These two file photo show Republican president candidate Donald Trump (L) on July 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California, and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (R) on March 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. Wealthy magnate Trump and anti-billionaire Sanders are political opposites united in their outsider status in the presidential race -- and each leads his party in the polls in early-voting New Hampshire. AFP PHOTO / Files -/AFP/Getty Images-/AFP / Getty Images
American voters are getting hit with blasts of populism from left and right these days. On the right is Donald Trump, the billionaire blowhard whose ability to say anything he wants and not have it stick to him makes Teflon look like flypaper. And on the left is Bernie Sanders, an independent social-democrat senator from Vermont who is drawing tens of thousands of followers to record-sized rallies, where adrenalized supporters "feel the Bern."
Both men are challenging the comfortable assumptions of their respective parties. Mr. Trump is leading polls for the Republican presidential nomination, leaving his opponents grasping for words. Mr. Sanders is also a surprising front-runner, pulling ahead of Hillary Clinton, the favourite for the Democratic nomination, in early polls in New Hampshire and also pulling in far larger crowds.
In almost every way, the two men are opposites. Mr. Sanders has dedicated his life to his political beliefs. He is the longest-serving independent member of Congress in United States history, a remarkable run for a self-declared socialist from a rural state. The theme of his surging grassroots campaign is his message "to the billionaire class" that "yes, we have the guts to take you on."
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, is a parvenu from the billionaire class. His fame comes from many things – a popular reality TV show, success as a how-to author, his corporate holdings – but mostly it comes from his mouth. There is nothing the man won't say in order to get attention. He loves to offend, and a lot of GOP voters love that others are offended.
Mr. Trump is a parody of the American right's post-Tea Party, cultural-war politics; Mr. Sanders represents the quintessence of the left's social-justice, working-class roots. And yet there is something that unites them: their outsider status.
Imagine Trump vs. Sanders in 2016. Yes, it's unlikely. No, it is not to be wished for. But it's not impossible. Barack Obama wasn't supposed to defeat Hillary Clinton for the nomination in 2004. In 1968, Eugene McCarthy's anti-Vietnam War candidacy unseated a popular, sitting president, Lyndon Johnson, forcing him to step aside rather than seek re-election. And presidential elections have often included an independent candidate who made a mark – think of Ross Perot, who took 19 per cent of the popular vote in 1992.
And now there are two powerful outsiders with serious clout. The early successes of Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders are evidence that a large number of Americans are, once again, fed up with the status quo – and many are searching for answers on the fringe. These are exciting and dangerous times.
Note to readers: This story has been modified in order to make a correction. A previous version incorrectly said Donald Trump has not yet declared whether or not he will run for president. In fact, he declared his intentions in June.