Bernie Sanders Is a Very Skilled Politician

Matthew Yglesias: “Sen. Bernie Sanders is a highly skilled politician, and at Friday night’s debate he showed it.”

“The Democratic Party is polarized right now between Bernie fans who insist that democratic socialism is the way forward and an establishment that’s terrified Sanders will bring electoral doom. The truth, however, is a bit more boring. Far-left politics isn’t really a winning hand, but Sanders himself is an effective player who consistently outperforms the partisan fundamentals in his races.”

“Those talents were on display Friday evening at the New Hampshire debate, where he stayed relentlessly on message, emphasized the popular aspects of his agenda, and avoided major pitfalls. As long as he can avoid the trap of believing too much of his own hype, he has the ability to craft a winning message for November.”

Aaron Blake: “Sanders weathered early attacks on his electability — partially because the other candidates didn’t completely commit to the attack — and proceeded to have a mostly easy debate.”