Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > The Real Reasons Bernie Sanders is Transforming the Election: Here's
Why He Galvanizes the Left
________________________________________
The Real Reasons Bernie Sanders is Transforming the Election: Here's Why He
Galvanizes the Left
By Sophia Tesfaye [1] / Salon [2]
July 4, 2015
CNN dubbed this "the summer of Sanders [3]" as media outlets finally picked
up on the large crowds Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has
attracted during campaign stops. His rocketing poll numbers in early primary
states like Iowa and New Hampshire led to countless stories heralding a
Sanders surge - but the story is as much about the issues as it is about the
man.
Even Republican candidates have taken notice of Sanders' rise. Ahead of a
recent stop in Madison, Wisconsin, likely 2016 contender and Wisconsin
Governor Scott Walker welcomed Sanders to the state with a series of tweets
[4] attacking the democratic socialist once dismissed as too fringe. Walker
may not have taken too fondly to Sanders attracting a record 10,000 people
in his home state.
But Sanders' campaign, surely more so than that of any of the Republican
candidates, seems to be gaining traction more for the ideas he espouses than
because of a cult of personality.
Granted, many supporters have pointed to Sanders' straightforward manner and
willingness to call out bad actors as refreshingly appealing, but unlike
with Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Chris Christie, it
isn't just a brash style that's being sold. Sanders makes a direct effort to
address many of the issues that have arisen since the Hope & Change campaign
of 2008 and it appears as though he is tapping into very real and
long-simmering sentiments in the Democratic base.
More than a protest vote against Hillary Clinton, as some have suggested,
Sanders' support appears to be support for issues Clinton's yet to fully
address. Here are some of the ways that Sanders is gaining support by
leading on issues or movements that other candidates ignore:
VA Scandal
Sanders was chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee when
Democrats last controlled the chamber, and following the VA scandal, Sanders
worked with Republicans in the House to pass legislation [5] that expands
health care access for veterans and makes it easier to fire underperforming
officials.
His record and work on veterans' affairs issues has earned Sanders top
awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the
Military Officers Association of America, and now it appears as though that
recognition is translating to support for his campaign.
The Boston Globe writes [6] that Sanders' "surge is partly fueled by
veterans," citing "entire Reddit threads [7] [that] are dedicated to how
veterans can best pitch Sanders to other veterans" and "a Facebook page
promoting Sanders to veterans." As the Globe notes, in the early voting
state of South Carolina veterans make up about 11 percent of the electorate.
Occupy Wall Street
The short-lived global protest movement suddenly shifted the national debate
in the aftermath of the recession from talk of austerity to a focus on
growing income inequality by introducing terms like the 1 Percent to
national prominence in time for the 2012 campaign. But the Occupy Wall
Street movement achieved no great legislative win, and after the encampments
were broken down many of the grievances remained unacknowledged, let alone
addressed.
Sanders' 2016 campaign embodies much of the demands of the OWS movement.
Speaking to the largest campaign crowd of this cycle [8] in Wisconsin this
week, Sanders said, "The big money interests - Wall Street, corporate
America, all of these guys - have so much power that no president can defeat
them unless there is an organized grassroots movement making them an offer
they can't refuse." For activists who organized, protested and camped out in
Zuccotti Park and squares across America, this message of unfinished
business is powerful. The acknowledgement of a continued struggle and
willingness to put up a fight is what was galvanized the Draft Warren
movement and it has now seemingly shifted to Sanders.
Student Debt Movement
Some Occupy Wall Street activists joined a movement against student debt,
which has now surpassed $1 trillion in the U.S. The activists, some of whom
had refused to make any more payments on their federal student loans [9],
achieved a major victory this year when Corinthian colleges (you know them
by their annoying commercials hawking their schools like Everest, Heald and
WyoTech) shuttered the last of their remaining U.S. campuses, and the
erasure of $13 million in debt. The movement has successfully overseen the
closure of campuses in Canada the year before.
Sanders has proposed the College for All Act, [10] a plan to provide
tuition-free education at public colleges funded by a small tax on Wall
Street transactions.
Citizens United
Since the 2010 Supreme Court ruling allowing unlimited political
contributions by corporations and unions saw the rise of the Super PAC in
electoral campaigns, Americans are shockingly united in their opposition to
such obscene levels of money in politics. The overwhelming majority of
Americans, including Republicans, [11] support limits on campaign
contributions.
Sanders is the only candidate to have completely sworn off all Super PAC
funds [12], although a couple of independent political action committees
have formed in support of his candidacy.
But Sanders has objected to their existence, saying, "A major problem of our
campaign finance system is that anybody can start a super PAC on behalf of
anybody and can say anything. And this is what makes our current campaign
finance situation totally absurd."
Obamacare
The Supreme Court may have upheld the Affordable Care Act twice, but the
political battle over the health care law promises to rage on five years
after its passage. With health care costs rising only marginally more slowly
than they before the law's passage and a continuation of premium increases,
even Democrats who support the law have called for marked improvements as
millions of Americans are left uninsured because Republican lawmakers refuse
to expand Medicaid.
Sanders has promised to return the debate to early 2007, when during the
Democratic presidential primary the public option was on the table. Sanders
has long called for a "Medicare-for-all" single-payer health care plan
similar to what was tossed aside as too radical shortly after the talks
began on health care reform once Obama took office.
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [13]
[14]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/real-reasons-bernie-sanders-transforming-election-he
res-why-he-galvanizes-left
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sophia-tesfaye
[2] http://www.salon.com
[3]
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/politics/hillary-clinton-summer-of-bernie-sand
ers/index.html
[4]
http://www.salon.com/2015/07/02/bernie_sanders_is_for_real_new_poll_shows_hi
m_chipping_away_at_hillarys_lead_in_iowa/
[5]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senators-reach-bipartisan-deal-on-bil
l-to-fix-va/2014/06/05/0c380a50-ecf3-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html
[6]
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/06/27/bernie-sanders-surge-pa
rtly-fueled-veterans/e1qNTpzFpIaoxIGKygKa9J/story.html
[7]
http://www.reddit.com/r/VetsForBernie/comments/3aex76/welcome_to_rvetsforber
nie_check_out_this_quick/
[8]
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/national/political/story/2015/jul/01/wisc
onsin-sanders-appeals-like-minded-liberal/312598/
[9]
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/student_loans
/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier
[10]
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/collegeforallsummary/?inline=file
[11]
http://time.com/3063942/poll-support-for-campaign-finance-reform-strong-in-k
ey-senate-races/
[12]
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/30/sanders-un
able-superpacs/28184005/
[13] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on The Real Reasons Bernie
Sanders is Transforming the Election: Here's Why He Galvanizes the Left
[14] http://www.alternet.org/
[15] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > The Real Reasons Bernie Sanders is Transforming the Election: Here's
Why He Galvanizes the Left
The Real Reasons Bernie Sanders is Transforming the Election: Here's Why He
Galvanizes the Left
By Sophia Tesfaye [1] / Salon [2]
July 4, 2015
CNN dubbed this "the summer of Sanders [3]" as media outlets finally picked
up on the large crowds Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has
attracted during campaign stops. His rocketing poll numbers in early primary
states like Iowa and New Hampshire led to countless stories heralding a
Sanders surge - but the story is as much about the issues as it is about the
man.
Even Republican candidates have taken notice of Sanders' rise. Ahead of a
recent stop in Madison, Wisconsin, likely 2016 contender and Wisconsin
Governor Scott Walker welcomed Sanders to the state with a series of tweets
[4] attacking the democratic socialist once dismissed as too fringe. Walker
may not have taken too fondly to Sanders attracting a record 10,000 people
in his home state.
But Sanders' campaign, surely more so than that of any of the Republican
candidates, seems to be gaining traction more for the ideas he espouses than
because of a cult of personality.
Granted, many supporters have pointed to Sanders' straightforward manner and
willingness to call out bad actors as refreshingly appealing, but unlike
with Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Chris Christie, it
isn't just a brash style that's being sold. Sanders makes a direct effort to
address many of the issues that have arisen since the Hope & Change campaign
of 2008 and it appears as though he is tapping into very real and
long-simmering sentiments in the Democratic base.
More than a protest vote against Hillary Clinton, as some have suggested,
Sanders' support appears to be support for issues Clinton's yet to fully
address. Here are some of the ways that Sanders is gaining support by
leading on issues or movements that other candidates ignore:
VA Scandal
Sanders was chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee when
Democrats last controlled the chamber, and following the VA scandal, Sanders
worked with Republicans in the House to pass legislation [5] that expands
health care access for veterans and makes it easier to fire underperforming
officials.
His record and work on veterans' affairs issues has earned Sanders top
awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the
Military Officers Association of America, and now it appears as though that
recognition is translating to support for his campaign.
The Boston Globe writes [6] that Sanders' "surge is partly fueled by
veterans," citing "entire Reddit threads [7] [that] are dedicated to how
veterans can best pitch Sanders to other veterans" and "a Facebook page
promoting Sanders to veterans." As the Globe notes, in the early voting
state of South Carolina veterans make up about 11 percent of the electorate.
Occupy Wall Street
The short-lived global protest movement suddenly shifted the national debate
in the aftermath of the recession from talk of austerity to a focus on
growing income inequality by introducing terms like the 1 Percent to
national prominence in time for the 2012 campaign. But the Occupy Wall
Street movement achieved no great legislative win, and after the encampments
were broken down many of the grievances remained unacknowledged, let alone
addressed.
Sanders' 2016 campaign embodies much of the demands of the OWS movement.
Speaking to the largest campaign crowd of this cycle [8] in Wisconsin this
week, Sanders said, "The big money interests - Wall Street, corporate
America, all of these guys - have so much power that no president can defeat
them unless there is an organized grassroots movement making them an offer
they can't refuse." For activists who organized, protested and camped out in
Zuccotti Park and squares across America, this message of unfinished
business is powerful. The acknowledgement of a continued struggle and
willingness to put up a fight is what was galvanized the Draft Warren
movement and it has now seemingly shifted to Sanders.
Student Debt Movement
Some Occupy Wall Street activists joined a movement against student debt,
which has now surpassed $1 trillion in the U.S. The activists, some of whom
had refused to make any more payments on their federal student loans [9],
achieved a major victory this year when Corinthian colleges (you know them
by their annoying commercials hawking their schools like Everest, Heald and
WyoTech) shuttered the last of their remaining U.S. campuses, and the
erasure of $13 million in debt. The movement has successfully overseen the
closure of campuses in Canada the year before.
Sanders has proposed the College for All Act, [10] a plan to provide
tuition-free education at public colleges funded by a small tax on Wall
Street transactions.
Citizens United
Since the 2010 Supreme Court ruling allowing unlimited political
contributions by corporations and unions saw the rise of the Super PAC in
electoral campaigns, Americans are shockingly united in their opposition to
such obscene levels of money in politics. The overwhelming majority of
Americans, including Republicans, [11] support limits on campaign
contributions.
Sanders is the only candidate to have completely sworn off all Super PAC
funds [12], although a couple of independent political action committees
have formed in support of his candidacy.
But Sanders has objected to their existence, saying, "A major problem of our
campaign finance system is that anybody can start a super PAC on behalf of
anybody and can say anything. And this is what makes our current campaign
finance situation totally absurd."
Obamacare
The Supreme Court may have upheld the Affordable Care Act twice, but the
political battle over the health care law promises to rage on five years
after its passage. With health care costs rising only marginally more slowly
than they before the law's passage and a continuation of premium increases,
even Democrats who support the law have called for marked improvements as
millions of Americans are left uninsured because Republican lawmakers refuse
to expand Medicaid.
Sanders has promised to return the debate to early 2007, when during the
Democratic presidential primary the public option was on the table. Sanders
has long called for a "Medicare-for-all" single-payer health care plan
similar to what was tossed aside as too radical shortly after the talks
began on health care reform once Obama took office.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [13]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[14]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/real-reasons-bernie-sanders-transforming-election-he
res-why-he-galvanizes-left
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sophia-tesfaye
[2] http://www.salon.com
[3]
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/politics/hillary-clinton-summer-of-bernie-sand
ers/index.html
[4]
http://www.salon.com/2015/07/02/bernie_sanders_is_for_real_new_poll_shows_hi
m_chipping_away_at_hillarys_lead_in_iowa/
[5]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senators-reach-bipartisan-deal-on-bil
l-to-fix-va/2014/06/05/0c380a50-ecf3-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html
[6]
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/06/27/bernie-sanders-surge-pa
rtly-fueled-veterans/e1qNTpzFpIaoxIGKygKa9J/story.html
[7]
http://www.reddit.com/r/VetsForBernie/comments/3aex76/welcome_to_rvetsforber
nie_check_out_this_quick/
[8]
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/national/political/story/2015/jul/01/wisc
onsin-sanders-appeals-like-minded-liberal/312598/
[9]
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/student_loans
/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier
[10]
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/collegeforallsummary/?inline=file
[11]
http://time.com/3063942/poll-support-for-campaign-finance-reform-strong-in-k
ey-senate-races/
[12]
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/30/sanders-un
able-superpacs/28184005/
[13] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on The Real Reasons Bernie
Sanders is Transforming the Election: Here's Why He Galvanizes the Left
[14] http://www.alternet.org/
[15] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
