Discussion on Bernie Sanders' success in getting his message across

Part of your assignment asks to discuss briefly whether Bernie Sanders succeeds in getting his message across. First of all, Bernie Sanders is very straightforward about his message on several occasion in the speech. From the beginning he mentions:

…we must never allow demagogues to divide us up by race, by religion, by national origin, by gender or sexual orientation. Black, white, Latino, Asian American, Native American, Christian, Jew, Muslim and every religion, straight or gay, male or female we must stand together. This country belongs to all of us. (ll. 26-29)

This is a powerful message promoting unity in diversity and the rejection of politicians who use prejudices and appeal to popular negative desires. This message is successful because it appeals to a variety of audiences in the US, making Sanders’ speech very inclusive.

The speaker also conveys a message that society should fight the self-interest of the very rich and prevent America from turning into an oligarchy:

The truth is that the only rational choice we have, the only real response we can make, is to stand up and fight back – reclaim American democracy and create a government that works for all of us, and not just the 1 percent. (ll. 73-75)

The message relies on ethos, as it suggests the audience share the same democratic values and have a shared responsibility of defending these values. However, this message is also divisive as it opposes a majority to a minority. Since Bernie Sanders addresses the majority and uses reason to appeal to them, his message is successfully delivered to his target audience.

Consider also: “As a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, corporations and billionaires are able to spend unlimited sums of money on elections” (ll. 54-55). Sander attacks the rich for interfering in politics and implies that their actions manipulate electoral campaigns. Criticising a key state institution and the r...