--- title: Bernie Sanders Becomes Iowa Object of Republican Focus description: They can't stop talking about him canonical: https://time.com/4192832/bernie-sanders-republican-donald-trump-iowa/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-25T21:13:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:41:55.739Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bernie Sanders Becomes Iowa Object of Republican Focus og:description: They can't stop talking about him og:url: https://time.com/4192832/bernie-sanders-republican-donald-trump-iowa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0e040c319a42c329/69887a97bc6cfc02003db692/bernie-sanders-republicans-obsessed.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5051 og:image:height: 2841 og:image:alt: Bernie Sanders og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bernie Sanders Becomes Iowa Object of Republican Focus twitter:description: They can't stop talking about him twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0e040c319a42c329/69887a97bc6cfc02003db692/bernie-sanders-republicans-obsessed.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bernie Sanders Becomes Object of Republican Fascination in Iowa > Sponsored content. 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In early voting states like New Hampshire, the hard work of winning elections is often decided by volunteers on the ground._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jan 25, 2016 9:13 PM UTC  Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., takes the stage to speak at a town hall at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, Iowa on Jan. 19, 2016. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., takes the stage to speak at a town hall at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, Iowa on Jan. 19, 2016. Andrew Harnik—AP by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jan 25, 2016 9:13 PM UTC WATERLOO, Iowa — For [Ted Cruz](http://time.com/4192615/ted-cruz-donald-trump-abortion-ad/), he is the punchline of a joke that begins with Donald Trump’s health care approach. To the influential talking head Glenn Beck, he is an honest “LSD-flashback, sixties socialist.” To [Marco Rubio](http://time.com/4191499/marco-rubio-crime-spree-campaign-ad-video/), he is “an excellent candidate for president”—of Sweden. And for early state primary voters, he is an increasing object of fascination. As [Bernie Sanders has risen in polls](http://time.com/4188073/bernie-sanders-winning-white-house/), the curiosity of a democratic socialist challenging the powerful Clintons has increasingly captured the attention of conservatives. For many voters, the white-haired senator is an easy caricature of the big-spending, big-government, East-Coast liberal. For others, he is the likable and truth-telling foil to Hillary Clinton. And sometimes, he seems more myth than man. “This guy Bernie Sanders? Give me a break,” Donald Trump said at a rally on Sunday Muscatine, IA. “He’s a socialist, but some people say he’s a communist.” What has become clear is that Republicans just can’t stop talking about him. As part of his recent spat with Trump, Cruz has attacked the billionaire real estate mogul for his previous support of single-payer healthcare. “I will note at least one of the candidates supports Bernie Sanders-style, full socialized medicine,” Cruz told the crowds, referring to Trump. Sanders name was in the air all across Iowa at Republican rallies and voter meetings nine days before the caucuses. At an endorsement event for Sen. Cruz in the small city of Waterloo on Saturday night, the conservative radio host and television personality Glenn Beck offered an hour-long stemwinder about the decline of the American dream and sang Cruz’s praises. At the halfway mark, Beck gave back-handed praise to Sanders, comparing the Vermont senator and Cruz in style, if not substance. Cruz’s “word is his bond: He says what he means and he means what he says,” Beck told the crowd of the candidate he was endorsing. “On the other side, that’s why I have respect for Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders at least comes out and says ‘I’m an LSD flashback sixties socialist. I’m the old hippie that’s still kicking.’” Sanders’ aides joke that it’s flattering Republicans have started calling him out. They also point out that Sanders won a full quarter of Republican votes in his last Senate election in Vermont. As for the socialism label, Sanders calls himself a democratic socialist, but likens his proposals—universal healthcare, tuition-free public college, and a $1-trillion infrastructure program—to the achievements of of Democratic heroes like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, who passed Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Republicans are also playing a clever game: by attacking Sanders, or praising his honesty, they elevate his public image in the race against Hillary Clinton. The Republican National Committee has taken the unusual step of sending out press releases to defend Sanders against Clinton’s attacks. “In A Pitiful Attempt To Attack Sanders, Team Clinton Raised Questions About His Health,” ran one headline from a Republican press release. The SuperPAC American Crossroads, which is affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove, has been running a television ad in Iowa that echoes the rhetoric of Sanders, attacking Clinton for threatening to bring “Wall Street to the White House.” Many Republicans say they see Sanders as a particularly weak rival in a general election. “We’re going to win every state if Bernie Sanders is the nominee,” Ohio Gov. John Kasich said at the last Republican debate. But Trump seemed uncharacteristically hesitant at his Muscatine rally on Sunday to lambast Sanders, saying if Sanders went down, Clinton would have have an easier nominating fight. “I shouldn’t hit him too hard, though, because then he’ll go down,” said Trump. Trump also claimed credit for Sander’s rise in the polls, saying they resulted from Trump’s attacks against Clinton. “Bernie Sanders is surging,” said Trump. “But I did it! I did that.” In conversations with Iowa Republicans, many express respect for Sanders. He’s honest, said Daniel Hartwig, a pastor in Dysart who supports Cruz. “He knows what he believes and he’s not afraid to say it,” Hartwig said. “I respect him.” Mike Wiseman, a supply chain manager who in the past has supported the libertarians Rand and Ron Paul, said he was considering caucusing for Sanders even though he said there’s a lot of distance between them on fiscal issues. “Bernie has the support of the people,” Wiseman added. Sanders has long said that he hopes to attract Republican support, particularly from Donald Trump’s voters. “I think for his working class and middle class supporters, I think we can make the case that if we really want to address the issues that people are concerned about,” Sanders said on CBS last month, “we need policies that bring us together.” His campaign in New Hampshire gives canvassers a script specifically for New Hampshire voters who are deciding between Trump and Sanders. Outside Trump’s Sunday rally, a nurse interested in Trump said that she was in favor of many of Sanders’ proposals, but that he needed to figure out a way to pay for his program. “I like a lot of Bernie Sanders’ ideas,” said Laurie Frantz. “I’m definitely in favor of increasing the amount of money seniors get for social security. Everyone should have free healthcare and free college. I’m in favor, but there’s no plan to pay for it. For Republican leaders, however, there is little ambiguity. Jeff Kaufmann, the chairman of the Iowa Republican party said shortly before Trump spoke on Thursday that he was tired of hearing Democrats like Bernie Sanders deliver “false promises.” “Quit throwing out false promises for false policies,” said Kaufmann. “The Democratic party is running a retread from the 90s” between a candidate who is under “serious FBI investigation and an avowed socialist.” “The headlines,” Kaufmann concluded, “should say ‘Democrats are racing right down the train of socialism.'” ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] 30 days to the primary, every second counts. We're hoping that this will prove our tenacity and we're willing to not only go out here and knock on doors, but knock on doors in awful weather because That's how strongly we feel about this campaign. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Three weeks to go now until the first votes are cast in the 2016 presidential race. But the bigger surprise right here, Sanders is closing in on Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders deadlocked. Sanders is out for And that has her campaign admitting they are nervous. [ APPLAUSE ] People hearing the message directly from the senator is wonderful, but we can't have a rally every day. The conversations that matter to me are the ones that are happening between individuals. Because at the end of the day, that's what wins an election. If they're home. [ SOUND ] I think the best I ever did was 61 houses. And I think I got 7 commit cards. Which was pretty good. We've had a big push in the past 60 days. My job is not to convince people to change their vote, I'm just there to give them information. Hi. Hi. Mr. Thorner? And also, it's to inform people what day the Primary is on. Should be, here. [ SOUND ] I remember, I think it was about six years ago now, there was one. Disheveled crazy looking guy on floor of the Senate who gave a 10 and a half hour filibuster about how stupid the Bush tax cuts were. And I remember seeing that, being like, this dude is the only dude in the Senate with guts and this is exactly what I believe in. And I started following a little bit more about who is he was and everything I heard him say, I agreed with and loved. Like everything. Well, we're just out here for Bernie, because we believe that he's one of the most different candidates. That can really revolutionize- This is the grind, yes, this is where it's won. Those are the most effective and persuasive ways of talking to voters. All right, whose next? Yesterday alone we knocked on 17, 000 doors. Watch the ice. One day, 17, 000 doors. We're from the Bernie Sanders campaign and we were just wondering if you were planning on voting in the primary on February 9th. [ INAUDIBLE ] Hilary in the primary. Definitely. Wonderful. Be voting for both of you. Great. Leaning strongly in her favor? I'm still not sure. I love Bernie Sanders. Most of us do Who are in this part of the country. But there's some drawbacks, too. I'm torn- She's a woman with very strong convictions just like Bernie- That I admire. And she's stuck to them, but now she's moderated them to say well, I can meet the Republicans halfway. And I don't know what will happen if Bernie can't meet them halfway. I'm not sure that he would Even have a chance of [ CROSSTALK ] Yes, yeah. That's what I'm really worried. The worries that people have about his electability should have really disappeared by now. All these people that no other candidate would get should come out and vote for them Bernie's got those people. And people that haven't voted in 20 years. And I've seen them in the office making calls. I've seen them stepping up and doing stuff. And I think Bernie talks the talk and walks the walk. One of the reasons that I'm really For Hilary is because of the Affordable Care Act and I think she will not only keep it, but improve on it. I've had breast cancer, my husband's had prostate cancer, my son has treatable epilepsy. She's just right on for people from birth to death. If we get that win by three points or five points or whatever, it's gonna be us on On the ground making that difference, creating that margin, and that's what it's about. Doing it three times this week, because we're getting close to the wire. I definitely will do it the remainder of the Saturdays and possibly some of the Sundays. Then I have said that I'll come in two nights a week to make calls Bye. [ LAUGH ] See if we could get the dogs to vote, we'd be doing really just right. 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