‘Clinton shocked by challenge presented by socialist Sanders’

US Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has been shocked by the challenge presented by Bernie Sanders, a “socialist” senator from Vermont, an American political commentator and broadcast journalist says.

David Christie made the remarks in a phone interview with Press TV on Sunday while commenting on Sanders’ victories against Clinton in Saturday’s Democratic primaries. 

The senator said he sees a “path toward victory” after winning caucuses in the western states of Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

According to Christie, “an interesting phenomenon” is taking place at this year’s election cycle in the United States.

“I do wonder if everybody has noticed this. The mood of the American voters is not just restive. It's not simply unpredictable… it actually seems more predictable than it's ever been in the willingness of voters to reject the usual stooges who are groomed and trotted out by Democrats and Republicans as viable candidates for leader of the so-called Free World,” he said.   

“Indeed, if you had a time machine and can go back even ten years, and report that someone calling himself a socialist would be a serious and credible contention for the nomination of a major party, they would probably just stare at you in slack-jawed disbelief,” he added.

“After all, it was just in the prior election that somebody daring to refer to themselves as a libertarian got rail-roaded out the back door at the Republican convention in favor of a wealthy Wall Street oligarch,” Christie said. “This has always been standard operating procedure for party politics in Washington.”

The political analyst said that “Hillary Clinton was convinced that she was next in line as the rightful heir to power.”

“After all her pedigree is irrefutable. She embraces all the right, moderately right to centrist things - including absolute loyalty to Israel and all the politically correct things always required without question - her anointing is complete as the first woman ever to ascend to the absolute pinnacle of imperial power to put her at the top of the electoral food chain in this year's election,” Christie said.

“So imagine the shock and awe among her camp as the socialist Sanders is presenting credible challenges and continues to present a threat to her rightful ascension to the throne - all on average donations of $24 bucks each from average paycheck slaves who are fed up with the same old charade,” he pointed out.

“And if that wouldn't be enough to jolt the sensibilities of a casual observer who is used to business as usual - on the other side - Donald Trump - a radical extremist populist heretic real estate developer and game show host  who has the unmitigated audacity to strip away the pretenses and lies about our ill-fated disaster in Iraq  - mercilessly trampling the orthodoxy and denial syndrome that his own constituents have been desperately clinging  to for the past 15 years - mainly that Bush and Cheney were either blithering idiots - and more likely - world class unindicted war criminals  of a caste and caliber that we haven't seen the likes of since World War II,” Christie said.

“And we're just getting started. All I can say at this point is that it's a shame P.T. Barnum isn't still around to see this. He would no doubt also be in awe at the trained seals and exotic creatures that really are proving to be the greatest show on Earth,” he concluded.

Sanders believes his recent string of victories shows he can not only win the Democratic nomination, but also succeed in the general presidential election, including against Republican Party frontrunner Donald Trump.

According to a CNN/ORC survey last week, Sanders has a 20-point lead over in a head-to-head contest. Clinton held a 12-point lead over Trump in the same survey.

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