Both benefit from the same forces which is dissatisfaction with the results of past 30 years. Wages are stagnant, wealth is concentrated in fewer hands, the ranks of the poor grow, unions are less effective, the middle class is shrinking. On the Republican side, business interests have used the downwardly mobile, blue collar religious to elect Presidents and control Congress but failed to represent the economic interests of these new constituents. Trump is showing that conservative and religious ideology means nothing to them, they want economic benefits and feel as if they have been lied to. They are not afraid to shake things up.
Bernie's group rails against the same things. They may differ by being a bit younger, better educated in general, less religious and don't share the knee jerk reaction of their parents to words like 'socialism'. But they see the same inequalities. Like Republicans they don't trust the establishment candidate and aren't afraid to shake things up.
Ultimately both seem to me to be reactions against the dominance of big money in politics which enable the taxpayers pockets to be tapped for the benefit of corporations and ever wealthier individuals. Bernie touts that all his contributions come in tiny amounts and Trump touts that he doesn't need anyone else's money. Both make claim that they will actually represent and create a better life for the masses. Call is class warfare, but it's happening.
The Democratic Party may survive this split, but conventional wisdom now is that the Republican Party will not in its current form. Same might be said for the nation.
Bernie's group rails against the same things. They may differ by being a bit younger, better educated in general, less religious and don't share the knee jerk reaction of their parents to words like 'socialism'. But they see the same inequalities. Like Republicans they don't trust the establishment candidate and aren't afraid to shake things up.
Ultimately both seem to me to be reactions against the dominance of big money in politics which enable the taxpayers pockets to be tapped for the benefit of corporations and ever wealthier individuals. Bernie touts that all his contributions come in tiny amounts and Trump touts that he doesn't need anyone else's money. Both make claim that they will actually represent and create a better life for the masses. Call is class warfare, but it's happening.
The Democratic Party may survive this split, but conventional wisdom now is that the Republican Party will not in its current form. Same might be said for the nation.
