A Presidential Candidate – Bernie Sanders

by cgrotke | Politics | 3950 Views

Bernie Sanders has announced his intentions to run for the presidency.

“I am running for president.”

Comments | 38

  • Submitted by cgrotke on April 30, 2015 at 8:57 am

    Frontrunner, for me… : )

    I might be a bit biased toward Vermont, but the country could do far worse than having Sanders as President.

    Hope he remains our Senator if the bid fails.

    • Submitted by Vidda on April 30, 2015 at 9:26 am

      Not on autopilot for Bernie or any other candidate

      I’m pretty that in VT you can run for senate and potus. He doesn’t have to give up his seat and can run also for potus.

      I have voted for Bernie twice in the past, but I’m keeping my eye on Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. We need a woman potus. I also want to know who is in the primary fields.

      • Submitted by KAlden on April 30, 2015 at 10:03 am

        Elizabeth Warren has

        Elizabeth Warren has consistently said she will not run for this President this time around – of course, she could change her mind. I would love to see a Sanders/Warren ticket – a force to be reckoned with and it would get her ready for a presidential run in 2020. I love Bernie but I’m not sure he can win and I fear another version of the “Nader Effect” – where a candidate can’t win but pulls enough votes away from the frontrunner to lose the election.

        • Submitted by Vidda on April 30, 2015 at 10:51 am

          Sanders has nothing to lose

          I would prefer a Warren/Sanders ticket, a much greater force to be reckoned with, but, yes, there is high probability we’ll have a Nader Effect this election.

          If Sanders wants to be in the primary, I think he has to be a “Democrat.’
          If he becomes a Dem, he’ll likely lose to Hillary.
          If he proceeds as an Independent after losing the primary he’ll certainly be the euphemistic ‘spoiler.’

          Sanders has nothing to lose because he can retain the senate seat no matter what. He knows that.

          • Submitted by Rosa Bonheur on April 30, 2015 at 2:41 pm

            He has publicly stated that

            He has publicly stated that he will run as a Democrat and will not then run as an independent because he has no intention of creating another “Nader effect”. When asked about this he said very clearly that he had no intention of creating a situation like Nader did where the election gets thrown to the Repubs. I’m curious as to how many people know that as recently as the mid-1990s Elizabeth Warren was an on-board Republican. She thought their policies were good for the economy up until that point. While I like her current stands on issues, it makes me a little cautious about the solidity of her positions. I don’t see that pre-mid-90s the Republicans were any better on the economy or social issues than they are now. While she has a right to make a change of heart and thank god she did, I wonder if those who so quickly embrace even are aware of her fairly recent conversion?

          • Submitted by Vidda on April 30, 2015 at 4:22 pm

            Our eminent, archivist

            I was hoping our eminent archivist, would add to this. Thanks Rosa.

            Okay, Bernie will not convert to a Dem or Repub, that means he’s not entering the primaries, and is therefore running as an Independent? The question is, can an Independent throw the election to the Repubs?

            Twenty years ago, for Warren or any of us is a longtime. If her backing of the Repub policies up to the mid-90s changed then, when did the current policy stands you like now take shape to form her fairly recent conversion and where did she stand in all those ensuing years until her conversion?

            I respect your info and hope you have a few minutes to answer.

          • Submitted by Rosa Bonheur on April 30, 2015 at 5:21 pm

            Bernie is running as a

            Bernie is running as a Democrat which means he is entering the primaries. The question is moot. Just for fun Vidda I’m giving you the cite from one of our country’s more esteemed and trustworthy publications. Now no peeking at the Kardashian news after you read this. Night. http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/bernie-sanders-running-for-president-competing-with-hillary-clinton-2015304

          • Submitted by spinoza on April 30, 2015 at 5:53 pm

            Pop goes the news

            US mag is about right for the level of integrity and narrative appeal of this campaign so far.

            Even this schlocky article points out Bernie’s self-reference to drawing from outside the two party system. He can not-Nader till the cows come home, he’s only going to tangle his line.

            It’s not so much his positions I have a problem with, it’s more his positioning. There seems to be this notion that he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain, but I wonder. Adding a lefty rhetorical slant to the militant/centrist juggernaut of government doesn’t itself make for change. The big fish usually do better in deeper water.

            Sorry to say, this looks and smells like opportunism to me, aka politics usual.

          • Submitted by Vidda on April 30, 2015 at 6:29 pm

            Kardashian who?

            Thanks Rosa.
            (I should say I avoid celeb news like the plague.)

            Citing from “one of our country’s more esteemed and trustworthy publications“ gives me pause just hearing that.

            Nevertheless, whatever Bernie is up to I can’t help thinking that Spinoza likely has the best analysis when he says it “looks and smells like opportunism to me, aka politics usual” especially when he says “Adding a lefty rhetorical slant to the militant/centrist juggernaut of government doesn’t itself make for change. The big fish usually do better in deeper water.“

            Of course the whole system stinks like rotting fish, but it’s the only waters we have to swim in. (And, that ain’t gonna change to soon, no matter who POTUS is.)

            Bernie might get a last hurrah, maybe a little more respect in the senate, but I agree it’s politics as usual any way you debone the fish.

          • Submitted by KAlden on April 30, 2015 at 5:56 pm

            I knew of her history but I

            I knew of her history but I fully support her. I think she is someone who knows her job is to work in a fair and balanced way for the people she was elected to represent. She’s not the first Republican to come over from the dark side and embrace a more just balance. She was a liberal Republican and , I think has done a remarkable job so far. I would support her as VP with Bernie or even with Hilary – although I am not as enamored with Ms. Clinton as I once may have been.

    • Submitted by tomaidh on May 3, 2015 at 10:04 am

      One consequence

      Just his presence in the Democratic primary guarantees that some of the more important issues will be discussed.
      In Bernie’s words:
      “Together we can accomplish great things: we can create jobs for millions of Americans by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure; we can make healthcare available for all through a Medicare for All Single Payer system; we can protect our planet from the ravages of climate change; we can save our democracy and government from the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision and pernicious impact of billionaire money; we can end the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality; and we can use the great strength and power of this nation to achieve peace and real security.
      I believe that together we can change America, and breathe new life into the soul of our nation. That is what this campaign is all about.”

      His website says that it is paid for by “Friends of Bernie Sanders, not Billionaires”

      • Submitted by tomaidh on May 3, 2015 at 11:54 am

        Some more suggestions:

        • The urgent need for labor reform,
        • The restoration of the rule of law domestically and internationally,
        • A call to restore the quality of the nation’s drinking water,
        • The necessity of campaign finance reform,
        • The importance of raising the minimum wage,
        • Prosecution of corporate criminals on Wall Street,
        • The structural violence of poverty,
        • The need to put on trial those U.S. leaders who orchestrated our war crimes in the Middle East,
        • The demand that Israel be sanctioned for its crimes against the Palestinians,
        • An end to wholesale government surveillance,
        • And the importance of empowering regulatory agencies.

        Inspired by the letters of Ralph Nader to Barack Obama

  • Submitted by Vidda on April 30, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    What we are forgetting...

    What some of us are forgetting is that the presidential election is a mirror of the Super Bowl, with all the hoopla, commercialism and money-changers that worms its way through this country.

    Additionally, when it’s all over, we’re still left with the real power in this country, a Congress of 535 schizophrenic power-brokers with only one real concern: $$$$$$$$$$

  • Submitted by spoon on April 30, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    Best prospects ever

    I’m delighted to see Sanders run. He’s a great public speaker and has powerful ideas and analysis. He should make this the most interesting presidential campaign season I’ve experienced, tho I only have memories back to Johnson. He has a great platform to widely broadcast his message for the next fourteen or fifteen months. He’s a pretty savvy politician and I’m making no assumptions or bets at this point. I’m going to savor this period.

    • Submitted by Rosa Bonheur on May 1, 2015 at 12:33 am

      Kardashian Who? Vidda when I

      Kardashian Who? Vidda when I used that cite I knew somehow that you would respond with that comment LOL. I agree with everyone, what gives? Bernie is great and will add a lot to the campaign as far as issues, Bernie is probably being a big disingenuous as this has to have some self-interest involved and there’s no way you make this move without a little bit of ego along in the mash-up, saint though many may think he is, and yes, Vidda the beat will go on. It will probably change nothing. And I feel just about the same about Warren although the hero worshipping embracement of her makes me nervous. The higher the pedestal the bigger the fall. And unfortunately I actually remember liking Ike so either I have a very good memory or I’m just simply way too old now.

      • Submitted by Vidda on May 1, 2015 at 3:20 am

        "I like Ike"

        I’m a Truman baby, Rosa, so I remember and liked Ike. I also remember the jolt JFK and Jackie gave me when I first saw them on TV, and later in color. When the Beatles followed shortly after the assassination I got my second major, major jolt. Both were huge for teens my age. After that, that was about it for me. I put my nose in books and never really put them them.

        My most precious possession in life is a special made weighted-leather strap (I bought in the early 70’s) used to hold books down to lay open so I could read hands-free, until I turned the pages. It’s on my desk as I write this.

        I guess that may be majorly why celebs and JFK & Beatles clones have no meaning for me.

        I will say Bernie is no Ike, however, and a bit too late for job.

    • Submitted by cgrotke on May 1, 2015 at 10:07 am

      Savory

      I agree about the times seeming to be right for this, and his prospects better than ever.

      My relatives in other states have noticed him prior to this, just for programs he’s announced or issues he’s stood up for. It is an agenda that hasn’t changed, and he’s tough.

      • Submitted by Vidda on May 1, 2015 at 11:33 am

        Relative

        So have my relatives, but not always flattering or seriously.

        I definitely agree that he is a good man and good senator. As I voted for him here, I intend to vote for him as prez, as an alternative to a Repub, but in the primaries, that could change..

        He just not the only one suited for the job and any good voter (some say smart voter) takes a look at the real lineup in the primaries and in Nov 2016.

        Actually, I’m going to vote for whoever Rosa says… 🙂

  • Submitted by Vidda on May 1, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    The Independent - he’s “in this race to win.”

    (Washpost APR30) On Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont became the first candidate formally to challenge Clinton. But after a 10-minute appearance outside the Capitol detailing his intentions, Sanders revealed a rather glaring weakness in his pursuit of the Democratic nomination: He isn’t planning to register as a Democrat. He neglected to mention this during his speech and news conference, in which he vowed to take on “the billionaire class.” But Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times called after the wild-haired socialist as he walked back to the Capitol.
    “Are you a Democrat?”
    “No,” Sanders replied, “I’m an independent.”

    Does Sanders, a longtime independent who caucuses with Democrats, really expect to win the Democratic presidential nomination if he won’t commit to being a Democrat? Surely he doesn’t — even if he claims, as he did Thursday, that he’s “in this race to win.”

    This is why the Sanders candidacy, like the still-undeclared candidacy of former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, is only a token challenge to Clinton.

    Sanders’s message Thursday was good — and one Clinton would be smart to co-opt. “This country today in my view has more serious crises than at any time since the Great Depression,” he said. Real wages have shrunk, while “99 percent of all new income generated in this country is going to the top 1 percent.”

    But the messenger acted as if he were put out to be attending his own campaign kickoff. “We don’t have an endless amount of time. I’ve got to get back,” he said at the start. Not 10 minutes later, he announced: “I’ve got to get going.” He pulled out a speech but never opened it. Instead, with the under-renovation Capitol Dome as his backdrop and with dozens of journalists paying attention to him for once, he delivered off-the-cuff remarks lamenting, among other things, negative ads.

    CNN’s Jeff Zeleny asked Sanders whether his distaste for negative campaigning would keep him from bringing up the Clinton Foundation contributions. “I think what’s more fair game,” he said, “is the role of money in politics.” He went on to complain about the Koch brothers, big Republican donors.

    When Russert asked for specific differences between him and Clinton, Sanders, after saying it was too soon, offered a couple of his own policies — opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and the Keystone XL pipeline — on which Clinton has yet to take a stand.
    “We’ll see where Secretary Clinton comes out,” he said.

    But we may not — unless Sanders, O’Malley or somebody else smokes her out.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/clintons-democratic-opponents-need-to-smoke-her-out/2015/05/01/48c44892-effb-11e4-8666-a1d756d0218e_story.html?hpid=z3

    • Submitted by spinoza on May 2, 2015 at 4:13 am

      Who is Bernie Sanders?

      Too good not to share:

      [snip]

      ”
      -Media Strategy: Name plastered all over countless rejected Senate bills
      -Biggest Political Liability: Completely out of touch with the average American corporation
      -Campaign Promises: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here”

      the whole article here:
      http://www.theonion.com/graphic/who-is-bernie-sanders-38525

    • Submitted by KAlden on May 2, 2015 at 8:31 am

      I actually thought his

      I actually thought his “announcement” was kind of funny and certainly “Bernie” all the way. I’d rather somebody said what they came to say and then went back to work then stand in front of a bunch of reporters making promises they know they have no intention of keeping. I think Bernie’s abrupt personality will be a hard sell for those folks who haven’t experienced firsthand how effective he is and who are looking for either yet another ‘ good old boy’ or political slickness. I wish I believed he had a shot at winning but I think that’s unlikely. At the very least his candidacy will inject a shot of common sense and perhaps a little less bullshit into the process.
      I’m sure it will be interesting and, at times, unintentionally amusing.

      • Submitted by Vidda on May 2, 2015 at 8:59 am

        ‘There is some truth in humor’

        …for folks who haven’t experienced firsthand how effective he is…”

        I feel lucky to be in a state with a maverick politico like Bernie. Yet, unlike many of my friends and associates here, I don’t have a ‘Bernie and nobody else’ type feeling about him. Not just for Prez, but for the senate, I have met people in VT that if they ran for Sanders and Leahy seats I would undoubtedly vote for them.

        The one thing however, I cannot agree with about Bernie is any claims of his ‘effectiveness’ as a senator for the nation. I think has pulled some useful things VT’s way, but not in the senate.

        We know that there is some truth in humor’ so humor like “-Media Strategy: Name plastered all over countless rejected Senate bills “ is actually spot on as well as funny.

        Bernie’s greatest effectiveness seems to be one who votes Democrat, not really independent or socialist. The fact that he is speaks out where others do not (a la Hillary C.) is good, but is anybody really listening, except as him being a curiosity piece? And, the ideas he speaks of, doesn’t really change minds or votes that much.

        • Submitted by KAlden on May 2, 2015 at 10:08 am

          I agree with much of what you

          I agree with much of what you say. I don’t feel like he is “all things to all people”. And, as I’ve stated, I don’t think he has a shot at winning nor even making it very far. But, I think (keeping in mind that he IS a politician) he has done good things for Vermont -whether it’s by direct or indirect measures- and I think he isn’t afraid to speak his mind and not just a party rhetoric. Which may be easier when you don’t claim either party! I think Vermont is lucky to have him -particularly when I hear the idiocy that spews from Senators in other states.
          And, yep…the Onion piece was funny..

        • Submitted by spinoza on May 2, 2015 at 5:35 pm

          Climbers and Limb Walkers

          Bernie’s candidacy is unique, but it’s impossible to not seek precedents. What first comes to mind of recent vintage is Dennis Kucinich, another eloquent, impassioned, intelligent man who aspired to raise the bar, at least as far as stumping for righteous causes goes. Bernie has more of the firebrand persona, which places him in the camp of Jesse Jackson, who had deep civil rights cred but was not an elected official. All these men of honor seem to have untamed ego issues. I often wonder, how can one be a political animal and not have a swollen sense of self?

          I think Bernie thinks he can follow in the Howard Dean mode. He can conceivably win in agricultural Iowa and neighboring New Hampshire, then he feels he’s on his way.

          What doesn’t sit right with me is this outsider/insider archetype. As politician, Bernie has to play the game. He can talk about ending the automobile era, busting open our spy agencies, defanging the banks, etc.. It must serve some purpose for the real power brokers to have a marginal figure prattle on, otherwise he’d be silenced.

          While I admire Bernie, and have voted for him, shaken his hand, watched him strut down main street ahead of the cows, what I don’t know about is his take on the revolution he alludes to. Will he march in Baltimore, call for amnesty for Snowden and Manning, offer actual restitution to our indigenous population rather than symbolic treats and porous treaties? He might. Or he might not. He has a huge gauntlet to run, and America is vast and very dark in places. I doubt he will blaze that trail though, because the system above all demands perpetuation, and he is a creature of the system, at least as far as his public service life has gone.

          If he went full on Howard Beale, that might be interesting, but I’m not holding my breath. I think back to Jesse Jackson’s run. He pushed until he got his spot on the convention speaker’s rostrum. I think that did have meaning, just as Mario Cuomo’s speech at that same convention was stirring and inspiring. But in the end it was sound and fury signifying little, washed away by the Reagan flood.

          It’s nice to hear progressive words in public oratory, but I’d far rather see innovation and effective agitation than be made to feel consolation or anecdotal admiration.

          • Submitted by SK-B on May 2, 2015 at 6:48 pm

            "I don't know about is his take on the revolution he alludes to"

            Spinoza raises important questions about what red lines Bernie will cross on principle, and where he will compromise as a practical politician.

            When he was mayor of Burlington, peace activists were protesting against Gatling Gun manufacturing in that city. The CIA sponsored wars in Central America were raging at that time, and Gatling guns, fired from helicopters, were being used to indiscriminately kill everyone in a targeted area.

            A modern, helicopter-mounted version of the Gatling gun, the Vulcan minigun, was widely used by the U.S. Army in the Indochina war. The minigun, popularly known as ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon’ for the flames and smoke emitted from its muzzle, fires at the staggering rate of 6,000 rounds per minute, enough to decimate an entire village in one burst.  http://www.history.com/topics/gatling-gun

            Sanders opposed the peace groups, and supported the manufactoring of Gatling Guns because the Gatling Gun contract brought jobs to Burlington. 

            Despite the appeal of Sander’s no-nonense rhetoric, since then I have always felt uneasy about the prospect of voting for him.

  • Submitted by melevav on May 3, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    "The Revolution that was Alluded To:

    SKB, Right, I was one of those Peace Protesters that met with Bernie in his City Hall Office back in 1983. It was David Dellinger, myself and others. We were surprised at his stand but after all these years I see that it is the human heart that has to change and not the Political Party. As Pete Townsend of “The Who” said so well, “We Won’t Get Fooled Again” and somehow the deep desire for “Imagine” no more war has eluded us. The hope has been fooled.
    Melevav

  • Submitted by cgrotke on May 4, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    Leading candidate….

    Certainly, he’s the candidate generating the most discussion here.

    I think if people are given the chance to hear Bernie, they’ll like what they hear for the most part. So, the challenge for opponents may be to try to drown him out.

    • Submitted by Rosa Bonheur on May 5, 2015 at 9:00 am

      While Bernie may go over well

      While Bernie may go over well here in Vermont do not underestimate how much fear the word Socialist will generate in the hinterlands, even when the word Democratic is tied to it. Socialist equals communist even for those who would benefit more from a political system that leans Socialistic than with what they live with now. It’s hard to understand unless you’ve been out there a bit which I have lately. Also it’s fascinating how few people knew who Bernie Sanders was when I’d bring him up. We do live in a bit of a New England East Coast cocoon. I am heartened that he has stated he will not be a spoiler a la Paul or Nader and will step back if he doesn’t get the nomination. At least Bernie recognizes that the worst thing we could end up with is a Republican candidate winning. Three key words, Supreme Court nominations.

  • Submitted by Vidda on October 28, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    Sanders- Remove pot from schedule of controlled substances

    By John Wagner and Christopher Ingraham October 28

    Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders announced his support Wednesday for removing marijuana from a list of the most dangerous drugs outlawed by the federal government — a move that would free states to legalize it without impediments from Washington.

    No other presidential candidate has called for marijuana to be completely removed from the schedule of controlled substances regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

    Long-shot Democratic hopeful Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, has said that he would put marijuana on Schedule 2, a less-strict designation. The party’s front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has repeatedly said she wants to see how legalization experiments in Colorado, Washington and other states play out before committing to any changes at the federal level.

    Sanders’s plan would not automatically make marijuana legal nationwide, but states would be allowed to regulate the drug in the same way that state and local laws now govern sales of alcohol and tobacco. And people who use marijuana in states that legalize it would no longer be at risk of federal prosecution.

    His plan would also allow marijuana businesses currently operating in states that have legalized it to use banking services and apply for tax deductions that are currently unavailable to them under federal law.

    READ FULL TEXT: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-will-propose-nixing-marijuana-from-federal-list-of-dangerous-drugs/2015/10/28/be8c3adc-7da2-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html

  • Submitted by cgrotke on July 12, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    End run

    He appears to no longer be running.

    • Submitted by KAlden on July 12, 2016 at 12:17 pm

      Although this has seemed

      Although this has seemed inevitable recently it still made me very sad to see and hear him endorsing Clinton. I felt a little disappointed in him and wish he had hung on to possibly get a stronger commitment from her about some of his platforms. I don’t know. This election just really sucks.

      • Submitted by tomaidh on July 12, 2016 at 3:51 pm

        More than a little disappointed

      • Submitted by BrandieStarr on July 13, 2016 at 7:37 am

        Some speculation

        There is some speculation that I am choosing to believe (because it makes me feel better) that he had to do that in order to keep his delegates, and that he plans to contest her on the floor of the convention…I like to find hopeful things..

        • Submitted by KAlden on July 13, 2016 at 10:30 am

          I've heard this, also. I hope

          I’ve heard this, also. I hope it’s true. I also heard that Clinton ( or her campaign) threatened to “highjack” any progressive concessions that she made if Bernie didn’t endorse her before the convention. Knowing how corrupt, dishonest and arrogant she is That type of action wouldn’t surprise me at all. I think in the end Bernie had to do what he had to do- he didn’t have a lot of options left that wouldn’t destroy the Democratic party. ( which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing)This is the most depressing election I can remember in the 45 years I’ve been voting. No good winner here.Certainly not the voters.

          • Submitted by mr.mike on July 14, 2016 at 5:07 am

            Give Credit Where It's Due.

            It’s all part of the plan. They told Bernie to endorse her to unify the left. He’ll probably get a cabinet seat out of the deal. Maybe Health and Human Services Secretary?

            It is pretty sad though. I have to admit I thought he might have the courage to not endorse the candidate. But thinking he had the political backbone of a true statesman like Ron Paul was my bad.

            He’s still part of “the system” I guess.

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