Bernie Sanders Video Goes Viral As Supporters Decry ‘Negative’ Corporate Media Coverage
Democratic presidential candidate and Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is currently recovering from having two stents placed in a blocked coronary artery, but his supporters are keeping busy.
On Friday, a video created by a Sanders supporter went viral on social media, Common Dreams reports. Created by independent producer Matt Orfalea, the video is a criticism of corporate media, and its “consistently negative portrayal of Sanders and his 2020 presidential campaign.”
Not unlike a campaign advertisement, the five-minute video denunciation of allegedly “negative” corporate media coverage juxtaposes Sanders’ rallies and public appearances with dismissive and negative remarks cable news talking heads critical of the independent Vermont senator have made on air.
“No candidate has endured more unfounded hateful attacks than Bernie Sanders. But he fights on!” Orfalea, who posted the video to YouTube on Thursday, said.
The video was quickly embraced by Sanders’ supporters, who shared it across social media platforms. It has also reached some of Sanders’ surrogates, and even those working on the Sanders campaign.
Shaun King, a Sanders surrogate, described the video as “the single best, most insightful, most inspirational” advertisement of the 2020 presidential election.
Actress and Sanders supporter Susan Sarandon praised the video as well, stating that it has managed to lift up “marginalized voices that are constantly downplayed and discounted by corporate media,” referring to poor, young, and working-class people.
In a Twitter message, Nina Turner, the national co-chair of Sanders’ campaign, described the video as “pure emotional truth,” urging her followers to watch it.
This Bernie ad is truly beautiful. No matter who gets the nomination, Bernie has changed the conversation and this country for the better more than most, and we owe him an unpayable debt of gratitude. (h/t @shaunking)https://t.co/OOgCiXTF2V
— Justin Kanew (@Kanew) October 4, 2019
Polls have consistently suggested that Sanders would beat Donald Trump in the general election, with virtually every single survey showing the president trailing the Vermont independent running as a Democrat.
However, in order to have a shot at challenging Trump, Sanders has to win the Democratic nomination first. In the Democratic primary race, according to most polls, Sanders is trailing front-runner Joe Biden, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren surging and even surpassing him in some polls.
The primary, which features a crowded field of Democrats to choose from, appears to have evolved into a three-way race between Biden, Sanders, and Warren.
For instance, according to a recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS, Biden and Sanders are tied in first place in the state of Nevada, with both candidates receiving support from 22 percent of voters. Warren is a close second, with 18 percent of the vote.
In order to win the nomination, polls suggest, Sanders needs to make inroads with older voters, who overwhelmingly support Biden. Very few of these voters reporterly support Sanders, who is a clear winner among younger Americans.
