Summer of Sanders -- and Trump
What are we to make of the two biggest political pseudo-surprises of this mid-summer: the spectacular crowds drawn by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.
I say pseudo-surprises because, in some ways, we should have expected both men to do well in polls. Trump has higher name recognition than any of the other 15-and-counting major Republican contenders, except perhaps the Grand Old Party's current frontrunner in the polls, Jeb Bush.
And I say "perhaps" because, despite having two other Bushes precede in him in the White House, Jeb doesn't have a network TV show or skyscrapers blasting his name on urban skylines. Love Trump or hate him -- and many find it possible to do both at the same time -- just everybody knows him.
And Sanders also has the advantage of challenging frontrunner Hillary Clinton, whose front-porch-style campaign has left the news cycles largely to Sanders, who can be more clever than Trump, coming from the left, and not nearly as obnoxious -- except to the right.
With that, I believe we see the secret behind campaigns' popularity in their respective parties: Both are speaking to voters in ways that tap into the core anger, aspirations and frustrations of each party.
Generally speaking, Sanders speaks to the left's affection for government programs and policies that they hope will improve society. Trump, by contrast, speaks to a core conservative belief that the best government programs and policies are those that leave society alone.
It doesn't even matter, or maybe his supporters don't care, that Trump was a bona fide liberal only a few years ago. You can see examples on YouTube. He used to contribute to the Clinton's foundation. Now he calls Hillary Clinton "the worst secretary of state in U.S. history."
And, yes, he used to be a registered Democrat who called for a huge -- huge! -- one-time 14.25 percent tax on the wealthy, which should make even Sanders blush.
But, ah, details, details. Trump, who seems quite willing to say anything that will draw a crowd, hit political pay dirt by turning to a time-honored target for demagogues: immigrants.
And unlike his earlier obsessions with President Barack Obama's birth certificate, this time Trump actually stumbled into an important issue, much to the chagrin of his fellow Republicans. He's right that our immigration system is broken. Both parties have been complaining about it for years.
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