Sanders and the Ideological Split among Democrats

    
Millionaire pro-Sanders donors continue to support the candidate’s bid for the democratic nomination despite the “nearly insurmountable delegate lead Hillary Clinton has amassed.” According to a politico article published Tuesday, donors remain motivated by Sanders’s equality-focused message and power to influence discussions within the Democratic Party. Donors say Sanders has been influential in “shap[ing] the entire conversation” in 2016 as well as causing the "rejuvenation of the Democratic Party.”

In last week’s readings, Green mentions the ideological battle that persisted within the Democratic Party between liberal and more centrist Democrats throughout the 1990s (176). Although last class centered on the rise of the Tea Party and the deep internal divisions within the Republican Party, continued support for Sanders, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist, points to the continuation of divisions within the Democratic Party. Sanders’s primary win in Michigan exemplifies the sustained appeal of his message. The win in Michigan, however, still leaves Sanders trailing in the delegate count.