What do Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have in common? For most people, the only similarity between the two men who have been dominating the 2016 presidential campaign is that they’re both running, and they are both more popular than anyone anticipated. But there is one more similarity: they both represent a dramatic shift in American’s view of politicians.
This election cycle, the American public has made it very clear that it has had enough of the traditional candidate and the conventional run. Expected frontrunners like Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton are struggling to keep up in the polls. The legacy that many thought would help them is actually a liability.
Americans are disillusioned by the current political system, with disapproval ratings for Congress higher than ever and distrust in the government rising as well. The public is looking for someone fresh and new, someone who won’t bow down to ineffective traditions.
Sanders and Trump represent two extremes of the same feeling of discontent. They both symbolize the greatest ideals of liberalism and conservatism. Sanders exemplifies the middle class. He’s not all talk either; he will only accept donations from the average American and refuses to make any deals with big businesses. Aligned with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sanders ran and won office with the sole intention of breaking the hold big business has on legislation and making the needs of the middle class the main priority.
Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, is running on a seemingly radical platform of making healthcare universal and abolishing tuition at public colleges and universities. He draws crowds at least double the size of those Clinton is able to attract, his audiences consisting of everyone from college students to union workers. He is the candidate for the people, by the people. He proposes reforms to bring control over the government back to the people, instead of being controlled by the very rich. He strives to build a public sphere where people don’t have to struggle against legislation favoring the wealthy. Bernie Sanders personifies the middle class’ frustration with a government and legislation that doesn’t seem to value or understand their situation.
On the other side of the spectrum, Donald Trump epitomizes conservative ideals. Though he does not have the support of many moderate Republicans, and his policies are ludicrous at best, his popularity is something worth stopping to examine. Where Bernie Sanders symbolizes increased government reform and involvement, Trump is the polar opposite. His brash attitude and crass treatment of others — from newscasters to veterans and immigrants — resonates with traditional conservatives who worry about the progressive reforms and attitudes that are becoming mainstream. And though the idea of building a wall and making Mexico pay for it is a whole new level of inconceivable stupidity and racism, these ideas represent a growing concern among many Americans over the increasing number of immigrants flooding into the United States.
Whether Trump’s opinions are morally and ethically correct is not the point (at least, not of this article). What is worth discussing is the attitudes of the Americans who support such policies, and how deep their concerns over the changing structure of society run.
Sanders and Trump embody the palpable change in the American public sphere. Feelings of discontent and cynicism for the current system run far and wide throughout the general public, regardless of ideology or party loyalty.
These feelings run deep enough for the majority of participants to turn to more extreme candidates, rather than traditional runners from political dynasties. Which form of radical reformation will America choose? It’s too early to tell. But whatever decision the public makes, it’s sure to continue to against the norm.
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Rathna Muralidharan is a senior in the School of International Service.
