This is that Candidate's background. I am serving small doses as I hate long sermons on this Forum as much as the next guy.

Mayor of BurlingtonEdit
In 1981, at the suggestion of his friend Richard Sugarman, a professor of religion at the University of Vermont, Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington and defeated six-term Democratic incumbent Gordon Paquette by 10 votes in a four-way contest.[41] Sanders won three more terms, defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates. In his final run for mayor in 1987, Sanders defeated a candidate endorsed by both major parties.[42]

During Sanders's first term, his supporters, including the first Citizens Party City Councilor Terry Bouricius, formed the Progressive Coalition, the forerunner of the Vermont Progressive Party.[citation needed] The Progressives never held more than six seats on the 13-member city council but had enough votes to keep the council from overriding Sanders's vetoes.[citation needed] Under Sanders, Burlington became the first city in the country to fund community-trust housing.

Sanders's administration balanced the city budget, and drew a minor league baseball team, the Vermont Reds, to Burlington.[31] The Sanders administration also "sued the local cable franchise and won reduced rates for customers."[31]

As mayor, Sanders "undertook ambitious downtown revitalization projects"; one signature achievement was the improvement of Burlington's Lake Champlain waterfront.[31] In 1981, Sanders campaigned against the unpopular plans by Tony Pomerleau, a Burlington developer, to convert the then-industrial[43] waterfront property owned by the Central Vermont Railway into expensive condominiums, hotels, and offices.[44] Sanders ran under the slogan "Burlington is not for sale" and successfully supported a plan that redeveloped the waterfront area into a mixed-use district featuring housing, parks, and public space.[44] This was greatly assisted by a 1989 Vermont Supreme Court ruling that under a legal provision, Central Vermont Railroad could only use the land for "railroad, wharf, and storage purposes"; 35 acres of railroad land reverted to the city.[44] Today, the waterfront area includes miles of public beach and bike paths, along with a boathouse, many parks, and a science center.[44] In 2015, Sanders announced his candidacy for president at Waterfront Park.[43]

After serving four terms, Sanders chose not to seek reelection in 1989. He briefly taught political science at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government that year and at Hamilton College in 1991.[45]

Bernie is a rarity in Politics. An honest man. I do wonder how effective he could be wading through the muck that is DC, but he's my guy and I'd love to see a real progressive in the White House.

ratonmono wrote:Bernie is a rarity in Politics. An honest man. I do wonder how effective he could be wading through the muck that is DC, but he's my guy and I'd love to see a real progressive in the White House.

You can cease wondering, he has VERY successfully waded through the muck in DC for 27 years.

My concern is that, if the Universe smiles on the American Citizens and he is elected....how long until something bad happens to him? Lone nut shooter with a worn copy of CATCHER IN THE RYE ? Weird airplane failure - Hale Boggs, Paul Wellstone, JFK Jr. And others- when was the last time a hard line right winger croaked in a plane crash? When Nixon pissed of the Military Industrial Complex, the CIA and Big Oil ( his policies WERE FAR TO THE LEFT OF OBAMA'S....the same boys who were in Dallas in 63 botched TWO burglaries to bring Nixon Down. He had no reason to pull those stunts, McGovern got about twelve votes. What killed him was the recording where he said, "Let the CIA handle it ( the Watergate Burglary, because he knew they were behind it.
There are more coups than that, but I need to stay on the main topic.

Here is a recap of his House Career- the Senate will follow.


U.S. House of RepresentativesEdit

ElectionsEdit
In 1988, incumbent Republican Congressman Jim Jeffords decided to run for the U.S. Senate, vacating Vermont's at-large congressional district. Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Smith won the House election with a plurality of 41% of the vote. Sanders, who ran as an independent, placed second with 38% of the vote, while Democratic State Representative Paul N. Poirier placed third with 19% of the vote.[46] In 1990, Sanders ran for the seat again and defeated Smith in a rematch, 56%–40%. Sanders became the first independent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 40 years,[47] since Frazier Reams of Ohio. Thereafter Sanders continually won reelection with high margins, with his closest bid in 1994 during the Republican Revolution, when he won by 3.3 percentage points with 49.8% of the vote.[48]

TenureEdit
In 1991, Sanders co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and chaired the grouping of mostly liberal Democrats for its first eight years. In 1993, Sanders voted for a National Rifle Association (NRA)-supported bill to restrict lawsuits against gun manufacturers[49] and against the Brady Bill.[50] Upon the resignation of Democrat Ron Dellums in 1998, Sanders became the only Congressman to describe himself as a socialist.[citation needed]

Sanders voted against the resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 and 2002, and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He voted for the initial 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists[51] that has been cited as the legal justification for controversial military actions since the September 11 attacks.[52]

Sanders has been a consistent critic of the Patriot Act. As a member of Congress, he voted against the original Patriot Act legislation.[53] After its 357 to 66 passage in the House, Sanders sponsored and voted for several subsequent amendments and acts attempting to curtail its effects,[54] and voted against each reauthorization.[55]

Sanders voted for a non-binding resolution expressing support for troops at the outset of the invasion of Iraq, but gave a floor speech criticizing the partisan nature of the vote and the George W. Bush administration's actions in the run-up to the war. On April 7, 2006, about the investigation of what turned out to be a leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity by a State Department official, Sanders said, "The revelation that the President authorized the release of classified information in order to discredit an Iraq war critic should tell every member of Congress that the time is now for a serious investigation of how we got into the war in Iraq and why Congress can no longer act as a rubber stamp for the President."[56]

In June 2005, Sanders proposed an amendment to limit provisions that allow the government to obtain individuals' library and book-buying records. The amendment passed the House by a bipartisan majority but was removed on November 4 that year in House-Senate negotiations and never became law.[57] Sanders followed this vote on November 5, 2005, by voting against the Online Freedom of Speech Act, which would have exempted the Internet from the restrictions of the McCain–Feingold Bill.

In March 2006, after a series of resolutions calling for him to bring articles of impeachment against the President passed in various towns in Vermont, Sanders stated it would be impractical to impeach George W. Bush, given the "reality that the Republicans control the House and the Senate." Still, Sanders made no secret of his opposition to the Bush Administration, which he regularly criticized for its cuts to social programs.[58][59][60]

Sanders was a critic of Alan Greenspan; in June 2003, during a question-and-answer discussion with the then-Federal Reserve Chairman, Sanders told Greenspan that he was concerned that Greenspan was "way out of touch" and "that you see your major function in your position as the need to represent the wealthy and large corporations."[61][62] Sanders said in 1998 that investment banks and commercial banks should remain as separate entities.[63]

Republicans have 6]described Sanders as "an ineffective extremist" for successfully sponsoring only one law and 15 amendments in his eight terms in the House.[64][65] Sanders responded by saying that he had passed "the most floor amendments of any member of the House since 1996."[6

I am voting for this guy.

Part Three


U.S. SenateEdit

ElectionsEdit
Main articles: United States Senate election in Vermont, 2006 and United States Senate election in Vermont, 2012

Sanders being sworn in by Vice President Dick Cheney
Sanders had mentioned on several occasions that he would run for the Senate if Senator Jim Jeffords were to retire, and after Jeffords's announcement that he would not seek a fourth term, Sanders entered the race on April 21, 2005. Chuck Schumer, Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, endorsed Sanders, a critical move as it meant that no Democrat running against Sanders could expect to receive financial help from the party. Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic National Committee Chairman and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with the Democrats 98% of the time."[68] Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont. Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party, much as he had as a congressman, to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win, which he did.[69]

In the most expensive political campaign in Vermont's history,[70] Sanders defeated businessman Rich Tarrant by an approximately 2-to-1 margin. Many national media outlets projected Sanders the winner before any returns came in. He was reelected in 2012 with 71% of the vote.[71]

TenureEdit
Polling conducted in August 2011 by Public Policy Polling found that Sanders's approval rating was 67% and his disapproval rating 28%, making him then the third-most popular senator in the country.[72]

Sanders has an agreement with the Democratic leadership in the Senate under which he votes with the Democrats on all procedural matters except with permission of Democratic whip Dick Durbin—a request rarely made or granted—in exchange for the committee seats and seniority that would be available to him as a Democrat. He is free to vote as he pleases on policy matters, but almost always votes with the Democrats.[citation needed] Both the NAACP and the NHLA have given Sanders 100 percent voting scores during his tenure in the Senate.[73]

Bill Clinton is a rapist.

Sanders is a creepy old SOCIALIST wacko who looks like a serial killer! You criticize Trump yet why not mention Sanders wrote how women enjoy being gang raped? Sanders is a psycho who belongs in the nut house!

A hypothetical Trump/Sanders match up would definitely have Trump winning because there is NO way America elects a socialist president!

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:Sanders is a creepy old SOCIALIST wacko who looks like a serial killer! You criticize Trump yet why not mention Sanders wrote how women enjoy being gang raped? Sanders is a psycho who belongs in the nut house!

A hypothetical Trump/Sanders match up would definitely have Trump winning because there is NO way America elects a socialist president!

He is Old and he is a Socialist.

What proof do you have of anything else you spew?


I PROVED Trump is a Con Man and a Business failure (FOUR Chapter 11s). Even barely literate Americans should be able to see that, but hey- they re-elected W....so they MIGHT be that dumb.


BTW, tell me how far Sanders' policies are off from those of Eisenhower? JFK? LBJ? Nixon?

Thanks in advance

America will NEVER elect a socialist. CASE CLOSED! This isn't Sweden. Open your eyes!

In this day and age you need to have some attraction to get elected. We have constant 24 hour news coverage and pics and video of the candidates are everywhere. Every president since Reagan has been at least somewhat good looking.

Sanders is a bald ugly psycho who SPITS when he talks! There is NO WAY a creepy looking sicko like him will EVER be elected! Take it to the bank!

America will never elect a socialist?? Except for the guy who just made Universal Healthcare a law.

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:America will NEVER elect a socialist. CASE CLOSED! This isn't Sweden. Open your eyes!

In this day and age you need to have some attraction to get elected. We have constant 24 hour news coverage and pics and video of the candidates are everywhere. Every president since Reagan has been at least somewhat good looking.

Sanders is a bald ugly psycho who SPITS when he talks! There is NO WAY a creepy looking sicko like him will EVER be elected! Take it to the bank!

You ARE what is wrong with America, at least you make a fine example.

You made some primitive stabs at research and investigation on the gun control thread. I really think you should make another attempt now. BEFORE you try to sway others into voting based on physical attraction and....ignorance.

Voting in those ways is not good. Do you understand?

Tell me again, wait- you never did....how Sanders policies are that far off from those Presidents who gave us a Middle Class Society that was the ENVY of the world?

Eisenhower (COMPLETELY PRO-UNION) Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon (wanted UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, gave us the EPA, worked AGAINST the Oil Depletion allowance scam... And so on.)

Read some history. It DID ACTUALLY EXIST,
Please discover it, and learn.

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:America will NEVER elect a socialist. CASE CLOSED! This isn't Sweden. Open your eyes!

In this day and age you need to have some attraction to get elected. We have constant 24 hour news coverage and pics and video of the candidates are everywhere. Every president since Reagan has been at least somewhat good looking.

Sanders is a bald ugly psycho who SPITS when he talks! There is NO WAY a creepy looking sicko like him will EVER be elected! Take it to the bank!

Well your boy Trump is sooooo dreamy. Fucking idiot.

Trump got over 10,000 people in Phoenix. They just said on the news he's gotten more people than ANY other candidate! Even NPR just said Trump is here to stay and a force to be reckoned with!

You guys can go with the bald creepy evil looking SPITTING serial killer look alike. I'll go with a PROVEN winner who CANNOT be bought and tells it like it is! He has accomplished more than ANY of us could dream of! Only Trump can save America!

don't be a shill.

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:Trump got over 10,000 people in Phoenix. They just said on the news he's gotten more people than ANY other candidate! Even NPR just said Trump is here to stay and a force to be reckoned with!

You guys can go with the bald creepy evil looking SPITTING serial killer look alike. I'll go with a PROVEN winner who CANNOT be bought and tells it like it is! He has accomplished more than ANY of us could dream of! Only Trump can save America!

You have to work pretty damned hard to be this much of an imbecile. Congrats, I guess.

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:Trump got over 10,000 people in Phoenix. They just said on the news he's gotten more people than ANY other candidate! Even NPR just said Trump is here to stay and a force to be reckoned with!

You guys can go with the bald creepy evil looking SPITTING serial killer look alike. I'll go with a PROVEN winner who CANNOT be bought and tells it like it is! He has accomplished more than ANY of us could dream of! Only Trump can save America!

I can't decide which is more repellent, your insistence on treating politics as a beauty pageant, or your completely unfounded worship of a man who had to borrow 20 million from his siblings when he was over forty years old because he had LOST the 35 million he inherited, and then had four companies bankrupted under his "leadership".

Two questions:
What HAS The Donald actually accomplished?

And

Still waiting to hear how Sanders is more Socialist than Nixon, LBJ, JFK, Eisenhower or FDR.

SHOW ME YA GOT A POINT YOU CAN BACK UP!

Bernie Sanders? No thanks.

Trump, nope.

I thought we couldn't get worse than the current president, I hope these aren't the two best choices.......

A simple Taco dismissal ain't enough.

Defend your position . Why is Sanders worse than Obama?

You can "Taco Out" on dead horse topics, but this one doesn't qualify for that distinction ,not even remotely.


Outside of Super Pac money, which Sanders WILL NOT accept and is guaranteed to corrupt your policies, Bernie has raised more dough than any other candidate.

I don't vote for people based on how much money they raise.

Obama pretended like he wasn't a socialist. Bernie doesn't pretend, I like that but I will never vote for a socialist.

It might work for a small community or a group who all agree, it can't and won't work for the United States. In a perfect world where everyone is lock step in agreement, it could work on a large scale. But this isn't a perfect world and people will never all be on the same page.

The last thing any of us needs is more Clinton or Bush...so Bernie it is!

CaptSMRT wrote:The last thing any of us needs is more Clinton or Bush...so Bernie it is!

AMEN!

Carcus wrote:I don't vote for people based on how much money they raise.

Obama pretended like he wasn't a socialist. Bernie doesn't pretend, I like that but I will never vote for a socialist.

It might work for a small community or a group who all agree, it can't and won't work for the United States. In a perfect world where everyone is lock step in agreement, it could work on a large scale. But this isn't a perfect world and people will never all be on the same page.

If Sanders and Obama are too Socialist for you... consider this fact..You would have been unable to cast a vote for any Presidential Candidate between the years of
1952 and 1980, or even later, arguably..

For 28 years -I submit the FINEST 28 years this country ever enjoyed as far as the ability of working citizens to THRIVE and prosper, the income to Fight a war in Vietnam, create Medicare, finish the Interstate Highway System and put a Man on the Moon, and ALL because we had a Congress AND even losing Presidential candidates whose policies are MORE SOCIALISTIC THAN SANDERS. Even Goldwater .

Sanders ONLY wants to bring taxation BACK TO WHERE IT WAS when Reagan was elected. Look at his administration as the point where greed was considered ALWAYS a good thing, and mourn the results. Trickle Down Bullshit fantasy and the idea that Organized Labor is Evil...

ALL Presidents from Eisenhower on presided over income and capital gains taxes on the 1 percent -who own almost half the wealth - exponentially higher than they have been as America slogs toward Feudalism.

No infrastructure.
No affordable education.
Worker productivity up 400% yet they have LOST enormous earning power.Wages have been below stagnant for decades.
All so Alice Walton can hang a second Rembrandt in her guest bathroom? So Dick Cheney and many others can jump between Defense Contractor jobs and Cabinet appointments and create idiotic wars to get rich and then stash the loot in the Cayman fucking Islands Tax Free?
America was truly the greatest country in the world when we were run the way Sanders intends to run it.

Socialism has almost an infinite number of variations. There used to be a "Goldilocks Zone."

We desperately need to find it again.

Well said UMSL. The misconception of exactly what entails Socialism is pretty mind boggling. Social Security is socialism, disability is socialism, the railroad system, Homestead Act, interstate highway system, internet, all socialist programs. Too many in this country wrongly believe that socialism and communism are the same thing.

Grocery stores....are socialism!!!!! THE MADNESS!!!!