America’s Uprising of the Underdogs

The Trump supporters are changing U.S. politics more than the Sanders movement.

Bernie Sanders is the big winner in the primary election on Tuesday, according to the media. His victory over Hillary Clinton in the big state of Michigan was the surprise of the day. Overall, however, Clinton outpaced Sanders again with respect to the more important aspect of delegate votes due to the enormous majority she achieved in Mississippi. Sanders’ lead with respect to delegate votes was only minimal in Michigan.

The chances of Sanders challenging Clinton’s nomination are still slim. The strength of the senator from Vermont actually has a positive aspect for Clinton: The fight for the nomination remains interesting, even for the Democrats, and is not completely overshadowed by the Republicans’ mudslinging. That ensures a few more months of media attention.

Sanders is pushing Clinton a bit further to the left. Clinton, though, has to be careful not to move too far away from the middle if she wants to be able to attract independent voters during the presidential election in November.

The Establishment’s Nightmare

The Republican establishment faces an ever growing nightmare. Donald Trump prevailed once more and increased his lead. The only one able to keep up with him is the equally disliked Ted Cruz. Marco Rubio disappointed again and faces a potential loss against Trump in his home state of Florida this coming Tuesday, where Trump might be able to claim all of the delegates’ votes. Trump’s lead would become practically uncatchable. Additionally, John Kasich did not live up to expectations in Michigan. Moderate Republicans are running out of options.

Rather Trump than Cruz

If Cruz were the only alternative to Trump, the Republican Party would rather vote for the populist billionaire then the ultra-conservative senator. Compared to Cruz, who is more a candidate for the marginal ultra-conservative group, Trump has better chances against Clinton due to his charisma and unpredictability. It also appears that the million dollar campaign against Trump has not really made an impact on the Republican voters – at least not on the 40 percent who continue to vote for their braggart. The core of the Trump supporters looks a lot like voters of the Austrian Freedom Party and other right-wing populist parties in Europe: white, male, with little education and economically disadvantaged and socially insecure. While Republican politicians usually court such voters, they tend to otherwise ignore them.

This group, however, now more than ever sets the tone in the party. No one actually believes today that it will result in a majority vote during the presidential election. But its uprising against the establishment should – as opposed to the way more likable Sanders movement – fundamentally change U.S. politics.