Bernie All the Way? [Updated]

Bernie Sanders is being proclaimed the winner of the Nevada caucuses by well over two to one, even though most caucus sites have not reported and there seems to have been considerable confusion.

But let’s assume this early call is correct. What is remarkable is that Sanders faced an uphill battle in Nevada, due to his “Medicare for all” plan. Democrats in Nevada are largely minorities and are heavily unionized, and they benefit from union-negotiated health care plans that Bernie would make illegal. The unions opposed Sanders on that basis. But that apparently was swept away by grass-roots Democrats’ enthusiasm for socialism.

If you are a Republican, you have to be pleased by the fact that no-hoper Joe Biden seems to have finished second. The only Democrats who have even a remote chance against President Trump–Amy Klobuchar is first on that list, in my opinion–have gone nowhere so far, and don’t have any delegates, nor do they have much money. Bernie has the delegates, and Mike Bloomberg has the money. The rest are either wasting their time or running for Vice-President.

That is how it looks at the moment, anyway.

UPDATE: One thing I should have mentioned is that turnout in the Democratic primary and caucuses so far has been mediocre. On the other hand, President Trump has been driving record turnout for a president with no primary opposition. It will be interesting to see how turnout tonight compares with prior years. So far, there is no indication of a groundswell of support for the Democrats.

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