Although it appears the mainstream media has essentially written him off as a fringe candidate whose popularity and ideological notions will fade by the general election, the Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has maintained a surprisingly durable and well organized campaign that has capitalized off the palpable enthusiasm that has followed his impressive campaign. Sanders even managed to make a fundraising record, receiving donations for over 2.5 million donors. United States President Barack Obama, whose campaign is generally considered one of the finest ever run, previously held the record for most campaigns from individuals.
However, it hasn't just been the mainstream media neglecting to recognize Sanders's surging popularity. Aids to Hillary Clinton now say that the former Secretary of State underestimated her chief rival in the race for the Democratic nomination, and should have prepared more vigorously to defeat the self-avowed "social-democrat."
According to The New York Times, even the tenuous Democratic front-runner's husband, Bill Clinton, believes his wife should have gone after Bernie Sanders earlier in the election in an effort to curb the growing enthusiasm around his campaign.
Regarding Hillary's dominance in the polls in the past months of her presidential campaign, James Carville, the Democratic strategist on Mr. Clinton's 1992 campaign and a longtime friend and advisor of the Clintons "It was probably never going be a straight line - we hoped it would be but feared it wouldn't be. She's performed solidly enough, but it's been a hard race."
"It has to do with what things ought to be done and when they ought to be done," said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, declining to provide any more information. "The reality is, if Mrs. Clinton loses Iowa and New Hampshire, that could create new and real problems for her here."
The fear over a loss in Iowa to Sanders has become very real, as the Vermont Senator has risen in the polls and presents a series challenge to the previously considered front-runner.
