Let’s Talk Bernie 2020
Should Bernie Sanders be the Left’s presidential candidate in 2020? Hamilton Nolan and Bhaskar Sunkara revive the great American tradition of arguing about Bernie online.
Bernie Sanders speaking at an event in Phoenix, Arizona on July 18, 2015.Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
The 2020 election campaign is now upon us, which means it’s time to argue about Bernie Sanders on the internet.
Splinter’s Hamilton Nolan recently weighed in on the question of whether or not Sanders should run, answering firmly in the negative. Jacobin publisher Bhaskar Sunkara heartily disagrees. Below they debate the differences between Sanders and progressives like Elizabeth Warren, and why nonelectoral organizing is vital to the rising left’s agenda no matter who runs for president.
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As you know, I’m a Hamilton Nolan completionist, so I was disappointed to see that you’re skeptical about Bernie 2020. To me, he’s qualitatively different than any other candidate, the only person capable of reaching a national audience with a message about providing Americans with the basic goods they need to live a decent life like health care and affordable housing. And his message about who’s responsible for inequality, and who we need to take on to change things seems to me different than any other potential 2020 candidate.