And just like that, the anti-fascist democratic front was forgotten

It had been a while since discussions about democratic fronts to fight against fascism were a mainstream theme. In the US, nobody believed that the tacky, clownish, entertainment figure with a golden toilet seat could be taken seriously. Surprised, we observed that Trump had officially launched his candidacy. I remember considering who could represent a threat to Hillary: Rubio? Cruz? Maybe Jeb Bush? Two unexpected things happened: first, an independent (someone not affiliated with any party) whom I had never heard of became a serious contender in the race. Bernard Sanders, a guy who looked like someone plucked right from one of our unproductive students’ movement assemblies of the late 1970s. “Free and public education for all eligible students”. Believe me, even those of us on the hard left, pushing this demand, knew it was impossible and didn’t fit on the budget. He was interesting, though. I was sure he hadn’t done the math, or that it was a rhetorical demand like ours had been. “Medicare for all” was harder for us, foreigners, to understand. At the time, I wasn’t a US “alien” resident like now. I only understood that this country doesn’t have a public health care system when I moved here. I had never been to a country without a NHS. So, this guy who sounded a bit too angry, a bit authoritarian and uncompromising, was demanding both something…