Bernie Sanders signals aggressive challenge to Hillary Clinton

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

This afternoon, I got a chance to conduct a wide-ranging interview with Senator Bernie Sanders, the self-avowed socialist from Vermont, who has announced he is entering the Democratic presidential primary.

Sanders confirmed to me that his campaign has raised $1.5 million in the 24 hours since yesterday’s launch, with an average donation of $43.

Sanders also laid down a hard marker against Hillary Clinton, saying flatly that her ties to Wall Street should raise concerns about whether she is willing to stand up to Wall Street’s “incredible wealth and power.”

Sanders also said the eventual Democratic candidate should embrace a robust climate change agenda that goes considerably farther than the policies President Obama has embraced. A lightly edited and condensed transcript of our conversation follows.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/05/01/bernie-sanders-signals-aggressive-challenge-to-hillary-clinton/

[morningfog]

1. Give 'em hell, Bernie!

[1HappyDemocrat]

2. this man is amazing

Bernie always speaks his heart and the truth as he sees it. And it is always something that needs to be said. This man is a champion of the American people!!!

[1monster]

3. This should be posted in GD. The thing about private groups is that information that

should be seen by the widest audiences often gets hidden...

[malthaussen]

4. This "self-avowed Socialist" crap is already getting on my nerves.

And I've only seen it a couple of times. What exactly does that mean? Unless somebody else vouches for Mr Sanders, we should not accept him as a Socialist? Or is it just the reporter's feeble way of saying "Hey, folks, I'm not calling him a Socialist, he is?" Which implies, of course, that it is somehow vulgar to be a Socialist.

Someday, maybe, my country will achieve political maturity, but I'm not holding my breath.

-- Mal

[Plucketeer]

5. The MSM is determined to hang that moniker on him.

Dem vs. Dem - that's one thing - but Dem vs. an EVIL Socialist!!! Now we're talkin' ratings! (and revenue)

[malthaussen]

6. Sure, but why not just say Socialist?

Calling him a "self-avowed Socialist" implies that he is somehow deranged.

Oh, dear. The question answers itself.

-- Mal

[Plucketeer]

9. Perzactly!

Anything for a drama factor!

[redstateblues]

26. As opposed to a closet socialist like Obama

(According to Republicans)

[INdemo]

16. Pappantonio mentions how bad he thinks

it will get with the MSM going so far as to calling Bernie a communist

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017262906

[Beauregard]

18. There's another, less offensive, way to understand the use of "avowed."

They put it in there to indicate that they are not inventing the label, like the RW loves to do, but that he applies it to himself.

I don't know why he calls himself a socialist. He isn't one. When he is asked what socialism means to him he never says "public ownership of the means of production," which is what socialism is. He always describes some form of welfare state capitalism.

Really he's what is called a "social democrat" in Europe. But most Americans are unfamiliar with that term, so he reverses the order and calls himself a democratic socialist, which is a pleonasm.

Disclaimer: I am not against Bernie. I kinda like him.

[malthaussen]

25. Yeah, that's the charitable explanation.

Last edited Sat May 2, 2015, 10:40 AM - Edit history (1)

I agree, Bernie isn't a Socialist, and the US really needs to adopt the Social Democrat label. But our populace is so afraid of the "Social" word, it will be a long time coming, methinks.

-- Mal

[MuseRider]

27. It bothers me too at this point

even though it is fairly well known. It is nothing at all to be ashamed of but it seems like another dog whistle to froth up the rabids.

I have to say I would be proud as hell for this country to elect someone who is a socialist, it would show that we are actually capable of growing up and looking around for the best things, not the most convenient.

One other point, I have friends that on most accounts disagree with me entirely. I believe most of it is based on the fact that I have been a Democrat (not anymore but still a rabid liberal). They are very interested in Senator Sanders. VERY interested. I keep hearing little tidbits in conversation from even teabaggers that he taps right into their anger. Could it be they are finally figuring out how used they were and that they actually needed something more along the lines of Bernie Sanders?

That is just a tiny but from my tiny experience. It is a beginning that I am interested in following. They ask for info and I provide. Of course there are many things they do not like about him but economically and socially and environmentally they do see the writing on the wall. I think his tendency to get angry or appear angry will help him tap into this group.

Time will tell.

[bvar22]

7. I have heard Bernie describe himself as a "Democratic Socialist",

NOT a "Socialist".
Those are two different animals,
but I expect to see something like this from the OP.

[BrotherIvan]

8. To be fair, it is in the article

I have seen this exact wording numerous times. It is an effort to marginalize him. Once they hear/read what he has to say, the fear goes away. But they're going to try to Dean Scream him every chance they get.

[brooklynite]

15. Do you think the average VOTE sees a difference?

How many times are you going to need to explain the difference?

[Beauregard]

17. "I am a socialist and everyone knows that," Sanders said.

When he first won election to the House in 1990, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) embraced his political identity. "I am a socialist and everyone knows that," Sanders said, responding to an ad that tried to link him to the regime of Fidel Castro.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/04/29/bernie-sanders-is-an-avowed-socialist-and-democrats-are-actually-pretty-ok-with-that/

He has said it many, many times since.

Your level of political understanding needs improvement.

BTW, Bernie added:

"They also understand that my kind of democratic socialism has nothing to do with authoritarian communism."

Ibid.

"Democratic socialist" is redundant. Any real socialist believes in democratizing the economy via public ownership of the means of production. But Bernie just wants to calm people's fears, because "socialism" has so often wrongly been connected with dictatorship.

[BrotherIvan]

10. Bernie is talking about breaking up banks

In terms of Glass-Steagall, when I was in the House, I voted against all of this stuff. I predicted that by deregulating Wall Street and allowing a handful of these mega-financial institutions to grow and to merge that it would be disastrous for the economy. Of course I believe in reestablishing Glass Steagall. But let me go further. I do not believe that, given that six financial institutions have assets today around $10 trillion — 60 percent of the GDP of the United States — I do not believe that Congress has the capability of regulating Wall Street. I believe that Wall Street regulates the Congress and that you gotta break these guys up.

No. I will be aggressively raising the issues and demanding the American people work with me to say enough is enough. This is not about Hillary Clinton. The American people do not want an economy dominated by a handful of gigantic Wall Street firms who live in their own world….These guys have engaged in a whole lot of illegal activity and highly complicated financial tools designed to enrich themselves. That has gotta be broken.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. ^ n/t

[Cha]

11. Yeah, I'm sure President Obama would love to have stronger Climate Change policies so get a Congress

in there to help Bernie with that or Hillary.. or whomever wins.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

14. please, oh yes and hurry!!

Horrible congress. Awful what they're doing to the people in their states, too.

[Doctor_J]

21. Heh. If he had a Dem congress his TPP FTA would be DOA. I think he likes it like it is

It's "whoever wins" BTW. Hopefully the new president would be able to do more with 59 (D) senators and 258 (D) House members than this one did.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. Excellent! n/t

[Beauregard]

19. "Bernie Sanders is an avowed socialist. 52 percent of Democrats are OK with that."--WP

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/04/29/bernie-sanders-is-an-avowed-socialist-and-democrats-are-actually-pretty-ok-with-that/

[brooklynite]

22. ...and if only we had elections where only Democrats vote...

[Beauregard]

23. You're not suggesting anything, right?

You know, like getting rid of the other guys?

[dreamnightwind]

20. Good article, misleading title though

"PLUM LINE: Clinton’s populist rhetoric so far has been impressive. But she hasn’t taken specific stands on some of these key issues. Will you be aggressively challenging her to be clearer and more specific on them?

SANDERS: No. I will be aggressively raising the issues and demanding the American people work with me to say enough is enough. This is not about Hillary Clinton."

Bernie has had years of practice refining his ability to simultaneously attack policies supported by corporate Democrats without attacking Democrats. I've often marveled at it, and he gets far more accomplished by not wasting his mojo on direct opposition of an individual.

A more accurate title would have been something like "Bernie Sanders signals aggressive challenge to corporate hedgemony." I know that's the fault of the WaPo, not the OP, but I thought the title might be offensive to Hillary supporters, when the article mostly wasn't. Of course the WaPo would love to see us destroy each other, so the title probably fits their agenda.

[madokie]

24. Bernie is the man

[question everything]

28. I am still curious on how he can strive for the nomination

(perhaps has already been addressed on these pages, so will appreciate a link)

Does he intend to compete in the Democratic primaries and caucuses? Does he have to change his affiliation from I to D?

And can the Democratic party even allowed his name to be in the primaries or caucuses?

Just asking