Why Bernie Sanders Will Win -- Part 1: Economics

Doc Brown has been to the future--and he knows who will be our next president!

 Why Bernie Sanders Will Win – Part 1: Economics

by Joe Brunoli

a.k.a. EuroYankee

The establishment political set and the mainstream media seem to be wholly fixated on writing off Bernie Sanders as an “extreme left” politician from a “small, mostly white state” and a “self-proclaimed socialist.” And because of these attributes, he has no chance of winning in the general election – this presumably because America is a “centrist-right” or even a “conservative” country.

They are overlooking some very basic facts of history and socio-economics, as well as politics. It is true that over the past 35 years, “liberal” has been become an epithet, while “conservative” has become an emblem that more and more Americans feel comfortable with. But why is that?

It Started with Reagan

Ronald Reagan embodied a strident, “conservative” persona, rejecting Jimmy Carter’s namby-pamby “liberal” identity. The so-called “Reagan Democrats” were drawn to Reagan because he was willing to tell then that they did not have to lower their thermostats, drive smaller cars, or switch to the metric system. America was a “shining city on a hill” whose best days lay ahead. America was perceived as weak in the world, and he, Ronald Reagan, would beef up the military and make America strong again.  He played on racial tensions, revving up the “Southern Strategy” that had worked for other Republican candidates since Nixon. And of, course, Reagan was the first one to propose a Constitutional amendment to ban abortion.

“God, Guns and Gays”

Since 1980, the idea of what makes a “conservative” has been framed in mostly non-economic terms.  Creationism, Christianity, Abortion, Gay Rights, Gun Control, Affirmative Action – these are the key issues that defined an American as a Conservative. It was never so much about tax cuts and small government, as far as the average voter was concerned. Sure, every conservative would automatically stand for cutting taxes, but that was an auxiliary, second tier issue that did not engender the type of fervor among the electorate.

For thirty years, Republicans won elections by putting gay marriage, abortion rights and other cultural “wedge issues” on the ballot.  And they are still using that playbook. 

The Democrats, for their part, have also happily played into this game. The Democratic Leadership Council, headed by Bill Clinton, co-opted conservative economic principles and left the Democratic Party only a slim playing field on which to oppose Republicans on cultural issues. “Liberal” billionaire donors like George Soros, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer give to Democrats to support cultural, social or environmental issues – not economic ones. These are smart men. After all, they know enough not to go against their own economic interests.

But for just how long can the American voter be asked to vote against his or her own economic interests in order to promote their positions on cultural issues?

Bernie Not Afraid to Speak about the Economy

In Bernie’s speech announcing his candidacy, he spent fully 45% of his time speaking about economic issues – more than twice as much as any of the other candidates, and almost three times as much time as Hillary Clinton did. Some Republican candidates didn't even mention economics in their announcement speeches.

Resentment at growing wealth inequality, the disappearance of the middle class, the harsh reality that most people are moving backwards economically compared to their parents – these are all issues that have been percolating, seething below the surface of the superficial political debate in America. But they are important issues, and when people say that Bernie is “touching a nerve” they vastly underestimate the power of his message.

As an Independent who refuses to take PAC money or billionaires’ donations, Bernie now occupies a unique position in American political history. I believe history will show that his is the winning ticket.

Bio: Joe Brunoli, a.k.a. The EuroYankee, is a US ex-pat with dual US-EU citizenship. Originally from Connecticut, Joe currently splits his time between his ancestral residence on Lake Como, Italy, and his apartment in Barcelona, Spain. He travels Europe extensively for his work and tries to find time to comment on trends, attitudes, politics and points of interest - especially as they may affect or regard the US. 

Have you been hosting debate watch parties, voter registration parties, etc., for Bernie? Have you been inputting them into the national site's event map? Please remember to do so in order to give them an idea just how many events are happening and how many Bernie supporters are out there. #FeeltheBern and keep spreading the word--Bernie Sanders for president in 2016!

The Ladies Who Lunch at the Food Bank

The Ladies Who Lunch at the Food Bank 

by Carol Parker

It has always been a dream of mine, and most women of my generation, I suspect, to one day see a woman elected president of the United States. I still hold that dream. But I know in my heart (call it woman's intuition if you like) that right now, at this moment, Bernie Sanders' solutions to all the financial worries that keep me up at night make the most sense. I trust him because he has not wavered from his principled positions his entire career. I believe he, and he alone of all the candidates running for the presidency, is most in touch with middle class, working class, and poor Americans.

This summer Hillary Clinton rolled out her proposed economic plan in a much-anticipated speech. As populist as she sounded, I am still not persuaded her solutions are bold enough to restore prosperity to the average American.

UC Professor Robert Reich is someone I much admire. His documentary movie, Inequality for All, is a must-see if you want to understand just how we got ourselves into the economic pickle we're in and how best to get out of it. He blogged about her speech  giving her props for saying that “the defining economic challenge of our times” was "to raise incomes for hard-working Americans so that they can enjoy a middle-class life.”

But Reich went on to say, "I was disappointed she didn’t call for busting up the biggest banks or resurrecting the Glass-Steagall Act." He also said he expected to see more from her on corporate reform. "Overall," he said, " the proposals she advanced didn’t rise to the important economic objectives she articulates." He concluded by saying, "Hopefully, she'll provide more in coming weeks and months."

And that's the thing. We don't have to wait weeks and months. Bernie Sanders has been unequivocally saying, since the inception of his campaign and for years before, that we need a major restructuring of our tax and banking systems. He has called for reenacting the Glass-Steagall Act. Unlike his opponents, he is not accepting donations from the same corporations and banks that need reining in. Unlike his opponents, he has condemned unfair trade practices like NAFTA and the pending TPP. He advocates for strong unions, and he voted against the devastating and costly Iraq war.

From a symbolic standpoint, electing our first woman president would be a wonderful thing. Let's not deny it, sisters, it would be awesome. But we have such a superior alternative in Bernie Sanders that we can be patient a little longer. I believe it is worth the wait.

Bernie speaks authentically and authoritatively about the concerns of the poor and those of us who struggle to stay afloat in an economy that is far from recovered.  He, himself, came from very humble beginnings and has spent his lifetime pursuing justice for those in need.

For many years I have volunteered in my community, and in the past decade I have seen a gradual erosion of middle class well-being.

People who are educated and experienced want to work but cannot find full-time jobs with benefits. The only thing they can secure are low-wage, temporary, part-time positions. Many resort to contract work in what we're now calling the "gig" economy. Some have given up on our political process altogether. Trickle-down economics has failed them. They are gripped with uncertainty. I have seen their worry first hand, and more and more I think about how close I am to being in their shoes. When I encounter others who doubt things are as bad as they are, I share with them the kinds of conversations I've had with women I've met while volunteering at food programs.

Here's a sampling: 

The Senior

She edges up through the line along the conveyor belt so I can present her with a can of tomato paste. It is cold and drafty in the huge warehouse. At the end of her three-hour journey of waiting and snaking through the long line, she will walk out with a bag of non-perishable groceries valued at somewhere around $15. If she is lucky, an additional bag of fruit gleaned from local gardens and some day-old bread donated by a grocery chain will also ride home with her on the bus. She is there because her meager Social Security check and paltry savings comes nowhere close enough to keeping a roof over her head let alone food on the table.

That could be me, I think, in just a few years. Then I remember Bernie Sanders' call to not only preserve but expand Social Security. He has been a champion for seniors and veterans his entire career. 

The Millennials

Young adults arrive - some female students from the nearby college and their friends who are recent graduates. None have been able to find living wage jobs. They tell me they are there gathering peanut butter and tuna to complement their Top Ramen diets.

They could be my own young adult children, I imagine, if mine weren't still living at home. Then I remember Bernie Sanders' promise to reduce interest on existing student debt and make public colleges and universities free. I remember that he's lobbying for a $15 an hour minimum wage. While other candidates have put forward their own proposals to make college more affordable,  I believe Bernie's plan is more generous to students and includes a specific plan for funding it.

http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/our-research/senior-hunger-research/facing-hunger-after-fifty.html

The Boomer

In walks a former mid-level manager who can't find work. Her husband has been furloughed and his income slashed. She tells me they're close to losing everything. She's brought a sandwich with her and shares it with another woman in line next to her. "Look at us,” she muses. "We're the Ladies Who Lunch at the Food Bank."

Millions of middle-class, paycheck-to-paycheck families lost everything in the Recession and have fallen far down the economic ladder, my own family among them. Bernie will make the systemic changes in our financial system needs to get to the root of the problem and bring American jobs back home, create new jobs in green industries, and rebuild our country's crumbling infrastructure.  He has won endorsements from key labor groups, including National Nurses United.  He stands with the American worker.

For the "Ladies who Lunch at the Food Bank" now (and those of us women who may be dining there soon if things don't improve), I invite you to join me at Bernie Sanders' table where truth and justice are consistently served and none need go hungry. 

You can find out how to support his campaign and become involved in your local community by going to berniesanders.com.

BIO: Carol Parker is a retired journalist living in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two of their three young adult children. She is a volunteer for Bay Area for Bernie http://bayareaforbernie.com/ on whose website an earlier version of this article first appeared.  A life long peace and justice activist, she currently serves on her synagogue's social action committee. Previously she was involved with Occupy Oakland,  served as vice president of the Alameda Food Bank board of directors and was a regional coordinator for the Beyond War Movement.  During the 1980's she founded and  led an organization for parents called "Raising Children a New Way in a Violent World" and won a national "People Speaking" award for her child advocacy. 

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The "Books for Bernie" book sale this past week demonstrates just how committed Bernie Sanders' supporters are! (And how much they love books.) Events coming up in NW Ohio include a possible "flash mob" sing along at Oktoberfest. Intrigued? Join us! Check out the NW Ohio for Bernie Sanders Facebook page link on the sidebar.

What's your group doing to promote Bernie's bid for the White House? Have an event or photo you'd like to share? Send us an email at thebernieblog2016@gmail.com

Special: Black Lives Matter Protest in Seattle

Symone D. Sanders, National Press Secretary, addresses the rally at University of Washington

The Bernie Blog Special : 

Remarks About the Black Lives Matter Protest in Seattle

By Anthony Lewis

Today my heart aches. I'm grievously disappointed in my people. The BLM disruption was a distraction. But, in that regard, I'm grateful that the end result of it will only be as significant as a slowdown in traffic on the highway due to an accident.

I had started to speculate that the agitators were essentially hired shills, sent out by our enemies to slow our progress. I no longer suspect any such thing, and the reasons are simple.

The BLM movement is an important and expanding campaign. It actually has that in common with the Bernie Sanders campaign. It's growing in stature and prominence (gratefully), but it’s nowhere near the level where Bernie is at.

Bernie announces that he is going to speak somewhere, and how many people show up? You can't even count that high! BLM makes a similar announcement, what’s the head count? Sadly, you easily see the difference is breathtaking. The unfortunate truth is that the BLM movement has yet to gain traction or resonate in any way similar to Bernie Sanders’ campaign.

I believe now that these women were motivated to take advantage of what they perceived as a weakness in our campaign. Evidently they thought (and wrongly so) that, by stealing some of the limelight, on their own they would not have been able to position themselves for, that they could personally get attention for themselves. Not for BLM. They wanted to gangster the whole Sanders rally and turn it into a me-me-me!  type of show.

The BLM movement will continue after all this. The Bernie Sanders campaign will drive on, ultimately concluding with Bernie becoming President of the United States. These two women? Nobody is even going to remember their names next week (if they aren't already forgotten). And the embarrassing disruption itself will get put into the context that it's best remembered as a reminder of how much further we have to go in this country where issues of race are concerned.

We should be natural allies in this battle against the 1%! The BLM movement is not our enemy. They should not feel compelled to lash out conveniently against Bernie because they can obviously see he is white. Not everyone who is white is evil. And not everyone who is black is your friend.

Anthony Lewis ‪#‎Vets4Bernie

Bio: Anthony Lewis lives in Indiana and is great at rallying his fellow Bernie supporters on Facebook.  http://beknown.com/anthony-edward-lewis   Go Bernie!

What does Bernie say about "Racial Justice" in America today? Read his posting online: https://berniesanders.com/issues/racial-justice/

Bernie Sanders Rally Seattle (You should watch this short video!)
Bernie Speaks b4 the rally event. I was two people away. Neat, powerful and inspiring.
Posted by Christopher Cook on Saturday, August 8, 2015