Author Harry Jaffe on "Why Bernie Sanders Matters"

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bernie Sanders' appeal to young, often first time voters, is not a mystery  to Harry Jaffe, whose recent book "Why Bernie Sanders Matters" was the subject of a Focus Washington interview with Chuck Conconi. Jaffe said the youthful voters are "attracted to" the Vermont Senator's authenticity.

In that, Jaffe explained, Sanders has "a commonality with (Donald) Trump" in that neither are part of the establishment. The comparison between the two maverick candidates, however, Jaffe points out is that Sanders is a "Populist Socialist," while Trump is "Populist Fascist."

In a comparison with the campaign style of Hillary Clinton, with whom he is vying for the Democratic Party nomination to run for president, Jaffe said Sanders says what he thinks and if you don't agree with it, don't vote for him. Clinton, on the other hand, he continues, first factors what her handlers think, then what her husband, former President Bill Clinton, thinks and then what she thinks before making a statement. Jaffe said younger voters can detect that difference. 

Jaffe also said that the black vote is not monolithic and that southern African Americans -- largely rural, more religious and conservative -- are quite different from their northern counterparts, who are urban and prioritize good jobs and making a living. The contention is that while Clinton runs exceptionally well with African Americans in the southern states, she might not do as well among northern blacks in the upcoming Ohio and Illinois primaries.

A Washington Magazine editor at large, Jaffe, who has worked on books by educator Michele Rhee and former congresswoman Gabby Gifford, said that pollsters and much of the media were surprised by Sanders upset victory in the Michigan primary. Jaffe said he wasn't surprised and doesn't think Sanders was surprised either. He contends that Sanders will also do well in the upcoming Ohio and Illinois primaries because Sanders, who consistently votes against international trade agreements, has always been a spokesman for the working class who see their jobs outsourced overseas, and that they are not getting paid as well as they once were. They like his opposition to trade agreements, a factor that political pundits said was a major part of his Michigan victory.

Harry Jaffe provides interesting insights on democratic voters, upcoming primaries and even some surprises about the candidate himself as a college student during the 1960s. Bernie Sanders champions voters who feel like they don't matter in Washington; and because he lets them know that they do matter, Bernie Sanders' Presidential bid matters.

See the full interview: http://www.focuswashington.com/2016/03/11/why-bernie-sanders-matters/

To learn more about the author, see his website at: http://www.harryjaffe.com/

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SOURCE Focus Washington