The Outsider Appeal of Sanders and Cruz

Driving home a narrative about who or what caused the problems now facing America and how to fix them are central to any political campaign. The campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders is no different. According to Sanders, America faces rising inequality and restricted upward economic mobility. These problems, Sanders believes, are caused by a number of groups of people. The first, Wall Street bankers, recklessly pursued their own greedy ends at the expense of the economy. Big business, greedy as well, keep wages and employee benefits down to maximize corporate profit. Both, according to Sanders, buy and sell politicians through mechanisms such as super PACs.These politicians, part of the political establishment, have been complicit in dismantling the economic security of the middle class and of the poor who dream of one day making it into the middle class. In addition, any media outlets that do not see the goodness of Sanders’s plan are criticized for perpetuating the problems facing America.

For Sanders, a political revolution must take place in order to truly fix the issues plaguing the U.S. Ordinary Americans must flock to Sanders and his plans for free college, universal health care, and a $15 minimum wage. If Sanders is to be believed, these, combined with higher taxes for the wealthy and less defense spending, are the cure to America’s ills.

For Senator Ted Cruz, the enemy is big government, primarily the big government under the Obama administration. He also paints Republicans in Congress who may be willing to compromise on their beliefs to achieve policy goals as false conservatives. According to the narrative driven by the Cruz campaign, he is the only true conservative fit to lead Republicans longing for ideological purity against the restraints big government has placed on their personal liberty.

Both of these narratives fit the general “outsider” narrative being talked about by the media. This idea states that the 2016 Presidential election is being dominated by politicians and non-politicians alike who are shunned by their party establishment. Both Cruz and Sanders fit this narrative, but any additional media attention caused by it will most likely be for naught, as neither is likely to occupy the White House in 2017.