{"id":13532,"date":"2019-12-12T13:38:56","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T21:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=13532"},"modified":"2019-12-12T13:44:32","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T21:44:32","slug":"the-candidates-bernie-sanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2019\/12\/12\/the-candidates-bernie-sanders\/","title":{"rendered":"The Candidates: Bernie Sanders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-5b4b63fa\">New York Times:  The Daily<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13536\" srcset=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders-150x100.jpg 150w, http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders-225x150.jpg 225w, http:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BernieSanders.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>President Bernie Sanders?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We spoke with the Vermont senator about his journey from the fringes of American politics to the forefront \u2014 and the ideas that shaped him along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Credit&#8230;Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:<\/em><\/strong><br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-daily\/id1200361736?mt=2\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Via Apple Podcasts<\/em><\/a><\/strong><strong><em>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.radiopublic.com\/88f7d8c3-7289-4dc6-b300-5ba71b43f5e5\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Via RadioPublic<\/em><\/a><\/strong><strong><em>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/the-new-york-times\/the-daily-10\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Via Stitcher<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Part 2 of our series on pivotal moments in the lives of the 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, we spoke with Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and democratic socialist. Mr. Sanders reflected on his education in politics and how he galvanized&nbsp;grass-roots&nbsp;support to evolve from outraged outsider to mainstream candidate with little shift in his message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><figcaption>Listen to \u2018The Daily\u2019: The Candidates: Bernie SandersWe spoke with the Vermont senator about his journey from the fringes of American politics to the forefront \u2014 and the ideas that shaped him along the way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2019\/09\/06\/us\/00sandershealthcare\/merlin_158252829_740a0b53-d9ba-42b9-8d0b-8ca28a32c9b1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"Mr. Sanders, second from left, with his parents, Dorothy and Eli, and brother, Larry.\"\/><figcaption>Mr. Sanders, second from left, with his parents, Dorothy and Eli, and brother, Larry.Credit&#8230;Bernie Sanders campaign, via Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-6eb3dd06\">Four key moments from our interview with the senator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-61cd2995\">His arrival in Vermont and early involvement with the Liberty Union<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Mr. Sanders is best-known for his association with Vermont, the schoolhouse for his early career in politics, he spent his childhood in a rent-controlled apartment in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. \u201cSensitivity to class was embedded in me then quite deeply,\u201d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/01\/21\/magazine\/21Sanders.t.html\">Mr. Sanders has said of this time<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The factors that took him from Brooklyn to Vermont reflect an insistence on revolution that has colored his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born to Polish immigrants and raised in precarious financial circumstances, Mr. Sanders had early inclinations toward socialism that were cemented with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/09\/us\/politics\/bernie-sanders-health-care.html\">death of his mother<\/a>. Caring for her during his college years exposed him intimately to gaps in the American health care system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders went in search of a place that could nurture his nascent political ideology, visiting a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/02\/06\/us\/politics\/bernie-sanders-kibbutz.html\">socialist kibbutz in Israel<\/a>&nbsp;and ultimately landing with the peaceniks of rural Vermont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was doing some writing. I was banging nails, doing a little bit of carpentry work,\u201d Mr. Sanders said of this time. He freelanced for an alternative newspaper, The Vermont Freeman,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nytimes.com\/2015\/07\/04\/us\/politics\/bernie-sanderss-revolutionary-roots-were-nurtured-in-60s-vermont.html\">writing articles<\/a>&nbsp;like \u201cThe Revolution Is Life Versus Death\u201d while making film strips about a socialist he admired: Eugene Debs. Mr. Debs was the \u201cSocialist Party candidate for president six times,\u201d Mr. Sanders noted. \u201cYou know, somebody I admired a whole lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders and Mr. Debs have something in common: resilience in the face of political failure. In Vermont, Mr. Sanders became involved with a fringe political party, the Liberty Union, that sought to champion industrial nationalization and opposition to the Vietnam War. Mr. Sanders ran as a Liberty Union candidate in four state elections, receiving less than 5 percent of the vote each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His promise to address wealth inequality and his condemnation of billionaires began to resonate with working-class people upstate. Soon, he had his eyes fixed on the 1981 race for mayor of Burlington, the state\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2019\/11\/28\/us\/politics\/00sanders-aldermen-02\/merlin_154879926_22dc2b48-3c98-4aa4-b056-0758e473446c-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"Mr. Sanders was called a \u201cfluke\u201d when he was elected mayor of Burlington in 1981.\u00a0\"\/><figcaption>Mr. Sanders was called a \u201cfluke\u201d when he was elected mayor of Burlington in 1981.&nbsp;Credit&#8230;Donna Light\/Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-666d0403\">Winning his first election \u2014 by 10 votes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou would literally not believe if I told you how little we knew about politics,\u201d Mr. Sanders said of his first race for mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI mean real politics,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to run for statewide office knowing you\u2019re not going to win and get on a radio show and talk about issues, which I could do. But the nitty-gritty of politics, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders\u2019s strategy was to mobilize grass-roots support in the working-class districts of Burlington \u2014 specifically people in \u201clow-income housing projects where people were getting a raw deal from the city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In doing so, Mr. Sanders generated a higher turnout than most mayoral races commanded. After a recount, Mr. Sanders won by 10 votes, beating a 10-year incumbent and roiling establishment politicians in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLessons of this moment is that winning politics is grass-roots politics.\u201d Mr. Sanders said \u201cthat winning politics is developing coalitions of working people, of low-income people, of women, of environmentalists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2019\/11\/28\/us\/politics\/00sanders-aldermen\/merlin_160297977_d05620d2-8b84-4474-b034-bb8613d9e6a5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"Mr. Sanders taking the oath of office to become Burlington\u2019s mayor.\"\/><figcaption>Mr. Sanders taking the oath of office to become Burlington\u2019s mayor.Credit&#8230;Donna Light\/Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-49da009d\">A parallel city government<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders faced the limits of his political outrage during his first term as mayor, which became an education in coalition building. He was viewed by the Board of Aldermen, Burlington\u2019s version of a city council, as \u201can accident that should never have happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBernie Sanders is a fluke,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was the word they used.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders had to figure out how to accomplish his agenda despite opposition from Democrats and Republicans. After the board fired his secretary, Mr. Sanders got the message that his appointees would not be welcome in the city government. \u201cIt was a brutal year,\u201d he said. \u201cSo what we had to do was literally form a parallel city government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He gathered volunteers to staff his informal team of unpaid appointees. They started \u201cneighborhood planning associations,\u201d allocating city funds to neighborhood councils to spend at their discretion. In doing so, they cultivated a widespread sense of antagonism toward the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By knocking doors in a freezing Burlington winter, Mr. Sanders nearly doubled voter turnout in the board election the coming year. Turnout \u201cwas just off the charts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unseating board members in working-class districts gave him the support his agenda needed, enabling his rise as a major political figure in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2019\/09\/06\/us\/00sandershealthcare-mayor\/00sandershealthcare-mayor-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"Mr. Sanders speaking to a voter during a 1986 campaign stop when he was running for governor.\"\/><figcaption>Mr. Sanders speaking to a voter during a 1986 campaign stop when he was running for governor.Credit&#8230;Toby Talbot\/Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-7f29103b\">Going national<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders began to connect his structural grievances with national politics to his constituency&nbsp;\u2014 working to convince local voters that the actions of far-off politicians in far-off places should matter to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In doing so, he managed to fix Burlington\u2019s pot holes and plow the streets while also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/01\/21\/magazine\/21Sanders.t.html\">establishing relations<\/a>&nbsp;with the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. His rejection of American intervention in Latin America resulted in his controversial support for the Nicaraguan leftist leader Daniel Ortega.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked about this stance, Mr. Sanders said he believed at the time that the United States should not be involved with \u201coverthrowing small governments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were aware that this was a very controversial moment,\u201d he added. \u201cWe were also aware that the United States at that time was supporting many governments in Latin America who were much more brutal than Ortega was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Sanders says that his campaign against intervention was relevant to Burlington. \u201cIf we were spending a whole lot of money in Washington under Reagan \u2014 investing in military spending or we\u2019re giving tax breaks to the rich \u2014 that impacted the city of Burlington,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, his insistence that the global affects the local still forms the bedrock of his presidential platform \u2014 one that is built on overhauling health care, tax policy and the national budget. He says that if Washington is \u201cspending this money on the military or they\u2019re busy invading another country or whatever they\u2019re doing, we should be speaking up on those issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll of this,\u201d he said, \u201chas to do with empowering people to understand that in a democracy, they can determine the future.\u201dINSIDE \u2018THE DAILY\u2019<em>For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on the podcast come together,&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/newsletters\/the-daily?module=inline&amp;action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=Article\"><em>subscribe to our newsletter<\/em><\/a><em>. Read the latest edition&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/column\/the-daily-newsletter?action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=Article\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>On today\u2019s episode:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/alexander-burns\">Alexander Burns<\/a>, who covers national politics for The New York Times.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>VideoTRANSCRIPT0:00\/2:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bernie Sanders Set the Agenda. But Can He Win on It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Senator Bernie Sanders is embarking on a second run for president. This time the field will be bigger, more diverse and filled with candidates who have adopted his progressive populist mantle.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>An independent senator known for his Brooklyn accent. \u201cReal change never, ever takes place from the top on down.\u201d Populist message. \u201cThe level of wealth inequality in America is grotesque.\u201d And anti-establishment appeal. \u201cEstablishment Democrats don\u2019t generate excitement.\u201d Bernie Sanders is jumping into the race for president, again. \u201cHi, I\u2019m Bernie Sanders. I\u2019m running for president.\u201d In the 2016 primaries he pushed a democratic socialist message, and he found a big audience for it. He ultimately came up short. \u201cI accept your nomination.\u201d But many of his ideas have lived on. \u201cIn a modern moral and wealthy society, no American should be too poor to live.\u201d In 2016, he was the only challenger to the Democratic establishment, but this time around he\u2019ll be up against a crowded and diverse group of opponents. Some have adopted ideas he made popular in 2016. \u201cHow do you feel about Medicare for all?\u201d \u201cMedicare for all.\u201d \u201cMedicare for all.\u201d So what are the issues he made pillars of the progressive agenda? A $15 minimum wage, tuition-free public college and Medicare for all. \u201c&#8230; health care is a right, not a privilege.\u201d But Sanders\u2019s liberal credentials may have taken a hit over his perceived failure to address claims of sexism during his 2016 campaign. He has since apologized. \u201cWhat they experienced was absolutely unacceptable.\u201d So how has Sanders taken on President Trump? He\u2019s been one of his most outspoken critics. \u201cThe most dangerous president in modern American history.\u201d \u201cMost people who observed him would agree he\u2019s a pathological liar.\u201d Trump has returned the insults. \u201cCrazy Bernie.\u201d \u201cYou know he\u2019s always like complaining, complaining, he\u2019s jumping around, the hair\u2019s going crazy &#8230; lunatic.\u201d So what are his chances? He\u2019s near the top of the early polls. He\u2019s got some big advantages over his opponents, including a small-donor fund-raising list, a 50-state organization and fervent supporters. He has major name recognition and knows how to electrify a crowd. \u201cWe are going to take on the drug companies and their greed and lower the cost of prescription drugs.\u201d But he could be up against a base who are looking for a fresh face to take on Trump, even if it\u2019s on a platform that Bernie built.00:002:202:20<strong>Bernie Sanders Set the Agenda. But Can He Win on It?<\/strong>Senator Bernie Sanders is embarking on a second run for president. This time the field will be bigger, more diverse and filled with candidates who have adopted his progressive populist mantle.CreditCredit&#8230;Sam Hodgson for The New York Times<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Mr. Sanders has staked his presidential campaign, and much of his political legacy, on transforming health care in America. His mother\u2019s illness and a trip he made to study the Canadian system&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/09\/us\/politics\/bernie-sanders-health-care.html\">help explain why<\/a>.<\/li><li>We asked 21 candidates the same 18 questions.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2019\/us\/politics\/bernie-sanders-2020-campaign.html\">Hear Mr. Sanders\u2019s answers<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"mailto:thedaily@nytimes.com\"><em>thedaily@nytimes.com<\/em><\/a><em>. Follow Michael Barbaro on Twitter:&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mikiebarb\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>@mikiebarb<\/em><\/a><em>. And if you\u2019re interested in advertising with \u201cThe Daily,\u201d write to us at&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"mailto:thedaily-ads@nytimes.com\"><em>thedaily-ads@nytimes.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/01\/14\/podcasts\/subscribe-daily-podcast-newsletter.html?action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=Article\">Subscribe to a Newsletter From \u2018The Daily\u2019Jan. 14, 2019<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/16\/podcasts\/the-daily\/how-do-i-listen-to-the-daily.html?action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype=Article\">How do I listen to \u2018The Daily\u2019?July 16, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexander Burns contributed reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Daily\u201d is made by Theo Balcomb, Andy Mills, Lisa Tobin, Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Annie Brown, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Larissa Anderson, Wendy Dorr, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Alexandra Leigh Young, Jonathan Wolfe, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, Adizah Eghan, Kelly Prime, Julia Longoria, Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Jazm\u00edn Aguilera, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Austin Mitchell, Sayre Quevedo, Monika Evstatieva and Neena Pathak. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Mikayla Bouchard, Stella Tan, Julia Simon and Lauren Jackson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York Times: The Daily We spoke with the Vermont senator about his journey from the fringes of American politics to the forefront \u2014 and the ideas that shaped him along the way. Credit&#8230;Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:Via&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2019\/12\/12\/the-candidates-bernie-sanders\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13532"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13532"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13537,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13532\/revisions\/13537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}