SUPERFANS: Trump fans v. Bernie Bros in 2020 may expose the worst in American democracy

This election cycle could very well be the most violent in a generation; Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders supporters will share the blame.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is running for president again. Whatever one may think of him, the senator’s message undeniably resonates with millions of Americans. His supporters are often enthusiastic, energetic, and eager to fight for the cause — sometimes literally. More than a few people have been deliberately hurt by Sanders supporters over the last few years and Bernie Bros have a well-earned reputation for bad behavior. President Donald Trump’s most passionate fans are similarly known and have also been at the center of many offensive and violent public incidents. A Sanders versus Trump race in 2020 might reveal some of the American Voter’s worst character traits

Bernie Sanders does not call for violence against anyone. However, the 78-year-old junior senator (yes, really junior) from Vermont has made a career as a socialist, often populist, firebrand. As such, bombastic rhetoric has become a Sanders trademark, he has even branded his presidential campaigns “political revolutions.” Hardly tame language; revolutions don’t generally conjure scenes of a peaceful electorate, serenely casting their ballots. Those are calls to action — and his fans have been quite active.