Sanders began drawing crowds of hundreds, and then thousands, mostly liberals and the youth who believe they are alienated from having a voice in the American system and who, like the youth of the 1960s, have an idealism that cries for social, economic, and political equality and justice, the same political agenda that defines Sanders.
But the media of 2015, like the media of 1967, barely noticed Sanders. Although his rallies drew as many as 20,000, the media still ignored him, reporting about Clinton, the Democrats' establishment candidate, while also acting as the megaphone for every ridiculous and absurd statement the Republicans' eventual nominee, Donald Trump, uttered.
Soon, like McCarthy, Sanders began winning primaries while also getting significant vote totals in those primaries that Clinton won. And the mainstream media still devoted significantly more air time and column inches to Trump than to most of the Republican contenders, or to Clinton, Sanders, or Gov. Martin O'Malley, who eventually dropped from contention.
Hillary Clinton, not completely dissimilar to Hubert Humphrey, will likely be the Democratic party's nominee, even though Sanders says he is in the campaign "to the end." It's probable that millions of Americans who would prefer to see Sanders become president will be justifiably disappointed. Many may vote for a third party candidate--perhaps, liberal Jill Stein, the Green Party's nominee. Perhaps, they will stay home, disgusted by the process and not vote. To prevent that, the Democratic National Committee needs to incorporate much of Sanders' political philosophy into its platform, the Clinton campaign needs to give Sanders and his senior campaign staff significant roles in the campaign and possible presidential administration.
If that does not happen, and if history repeats itself because Sanders' supporters vote for the Green party or sit out the election, Hillary Clinton will not become president, and Donald Trump and his Ego of Ignorance will occupy the White House for at least four years. This nation cannot succumb to the rule of the fool who is masquerading as a Republican leader.
[Dr. Brasch has covered government and politics for more than four decades. He is the author of 20 books; his current one is Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit.]
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