Bernie Sanders jumps into a crowded pool

BERNIE SANDERS, the self-declared socialist senator from Vermont, had a good long run against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. His left-wing pitch has fared even better. Slogans that were lampooned then—Medicare for all, a $15 nationwide minimum wage, free tuition at public colleges—are now mainstream. Among Democratic presidential hopefuls, fealty to these mantras can even seem mandatory.

In his announcement video, an 11-minute monologue, Mr Sanders sounded triumphant. “Three years ago during our 2016 campaign, when we brought forth our progressive agenda, we were told that our ideas were ‘radical’ and they were ‘extreme’,” Mr Sanders says. “Well, three years have come and gone.” He sees a successful run in 2020 as a coda to his revolution. The antagonists remain the same this time round—billionaires, especially President Donald Trump; multinational companies; bad trade deals. But Mr Sanders also seems keen to talk about sexism towards women and racism against blacks, two groups that did not warm to him in 2016.

This time he enters a busy field with an agenda that is no longer outlandish. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator, is another longtime idol of the left who brings other flashy ideas—such as a wealth tax and universal child-care—along with a stronger command of detail. Even...