Bernie Sanders's latest campaign ad shows just how differently he and Hillary Clinton see political change happening.
Bernie Sanders has just released a sweeping, lump-in-your-throat campaign ad that he hopes will push him over the top to victory in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Whether that happens remains to be seen, of course. But one thing about the new spot seems certain: It shows how Senator Sanders and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton have fundamentally different visions of the nature of the American political system.
More specifically, it shows where Sanders and Mrs. Clinton disagree about how political change happens, and the president’s role in that process.
OK, that’s a lot to hang on a one-minute video that features virtually no words, so let’s back up and start from the beginning. The Sanders spot is a closer. In other words, it’s the sort of political ad that campaigns issue when voting is only a short time away. It’s meant to solidify inchoate feelings into a positive candidate image, pushing supporters to the polls.
Message: It’s all about the people, the people who will power the political revolution, the political revolution that will result in free college and Medicare for all in America. Among other things.
..
Comparing Sanders’s “America” ad to Clinton’s latest spot is instructive in this context. “Airy” is not a word you’d use to describe the latter. It’s called “This House,” and it’s mostly about the burdens and responsibilities of the person who calls 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home.
..
That’s the choice. Sanders is pushing inspiration, and what he terms a political revolution that would eventually produce a swerve in the political direction of the country. Clinton is talking in more practical terms, about how she’s already prepared to do the job of president as she sees it.