters said the stimulus checks should be greater than $600, 49% of Biden voters said the checks should be $2,000 or more, and 76% of all respondents said the stimulus checks should be $1,000 or larger.”

While Bernie might not be a favorite among those in the inner circles of the Democratic party and their donor class, I’m not sure even the most conservative Democrat could deny that Bernie fighting so visibly and aggressively for these desperately needed and politically popular relief checks is certainly helping the party during this electorally consequential time. During a period where it seems as though more right wing politicians are understanding the benefits of adopting populist ideas in their platforms — Donald Trump and Senator Josh Hawley among them — Bernie’s outspoken, principled, and passionate efforts have made him the face of the fight for these checks. Not only has Bernie become the face of the fight for these checks, he’s done so in a manner that will not merely make the Democrats look good, but most importantly his strategy has ensured there’s an excellent chance that the American people will get more much-needed relief.

Just before the election that will determine control of the Senate, Bernie’s stance has ensured that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is backed up into a corner, pressuring him to the fullest extent to get the American people relief. After McConnell made the already-anticipated move of blocking the stand alone bill that would provide the $2000 checks, Bernie took to Twitter to write:

“Two-thirds of the House voted to provide $2,000 in direct payments to the working class. Now it’s the Senate’s turn to do that — no excuses. Unless McConnell agrees to a vote on $2,000 relief checks, Congress will be spending New Year’s Eve in the Capitol.”

Linked to the tweet was an article published in the Washington Post, describing how Bernie has vowed to block the Senate’s vote on the Defense Spending Bill before the holidays if they do not bring the House’s bill for the $2000 checks to a vote. Using the fact that the President himself supports the $2000 checks as leverage just before the Georgia elections, Bernie is making it explicitly clear to McConnell that he either holds a vote on these desperately needed checks, or he gets no defense bill and jeopardizes Republican chances in an incredibly close Senate race that will determine the fate of his power.

Not only is Bernie doing everything he possibly can to ensure that the American people get this relief, he’s showing people what is actually possible when Democrats use the leverage they often act as though they do not have. Once again, Bernie is showing countless demoralized and apolitical people that they can and should expect better. While I still remain admittedly jaded and skeptical about what a Democratic Senate controlled by the likes of Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin will get done, if nothing else it is none other than Bernie Sanders who would be in charge of the Budget Committee. I’d like to think that there’s at least a few voters in Georgia watching this unfold, and being inspired to vote by Bernie’s fight.

As I said before, if Democrats take the Senate, there’s no denying they have Bernie to thank.