10 Ways Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump Are Actually Similar
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Saturday, January 23, 2016
GoLocalPDX Politics Team
Bernie Sanders
At first glance, Presidential Candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump seem to have very little in common. But GoLocal took a closer look at the two campaigns, and found that the two outsiders share a fair amount of similar traits and attributes.
First and foremost, considering they are Presidential candidates, are the poll numbers. Both candidates are leading the latest polls in Iowa, according to polling done by CNN. Trump has opened an 11-point lead over his closest challenger, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, while Sanders as an eight-point margin over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic caucus.
What’s more, a few weeks before the primary voting begins, both candidates are leading the way in New Hampshire. As our friends at Graphiq demonstrate below, both candidates have opened up double-digit leads over the rest of the field in the Granite State. According to polls from Real Clear Politics, Sanders holds a 12 point lead over Clinton, while Trump leads Gov. John Kaisich by a whopping 19 points.
But it isn’t just poll results that these two share. Sen. Cruz, Trump's chief rival in Iowa, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Trump and Sanders “have basically the same healthcare plan," and pointed out even more similarities between Trump and Democrats.
"Donald Trump enthusiastically supported the TARP bailout of big banks. I opposed it. He enthusiastically supported Barack Obama's stimulus plan. He thought it should have been bigger. I think it was a disaster and a waste of money. Actually, Donald not only supported both of those, but he argued that Obamacare should be expanded to make it socialized medicine for everyone,” Cruz told Hannity
John Horvick, Vice President and Political Director of DHM Research, a Portland-based political research and polling firm told GoLocal he sees plenty of similarities in the two candidates.
“They are both certainly doing something right," Horvick said. “They both represent frustrations with the status quo, that outsider label of someone that’s very critical of the establishment applies to both of them.“They both have been making people feel good about being on the outside. I think Sanders has actually made Democrats feel good about being democrats…and Trump has made people feel good about being frustrated with government.”
Trump and Sanders are also both receiving huge amounts of small money donors. This shows a firm base of support among working and middle income American voters. Take a closer look thanks to Graphiq below.
GoLocal has rounded up even more similarities between the two candidates. Take a look at all of them below.
SLIDES BELOW: 10 Ways Bernie Sanders and Trump Are Actually Similar
Related Slideshow: 10 Ways Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump Are Actually Similar
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Universal Health Care
Despite sitting on opposite sides of the aisle, Trump and Sanders essentially share the same healthcare plan. But you don’t have to take our word for it—Ted Cruz, Trump’s chief rival, said himself that Trump and Sanders “have basically the same healthcare plan," in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
"Donald Trump enthusiastically supported the TARP bailout of big banks. I opposed it. He enthusiastically supported Barack Obama's stimulus plan. He thought it should have been bigger. I think it was a disaster and a waste of money. Actually, Donald not only supported both of those, but he argued that Obamacare should be expanded to make it socialized medicine for everyone,” Cruz told Hannity
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Reforming Wall Street
Both candidates have made serious noise talking about reforming Wall Street. Bernie Sanders has just about made his whole career on taking on financial kingpins, and has attracted many young fans in the process.
While the uber-capitalist Trump may seem like the candidate to take on his fellow one-percenters, his words say something different. Trump blasted hedge fund managers on CBS, saying they are “getting away with murder,” on CBS’ “Face the Nation" in 2015.
"The hedge fund guys didn't build this country. These are guys that shift paper around and they get lucky,” Trump said.
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They Don't Take Money from Wall Street
It’s not just that the candidates criticize Wall Street and big banks—plenty do that. But Trump and Sanders back up their tough talk by not attracting campaign donations from those same financial institutions.
Sure, Hillary Clinton has taken aim at the major financial mavericks during her time on the campaign trail—what self-respecting Democrat hasn’t? But a closer look at her campaign financials shows that she isn’t putting her money where her mouth is.
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Their Campaigns are Populist Movements
Neither Trump nor Sanders are what you would call a “party darling.” Both have taken aim at the lions and leaders of their own parties have been unafraid to make controversial statements regarding the political establishments.
Instead, their campaigns have been buoyed by passionate, typically politically apathetic people. People who have finally found someone they can relate to in the political landscape and someone they feel they can trust. Despite repeated predictions of failure, regular people continue to respond to their campaigns, as both Sanders and Trump remain near or at the polls as the primaries begin.
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The Most Unusual Candidates (Ever?)
Trump and Sanders are certainly the most unusual candidates this year, as both the Republican and Democratic fields contain typical governors, senators and congressman vying for the ultimate government job. It goes one step further, however—they may be the most unusual candidates a Presidential campaign has ever seen.
Sure, Trump isn’t the first rich eccentric to take a run at the Oval Office (just google Ross Perot if you don’t believe us.) But he’s certainly the first candidate to speak about immigrants and other races as he has.
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Massive Crowds
Political candidates of any variety like going where they are wanted. They make sure that there are plenty of warm well-wishers to make campaign events see exciting and full.
Trump and Sanders, however, seem to be able to attract raucous crowds that are more akin to rock concert or playoff game than a political rally. People come in costume, dressed as their favorite candidate. Teenagers, even though they cannot cast a vote, turn out in full face paint to support their candidate.
It’s happened all over the country. Record-setting crowds packed the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon and thousands filled the DCU Center to see Trump in Worcester, Massachusetts. Everywhere these candidates go, people rush to see them.
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Lots of Small-Money Donations
Typically, leading Presidential campaigns are powered by big money donations, but that’s not the case for Trump and Sanders.
As Graphiq shows us below, Sanders and Trump are one and two, respectively in the amount of campaign donations under $200—a sure sign of grassroots support.
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Real Talk
How often do you watch and listen to a political speaking, and find yourself drifting off to sleep or reaching for your iPhone?
That rarely seems to be the case when Trump or Sanders are on the mic. You never quite know when Trump will insult an entire religion or ethnic group in one thirty-second soundbite.
Not to be outdone, Sanders folksy and frantic style of speech has attracted attention—and plenty of jokes and memes—from all across the internet.
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Slated for Failure
Since the first day that each candidate announced their campaign, the political intellectual and elite have told everyone that they just don’t stand a chance. Trump and Sanders are too controversial, their too radical and they are too inexperienced. How many times did political analysts or other talking heads say they would be out of the race before the first votes are ever cast?
Yet here we are, just a few days away from the first caucuses and primaries. Neither Trump nor Sanders are out of the race. Neither is on their dying breaths. They are thriving. And, as you’ll see in our next slide, they are winning
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Leading in Iowa (and New Hampshire!)
If the latest polls are to believed these massively unusual candidates—one socialist, one real estate magnate/reality tv star, both with tons of small donations, both told they never had any chance—will be making victory speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire soon.
According to CNN, Trump has an 11 point lead among Republicans and Sanders an eight point lead among Democrats in Iowa just a few days before the caucus.
And in New Hampshire, as you’ll see below, Trump and Sanders have double digit leads as we approach the first true primary.
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