Bernie Sanders wins battle of the bands ahead of Iowa primary vote
Bernie Sanders has struck a chord with musicians and millennials, but will face a tougher crowd in Iowa.
Some call it “Bernchella”, while others prefer “Berning Man”, but either way there is no question that Bernie Sanders is turning out the rock star vote in the Democratic primary, as he seeks to convert his narrow Iowa polling advantage into a solid victory.
Sanders, released at last from the impeachment marathon, appeared alongside the millennial superband Vampire Weekend in Cedar Rapids on Sunday (AEDT). The Democratic primary battle kicks off in Iowa on Tuesday. Rock band the Strokes will sing for Sanders in New Hampshire next week, and female stars Ariana Grande and Cardi B are also feeling the Bern.
On Saturday, while Sanders had to phone in his speech from Washington, where attendance at the Senate impeachment hearings was compulsory, the Midwestern indie rock hero Bon Iver serenaded a youthful crowd of thousands in Des Moines.
“The music and the celebrities help because we need to get the young people out to mobilise,” said Jackie Spiess, 24, who drove down for the concert from Woodbury, Minnesota. “A lot of young people didn’t vote in 2016, but most of my friends would turn out for Bernie.”
As Bon Iver — singer-songwriter Justin Vernon — entertained the crowd with Bob Dylan covers and tracks from his new album, Sanders’s campaign motto, “Not me. Us”, flashed in bright lights from the wall.
“Those words are everything,” said Vernon.
There is no doubt that Sanders is mustering fervour to match that of President Donald Trump, who held a sold-out spoiler rally in Des Moines on Friday. But there were warning signs for Democrats at Sanders events, too. Splits between the party’s progressive insurgency and its establishment, which proved so draining in 2016, once again appeared in Des Moines.
When Sanders’s former rival and current critic, Hillary Clinton, was mentioned, boos broke out across the crowd.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a key Sanders surrogate, joined in from the stage. “No, we’re gonna boo — that’s all right,” she told the crowd. “The haters will shut up on Monday when we win.”
But Sanders has yet to convince many Democrats.
“Nominating Bernie would be a mistake,” says Jim Messina, who ran Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign.
“He will struggle to appeal to swing voters because he’s viewed as outside the mainstream. He’s the candidate that President Trump would most want to run against.”
Although she has been slipping in the polls , Elizabeth Warren has a formidable organisation in Iowa and, with many voters in the state still undecided, she still has a shot at victory.
Warren flew in straight from the impeachment trial on Saturday for a late rally at Peace Tree Brewing in Des Moines. “This is our moment in history, and this is our time,” she told a whooping crowd. Queues snaked out of the door for selfies with the Massachusetts senator.
In Ankeny on Friday, Pete Buttigieg, 38, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, drew a crowd of more than 500 to a Marriott hotel, where he implored voters once again to imagine the day after the November election, when Trump is no longer president.
“Let’s put the chaos behind us, put the tweets behind us,” he said, presenting himself as a fresh young outsider.
His well-funded campaign has spent big in Iowa and needs a strong showing to prove that this neophyte candidate has what it takes, otherwise he could fade fast.
On his “Soul of the Nation” bus tour, former vice-president Joe Biden promised “restoration” not “revolution”, and emphasised once more that he had the gravitas and the experience to beat Trump “like a drum”.
“Character is on the ballot. America’s character,” an effusive Biden told the older crowd in Waukee.
“I do not believe we’re the dark, angry nation we see in Donald Trump’s tweets. America is so much better than this.”
Some were swayed.
“I’m still undecided, but I agree 100 per cent with his description of presidential character,” Diane Bear, 76, said. “I wasn’t going to vote for him, but now I’d consider it.”
Biden is still polling in first or second place in Iowa, but there are concerns about his weak organisation in the state and ability to get older voters to the caucus in bitter February temperatures.
Biden is already managing expectations and looking ahead to the South Carolina primary in a few weeks, when he hopes his deep support among African-Americans will really kick in.
Outside Iowa, former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into adverts across America — including an estimated $US11m ($16.4m) prime-time spot during Monday’s Super Bowl.
For all Iowa’s traditional importance in shaping the campaign narrative, there is a distinct possibility that a number of candidates will do well on Tuesday, giving them enough momentum for next week’s New Hampshire primary and beyond into “Super Tuesday”, when 14 states including Texas and California weigh in.
“The big question is what happens on Super Tuesday, when you will also have Michael Bloomberg spending half a billion dollars,” says Messina. “This thing is probably going to go long.”
The Sunday Times
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