This article by Senator Bernie Sanders appeared in the New York Times.
My father came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 with barely a nickel in his pocket. I spent my first 18 years, before I left home for college, in a three-and-a-half-room, rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn. My mother’s dream was to own her own home, but we never came close. My father’s salary as a paint salesman paid for basic necessities, but never much more.
As a young man I learned the impact that lack of money had on family life. Every major household purchase was accompanied by arguments between my parents.
I remember being yelled at for going to the wrong store for groceries and paying more than I should have. I’ve never forgotten the incredible stress of not having much money, a reality that millions of American families experience today.
We are the wealthiest nation in the history of the world and, according to President Trump, the economy is “booming.” Yet most Americans have little or no savings and live paycheck to paycheck.
Today our rate of childhood poverty is among the highest of any developed country in the world, millions of workers are forced to work two or three jobs just to survive, hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, millions more owe outrageous levels of student debt, and half a million people are homeless on any given night. Over 80 million Americans have inadequate health insurance or spent part or all of last year without any insurance, and one out of five cannot afford the prescription drugs they need.
While wages in the United States have been stagnant for over 40 years, we have more income and wealth inequality than at any time since the 1920s.
Today, the wealthiest three families in the country own more wealth than the bottom half of the American people and the top 1 percent owns more wealth than the bottom 90 percent. Millions of workers earn starvation wages even as nearly half of all new income is going to the top 1 percent.
Gentrification is ravaging working-class neighborhoods, forcing many struggling Americans to spend half or more of their incomes to put a roof over their heads. The rent-controlled apartment I grew up in was small, but at least we could afford it.
I am running for president because we must defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in the modern history of our country. But, if we are to defeat Mr. Trump, we must do more than focus on his personality and reactionary policies.
We must understand that unfettered capitalism and the greed of corporate America are destroying the moral and economic fabric of this country, deepening the very anxieties that Mr. Trump appealed to in 2016. The simple truth is that big money interests are out of control, and we need a president who will stand up to them.
Wall Street, after driving the United States into the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, now makes tens of billions in profits while forcing working-class Americans to pay usurious interest rates on their credit card debt. The top 10 American drug companies, repeatedly investigated for price fixing and other potentially illegal actions, made nearly $70 billion in profits last year, even as Americans paid the most per capita among developed nations for their prescription medicine.
Top executives in the fossil fuel industry spend hundreds of millions on campaign contributions to elect candidates who represent the rich and the powerful, while denying the reality of climate change.
Major corporations like Amazon, Netflix, General Motors and dozens of others make huge profits, but don’t pay federal income taxes because of a rigged tax system they lobbied to create.
Back in 1944, in his State of the Union speech, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt reminded the nation that economic security is a human right, and that people cannot be truly free if they have to struggle every day for their basic needs. I agree.
We must change the current culture of unfettered capitalism in which billionaires have control over our economic and political life. We need to revitalize American democracy and create a government and economy that works for all.
Feel the Bern!
Absolutely beautiful! If only we could clone Bernie. Bernie will get my vote…..again.
Yes! His consistency is refreshing.
I think his campaign is self indulgent. He should put his energy into helping us choose people who are younger with a solid grasp of issues and ideas about how to establish them. His candidacy is a fairy tale….
Please explain to me how this is “self indulgent.” This is a toned down request from the original message I wrote and decided to revise. You can oppose him, but denigrating an obviously sincere, personal statement like this is…never mind, I’ll keep that conclusion to myself.
‘Please explain to me how this is “self indulgent.” ‘
What Greg said. Trump, to put it mildly is “self indulgent.” There is no comparison that I can see. We’re waiting to hear more from you.
Joe sounds like Krugman. Meybe he is Krugman.
I’m sure a lot of people said that FDR’s ideas were nothing but a fairy tale, but look at that period of history and how much progress was made. FDR is THE reason we built a strong middle class. Feel the Bern!….BELIEVE!
And FDR had to overcome a serious disability, he could not walk without assistance and for only short distances. Could FDR be elected today? I give a little thank you to FDR every time I get my Social Security payment and for FDIC and for many other actions that made the USA a better place.
No doubt about it…FDR accomplished a lot…..from the time he took office at the age of 50, until his death thirteen years later at the age of 63.
There is no thought given to putting together a national government that works. It is more respectable than Trump’s ego trip, but not a lot different. For many, he is an escape mechanism from responsibility.
“For many, he is an escape mechanism from responsibility.”
Then they are not listening real well. Earning a living wage does not seem like an escape from responsibility. Not having to choose whether to pay the rent or for the prescriptions you need does not seem like an escape either. How about being able to receive healthcare before it is an emergency? Is that an escape?
I could agree that I would like to see more policy laid out by most of the candidates. I rather like Elizabeth Warren for that very reason. Biden may be the one who can most likely get the compromises in congress to enact his ideas, but I’m not sure I can trust him with his years of corporate support. Delaware isn’t exactly the heart of progressive thought.
Biden’s run feels much like the parable of the alligator sweet-talking the monkey into taking a ride on his back to get across the river only to eat him halfway across saying, “you knew I was an alligator when you climbed on my back.” Biden saying whatever it takes today to get endorsements and votes with no real understanding of what his words mean.
ciedie aech,
I AGREE with you. I remember that parable and the lesson. People need to heed. Beware of the alligator(s) … there are many … some better than others.
Go Bernie.
“You knew I was a typical, two timing politician when you climbed in my limo”, Biden said to the alligator, just before he made it into a pair of boots. “So why did you do it?”
“There is no thought given to putting together a national government that works.”
#$%@&*!!!!!! I never cease to be amazed by armchair critics who opine that presidential candidates must lay out every detail prior to an election and then adhere to every comma, period, and asterisk once they are elected. Show me one president who has ever done this. ONE! Presidents lay out principles and goals. They establish a cabinet to translate them into policy frameworks. Then those tasked to do so hire undersecretaries and staff to carry out the detail and work with Congress to create legislation to implement them with legal authority. And Congress has a role in oversight to make sure these policies work as best as possible.
This statement by Bernie give a hell of a lot of thought to how and for whom a national government should work. It is anything but “an escape mechanism from responsibility.” It is, in fact, a statement of authentic principles from which policy can be made to which it can be judged. I never cease to be amazed how little the proverbial peanut gallery has no idea about how the framers and subsequent constitutional, legislative, and executive history inform later generation about how government is supposed to function.
GregB: You said what I was going to say, but better. Thanks!
I would love to see a Sanders/Warren ticket (after Warren gets “schooled” on schools, of course, but I do–& have always, just as I have w/Bernie–admired her, the she who dared persist): for those who like Bernie but think he’s too old & those who like Warren–well, if there’s a health problem, here’s someone who’d be ready on Day 1.
That having been said, there is good reason Bernie keeps repeating the same things he’d said-what–20 years ago? Power has been following Einstein’s Theory of Insanity: doing the same thing over & over & expecting different results. & Bernie has the solutions for those same, persistent problems plaguing America.
One caveat, however–we just cannot have a repeat of the 2016 Dem primaries–as I’ve repeatedly pointed out, unchallenged, rampant election fraud throughout the nation (which is why the great state of FL still has DWS {& never forget what she did as DNC Chair & why she was removed}–look up her challenger, Tim Canova). The candidates or campaigns MUST mount a challenge after suspicious elections
(such as poor caucus supervision, removal of voters from rolls, erasing ballots or tampering with machine security–ALL of this happened–& more–in 2016 Dem Primaries. Had Bernie/his campaign challenged, we might, today, have President Sanders rather than IQ45.
Again, I’m waiting for a link to the letters that people need to write to their favorite progressive (be it Bernie or Elizabeth or Tulsi or someone else you consider to be a true progressive), asking that he/she pledges to challenge fuzzy election results.
We cannot have another 2016.
Well stated. Bernie is not running to feed his ego like so many other candidates. He feels compelled to run because he has a vision to make our country work better for all its citizens. He has lots of young people on his team that will help him shape policy. He has reached out to minorities this time because he needs and should get the minority vote. If I am going to vote for an old guy, I want to vote for this one!
Thank you, GregB,
You wrote: “This statement by Bernie give a hell of a lot of thought to how and for whom a national government should work. It is anything but “an escape mechanism from responsibility.” It is, in fact, a statement of authentic principles from which policy can be made to which it can be judged.”
AMEN.
p.s. Bernie is exactly the right age to be potus. He has the wisdom of experience and knowledge plus he has vision and vigor in his “way of life.”
Joe now sounds more and more like Krugman’s NYT article. We’ve all read it or can read it if we wanted to, so no need to repeat it here.
“There is no thought given to putting together a national government that works. ”
Luckily, many countries can provide examples for governments that work much better than ours. The time for theories was 170 years ago. We are not special, not exceptional, so we can just follow progress in the world, for a change, instead of preventing it by echoing ad nauseam “we are different” while creating sinfully rich and influential people and turning back abortion laws.
The idea that the rich have some God given right to hoard such a large fraction of the world’s wealth has always puzzled me coming from the self identified “Christians”
And if one is not religious, it’s downright absurd to think that just a few people have some “objective right” to control so much wealth. Where does such a right even come from? The argument is just dumb.
Humans live on what Carl Sagan brilliantly referred to as a “pale blue dot” to drive home how precious is our planet and how fragile is our existence in the (possibly) infinite sea of blackest space.
Pale Blue Dot
The Earth is where
We make our stand
Against each other
Or hand in hand
This pale blue dot
Is all we know
There ain’t a spot
Where we can go
Pale Blue Dot (2)
A pale blue dot
In blackest void
They want the lot
The greedy boys
I believe, Soros is an atheist, but he wrote
I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood, which I felt I had to control otherwise they might get me into trouble
“FDR did it.”
“Checks and (bank) Balances”
(Federalist Numero Uno)
The wealthy class must lead
Our leaders must wear tweed
The men of means
Must be the deans
Deciding what we need
Tale of Two Bernies (Madoff and Sanders)
A tale of two Bernies
Of capital crime
Of socialist journeys —
Theft of our time
Of stealing from Madoff
By Sanders and ilk
The country is bad off
By Bernie, we’re bilked
We’re number 1
Number one in billionaires
Number one in grizzly bears
Number one in uninsured
Number one in grizzly turds
Number one in purchased votes
Number one in grizzly coats
Number one in childhood poor
Number one in grizzly spoor
Number one in homeless folks
Number one in grisly jokes
Number one in adulation
Number one, a grisly nation
Yeah, even the slogan “checks and balances” sounds way to capitalistic. What should we replace it with? “Prevent excess, redistribute”? Or “Make progress work for all.”?
If it sounds capitalistic, it’s because it was.
People like Alexander Hamilton (who wrote many of the Federalist papers) feared “rule by the rabble” and argued for rule by the ” men of means.”
Following are Hamilton quotes
To cherish and stimulate the activity of the human mind, by multiplying the objects of enterprise, is not among the least considerable of the expedients, by which the wealth of a nation may be promoted
All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are rich and well born; the other, the mass of the people. The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true in fact. The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right. Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in the government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second; and as they cannot receive any advantage by change, they will therefore maintain good government.”
“It has been observed that a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.”
it is long since I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.
Every power vested in a government is in its nature sovereign, and includes by force of the term a right to employ all the means requisite…to the attainment of the ends of such power.”
I would go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and to the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution, but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions to powers not granted; and, on this very account, would afford a colorable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do?
Note Hamilton’s “argument” for rule by the rich
as they cannot receive any advantage by change, they will therefore maintain good government.”
Ha ha ha.
I’d say he could not have been more wrong, but that does not do justice to the depth of his delusion.
Unless he meant “good government for them”
Ouch, Hamilton! How could he think this about the rich? By his time, there had been about 4 thousand years of written history of the boundless greed of the rich. Maybe he took a voucher and went to a school where they didn’t teach history?
But the rap-opera made about him is good. At least I like it.
On the offhand chance that you were looking for someone to thank for Trump, look no further.
You can thank Alexander Hamilton.
Thanks, SDP, for ending my long lasting search.
“Conservatives dishonestly try to link the policies I favor with those of authoritarian regimes. ”
This was the greatest sin of the “communist” regimes. People forever associate Marx’s ideas with authoritarian regimes, and hence his sharp criticism of capitalism is considered invalid.
We have to get used to associating freedoms with their control. Uncontrolled freedoms become freedoms only for a few.
Sanders wants to control the various ways to get rich, and hence he is painted as a guy who wants to take away people’s freedoms. I think we need to help Sanders clean up the meanings of “freedom control” and “socialist”.
So true. Bernie will lose votes as many Americans will reject the term “socialist” even if they support the social programs he endorses. Americans have been trained to recoil at the term “socialist.”
Mate: you make some fascinating points. Must communism be stuck in the “dictatorship of the proletariat phase?”
Is complete freedom a prescription for authoritarianism?
Is it socialism to lay down rules in capitalism?
The answer to this last question was answered very clearly by the utilitarians in the nineteenth century. Bentham’s “greatest good for the greatest number” ideal was even accepted by Carnegie, who turned it on its head to suggest that the wealthy new better where to put money to help the greatest number of people. But he accepted the basic idea: if what we do does not benefit a great many of society, it is of no use to us.
Mill saw government as the protector of one person from another. Modern American political forces on the right see government as fundamentally bad referees in a game. So much for the wealthy knowing how best to distribute money.
Carnegie’s views have apparently survived: the US is convinced, they know best what other countries need, they know best how handle nuclear weapons, they know best how to handle the environment.
We are convinced because we DO know best.
Currently, Putin controls America’s President and he is in control of the executive branch and, the Trump/Republican Party, which is the majority in the Senate.
This is why he exicites the young people. He speaks the truth. He concisely, clearly and consistently identifies the majority of problems our nation faces. Bernie 2020!
This is why he exicites the young people. He speaks the truth. He concisely, clearly and consistently identifies the majority of problems our nation faces. Bernie 2020!
Bernie showed up at the Walmart shareholders’ meeting and told them they can afford to pay workers $15 per hour. Bernie is true to his beliefs.
I can’t say I am enjoying the crazed hostility, but I find it reassuring. A lot of you are using Bernie as a mechanism for escaping reality. I had not read the Krugman article…I thought one of his best paragraphs….which goes beyond my despair about two old white men possibly eliminating a dozen or more better qualified people, to think about what if one of them, (much more probable to be Biden even with his unique position regarding abortion), was this:. he thinks neither of them seems ready for the tough fights that will follow.
Biden’s poll numbers will have to be pressured….and for a while, Bernie can be helpful…..but eventually, reality will set in. He will not be nominated, and realistic alternatives will be blocked. But by all means….keep on dreaming.
” But by all means….keep on dreaming.2
Thanks for the permission. This “new” dream is certainly more realistic than the traditional American dream which can be granted only to the 1%, while this new one is shareable.
“The Dream Deferred” (hat tip to Langston Hughes)
The Dream, I heard
Is just deferred
So have some beers
(For thousand years)
Yeah, the more the beer the more realistic the dreams.
“I can’t say I am enjoying the crazed hostility, ”
Perhaps reread your very first comment you made “from above”, and you perhaps see the source of this hostility.
True. Reality checks are not designed to win friends…If the centrists get as nasty as I expect they will in nominating Biden, and making sure the platform is….nothing over inspiring….they Bernie might be justified in running as a third party….just because Trump is the youngest does not guarantee he would win…and the coattails of Biden and Bernie combined would cause the thing that horrifies republicans…..a huge turnout…..adding more non republicans to the senate, and keeping the house in order.
Pessimists are always convinced, they see reality and others only dream.
Wow, Joe! “Crazed hostility?!” I think you are referring to IQ45 &, perhaps, we wouldn’t have had him in the WH had not someone w/so much baggage (esp. due to all the election fraud about which I’ve spoken) & who was “anointed” by the DNC.
&, w/Biden & his suitcases full of cash & many past mistakes–IOW, baggage–it will most certainly happen again. Especially as it appears that he, now, is the DNC’s “anointed” one.
“History repeats itself.” “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.” Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over & over & expecting different results.
I dunno, Joe…”crazed hostility”…we must all be those infamous
“Bernie Bros.” (& I must say, I had never met a one in all my time volunteering for his campaign, in several states.)
Where I came from (versification of Bernie Sanders)
Brooklyn native
Little flat
Wouldna traded
All of that
Dearth at birth
Was family’s card
Saw the worth
Of working hard
Things have changed
The Dream’s deferred
Hope’s estranged
Is what we’ve heard
See the fear
On every face
Shedding tear
For “run in place”
SDP–Funny, was watching the 25th Anniversary of Les Miserables on PBS last night (pledge week! & no Democracy Now {boo!}), & I think your poem fits the tune to Master of the House.
Steven Singer is a good writer, with a lot to say that I wish people would hear. But the things he says related to Sanders range from dreamy to nightmarish. December of 2016, the said the people were crying out for a populist….a bit of a vague term. So…Bernie would have destroyed Trump, but we blew it. By February he was saying the democrat party was all but dead, and Trump would walk into a second term, no matter how terrible he continues to be………
To joe prichard:
If you recognize that half full water in a glass will be always easily absorbed to be neutral or to be extreme, and full water in a glass cannot be absorbed, except spilled, then there is no argument with you.
You can represent trump’s supporters who cannot appreciate humanity and all common good. Caring for the unfortunate and doing common good are the very basic in the trait for the leader.
Yes, we are all sick of the amoral abuser, but somehow the strongest, smartest and wealthiest seem to me that they naturally become the amoral abuser. But, it is too bad that they are also the shameless leader.
We should realize that everything that we choose to act, we have to live with the consequence of our choice. So, I respect your choice. Please, IMHO, this platform is all about EDUCATION = WE NEED TO PRESSENT ALL FACTS.
In short, Trump and his administration have not done one thing good for Americans to be proud that at least, we are the real leader in education at K-12 level. Please do not say or write nonsensical. You need to present all facts to be worth it for your own valuable time and to earn respect from readers. Back2 basic
This is a near perfect message for Bernie to run on. Excellent.
I think this could go a long way and Bernie should lead with “FDR did it, we can do it again”.
The younger generation doesn’t fear socialism but if the older generation does, then it is important to put Bernie’s policies as the policies of FDR.
The democrats should have one talking point: “When FDR offered a way out the Depression, which hurt so many poor and middle class Americans, supporters of Herbert Hoover called him a socialist.
So remember, when Republicans call me a “socialist”, that is what Republicans said about FDR.
Social Security is not “socialist”. Medicare is not “socialist”. Having a minimum wage is not “socialist”. Don’t let the Republicans keep telling you that protecting Social Security is socialist. Don’t let the Republicans tell you that protecting Medicare is socialist. Don’t let the Republicans tell you that their billionaires won’t support Medicare anymore so senior citizens have to figure out their own health insurance. It is not “socialist” to protect Medicare and Social Security and do not let the Republicans tell you that it is so they can end those programs.
Medicare and Social Security are earned benefits, not entitlements. Entitlements would more clearly describe all the corporate welfare we keep throwing at numerous companies.
I like the idea of connecting Bernie to FDR, but I’d leave off your last paragraph. No need to reject the socialist adjective.
To all readers who agree with me:
IMHO, we need to be VERY CONSISTENCE to spread the information:
1) Demand President Trump STOP BRAGGING, TWEETING BAD NEWS
2) Demand President Trump TO RESPECT AMERICAN REGULATION = PRESENT HIS OWN INCOME TAX RETURN in the past from 2015 to 2019.
3) Demand President Trump TO PRESENT ALL OF HIS RESULTS IN HIS WORKING TERM FROM 2018 AND 2019
IN SHORT, we only consider a democracy in 2020 if Trump ever wants to run election according to his supporters under a fear or an inconsideration of the well being of themselves and others. Back2basic
I agree, May, but–ha,ha!–can any of us really even imagine that 45 would do even just #1? Now that’s a dream! Did you see him yesterday, on the stage w/Theresa May, once again talking about himself ?
As Diane commented after the Poway Chabad shooting (& where he once again was–surprise!–talking about himself), no matter what tragedy (or whatever/wherever else he is), it’s always about him.
&–get a subpoena (hope Hicks)? Well, 45 says, “Don’t show up!”
I will most likely vote for the candidate who wins the Democratic Primary, but there some candidates for whom I would find voting for a pleasure, and not just to get rid of the present person in the White House. Bernie Sanders is one of those candidates for whom I would readily vote for, even given his imperfections.
The issues he addresses are concerns which touches the nation, and every person who lives here. Poverty is a problem for many of our citizens and needs attention as does the health care system.
I of course will continue to listen to him carefully and watch his progress as the season progresses. The Nation can prosper under some of the Democratic candidates and he is one of them.
Bernie, single-handedly, made media take notice of the failures of the ruling class. Prior to Bernie, the Democratic Party was known as the party that caved-in to every Republican policy designed to enrich the wealthiest 0.1%. Bernie’s responsible for a new narrative that expands Medicare, making the U.S. similar to other industrialized nations. And,
he re-legitimized the necessity for labor to have power in an economy that is fair. Until Bernie, there was no politician who could get media to cover the destruction of American democracy.
The election of Bernie is the singular hope to slow down the inevitable revolution. Concentrated wealth is at the point where historically massive upheaval occurs.
Reblogged this on Lloyd Lofthouse.
I was actually having some fun imagining fairy tails. 🙂