Bernie's chances can be improving even if he isn't moving up in the polls much (he probably has moved up by a point or two, though maybe not more than that). It's more than there's *nothing standing in way of his winning* given where the other candidates are now.
What would block Bernie's path?
—If he were far enough behind the nat'l frontrunner (Biden) that even an IA/NH bounce might not catch him up.
—If he were way behind in IA.
—If he were way behind another candidate (e.g. Warren) in his "lane".
NONE of these are true right now.
—If he were far enough behind the nat'l frontrunner (Biden) that even an IA/NH bounce might not catch him up.
—If he were way behind in IA.
—If he were way behind another candidate (e.g. Warren) in his "lane".
NONE of these are true right now.
To be sure, like all trendy narratives, this one is probably a *bit* exaggerated. Sanders still needs several things to go right, probably starting with a win in IA. And whether the party will unify around him if we wins early on is an open question. But it's not a bad position!
