Sanders has a definitive lead in New Hampshire, perhaps, as Jeri indicated, but his campaign will have a tough time in the South (e.g., South Carolina) and elsewhere, notwithstanding the reliance a lot of poorer states have on social programs that directly benefit them (Social Security; Food Stamps; Medicaid, etc). If Sanders could only distill his message down so that constituents would realize they would actually be voting for someone who seems to sincerely have their best interests at heart instead of voting for someone who only panders to "the middle class" for the votes and then conducts business as usual once elected.

So far, he has not been able to do that. Once people hear the "socialist" label, they automatically think commies and russkies, Ho Chi Minh and Stalin, and anything else Sanders says is lost on deaf ears. Sanders should spend more time in his stump speeches explaining just what socialism is and how much of the USA is already tilted in that direction (for example, see Wikipedia for a list of employee-owned companies).

Maybe Sanders should take a lesson from Trump and just answer every question with "It's gonna be great, trust me, it will be so fantastic." Never mind specifics or anything based in reality, just make people feel empowered with "greatness." That seems to work well. Or deliver a dissociated message in a shrill voice reminiscent of fingernails scraped across a blackboard.

Nah, Sanders has too much integrity for that tactic.