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The Sanders Enthusiasm Gap Finally Shows Up
One completely predictable reason why Bernie fell short of expectations
Youth is wasted on the young.
That’s the main takeaway after a Super Tuesday in which Bernie Sanders failed to seize control of the Democratic Party presidential nomination, and Joe Biden rode the momentum of his South Carolina primary win to shock the world.
The pundits are saying that Biden’s support from African-Americans and older voters has rescued his campaign, while Bernie’s support, which originates mostly with Latinx and younger voters, has hit a ceiling. I believe the reason for the Sanders underperformance is a much simpler, much more basic and highly predictable one:
Young people have lots of enthusiasm, but when push comes to shove, they don’t go out and vote.
In crucial places, such as Texas, the exit polling showed a strong plurality for Biden with older voters with a contrasting advantage for Sanders among younger voters. Unfortunately for Sanders, voters under 45 represented one-third of the people who went to the polls in the Texas primary, while voters over 45 represented two-thirds of voters who turned out to cast a ballot.
Young people seem to be genuinely excited by Sanders — they are naturally drawn to…
