So I’m breathing life into my own thread here:
Do you think an earlier recession manifesting in the US in 2007 would have led Bernie Sanders to attempt to make a run for the Democratic nomination in 2008? If so, what impact do you think his policy proposals would have on the discourse of the other candidates running for the Democratic nomination? With a divided field is there a chance that he manages a win in Iowa and becomes a dark horse candidate?
Is there a chance of it? Sure, I think there's a chance of it. And as a Bernie supporter, I think it'd be great if it manifested into something. But my gut feeling on it aligns with something I saw in another thread discussing him running in 2008; he's not right for the time. An earlier recession would give him a platform to make his case, and probably make it effectively to a large slice of the electorate, but I think it would just scare most people. They wanted change, but not the radical change that Sanders would represent. If he does quickly establish a solid support base, though, then I think you'd see the frontrunners slowly shift towards some of his proposals and ideas. But all in all, I get the feeling that the kind of rhetoric that comes from Sanders might scare people more than anything.