What attracted American voters to this policy
Socialist, social democratic, and even more so communist ideas have never been widespread and popular in the United States of America. The main spiritual bond of society here has always been the "American dream", built on deep individualism and faith in the limitless possibilities of a strong personality.
The postulate is still popular in North America: every citizen of this great country can become a millionaire. And if you are poor, then it is your own fault. You are a slacker and a lazy person, which is why you have not achieved anything in life. The cult of money and wealth has invariably dominated American society, successfully overshadowing the ghostly utopian ideas of social equality.
Of course, the slogans and deeds of the October Socialist Revolution in Russia, the spread of communist ideology in Europe, Asia and Latin America in the 20th century to some extent affected the mindset of Americans, especially during the years of the Great Depression (remember, for example, the famous "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck) and during World War II. Many American intellectuals, representatives of the student, creative and scientific intelligentsia then preferred the totalitarian communism of Stalin to the totalitarian Nazism of Hitler.
America in those years significantly to the left. Including thanks to the "New Deal" of President Franklin Roosevelt. He temporarily closed banks, organized public works for the unemployed. A law on social security of the population was adopted.
But even in those years, the influence of social democratic and communist ideas in the United States was very limited. And in the post-war years of the witch hunt, many people paid the price for their leftist beliefs.
The presence in the United States in the 60-80s. of the last century, the "pocket" Communist Party, led by Gus Hall and Angela Davis, was, in general, a ridiculous phenomenon. It existed on the money of the Soviet Union and was extremely small.
It is interesting that over the past half century, rather bright, noisy and memorable personalities have occasionally appeared on the right end of the US political spectrum, from Barry Goldwater to Sarah Palin. But on the left flank, no such attention-grabbing leaders were noticed. And suddenly, in 2016, such a politician appeared to the American people and the whole world. It turned out to be the previously little-known Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. It should be noted that no matter what they say about Donald Trump, he is still a colorful figure. He has, albeit somewhat dubious, charisma. Senator Bernie Sanders cannot boast of anything like that. A modest, elderly (74 years old) man with the appearance of an eccentric ordinary professor from a not very prestigious university, in unfashionable glasses. Just like a typical scientist "nerd" character from some old American novel or movie. Although, we must admit that he knows how to speak to a large audience. Many public opinion polls show that if B. Sanders were nominated for the presidency, he could well defeat Trump in the elections.
At the same time, in the Democratic primaries, he was almost on a par with the hyped ex-First Lady and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is supported by the entire Washington establishment. Sanders has beaten her in nearly three dozen states. In fairness, we note that Mrs. Clinton is ahead in terms of the number of electors. The fact is that Hilary wins in larger and “weightier” states in terms of the number of electors. In addition, Sanders was almost not supported by the so-called. "superdelegates," privileged electors that include incumbent Democratic governors, congressmen, people who have special merit in the Democratic Party, that is, the notorious establishment. However, despite all this, the senator, almost unknown at the federal level, fought Hillary on an equal footing. He is even more popular among the population than H. Clinton. What is the secret here, or, as they say now, what is the “trick” here?
As you know, we live in the age of globalization, in the era of free movement of capital, labor, goods, services and, of course, ideas. In the context of globalization, the world, as it were, has shrunk to the size of one apartment building. Thanks to the IT revolution, now everyone knows everything about each other.
It is possible that the one-sided game has ceased in our days: the Old World has also begun to influence, including in the sphere of ideology, the New World. We think that this process was reflected in the appearance of B. Sanders on the all-American political stage or arena, as you please.
Bernard (Bernie) Sanders was born in 1941 to a poor Jewish immigrant family from Poland. Graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964. He spent his youth in an Israeli kibbutz, where he enjoyed life. By the way, B. Sanders spent his honeymoon in the Soviet Union.
His political activity dates back to the early 1970s. last century, when he became an activist in the movement against the Vietnam War. From 1981 to 1989 he was the mayor of Vermont's largest city, Burlington. Then from 1991 to 2007. B. Sanders became a member of the House of Representatives from Vermont. Since January 2007, he has been a Senator from Vermont.
Throughout his political career, Bernie Sanders adheres to radical left (for the US) progressive views, describing himself as the spokesman for the aspirations and will of the interests of the working class, the lower middle class and students. He opposes the dominance of Wall Street, against a significant gap between rich and poor in American society, where 1% of the population owns over 60% of the national wealth. B. Sanders resolutely defends the civil rights of Americans, supports state assistance programs for the poor, raising the minimum wage, free higher education, health insurance for all citizens, advocates the abolition of tax benefits, for tight control over banks and other financial institutions, for equal rights for women. He also opposes the deportation of illegal immigrants.
But in foreign policy, for example, he strongly supported anti-Russian sanctions.
So, how does it take voters, as analysts say, mostly young Bernie Sanders? What is his ideology anyway?
The only major American politician, the senator from Vermont, openly proclaims himself a "democratic socialist" and a supporter of the Scandinavian model of social democracy. Sanders has been vocal and vocal in his opposition to the mass surveillance program of American citizens, he has spoken out against the war in Iraq, against agreements like NAFTA or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, pointing out the danger of US citizens losing their jobs if they are signed. He advocates further normalization of relations with Cuba and Iran. It requires strengthening the fight against international terrorism.
Bernie Sanders is, of course, no socialist. It does not demand public ownership of the implements and means of production, it has nothing against the receipt of profit by the owners of certain enterprises. Does not oppose the capitalist mode of production. He advocates a mixed economy based on the active participation of the state in economic processes (dirigisme, Keynesianism).
And most importantly, B. Sanders acts as a fierce fighter against the growing social inequality in the United States. Bernie is a supporter of progressive taxation, as in a number of Scandinavian countries (up to 90% for the wealthiest citizens).
He advocates the "fragmentation" of the country's largest financial institutions, arguing that no bank can be so large that its fall could lead to a global financial crisis (recall 2008 - the Lehman Brothers bank). Sanders advocates the growth of public investment in infrastructure projects, thereby advocating the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the United States. It supports the creation of workers' cooperatives. Sanders introduced a bill against offshore zones. He opposes the construction of new nuclear power plants (after the tragedy in Fukushima). He devotes a lot of space in his speeches to environmental issues. Supports stringent measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Sanders advocates free higher education, for the creation of free public universities. He stated, "Education should be a right, not a privilege." Finally, he advocates restrictions on the sale of weapons, for a ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons. He is a principled opponent of the death penalty. He also owns such a statement, very radical by the standards of the United States: “Many people mistakenly believe that Congress regulates the work of Wall Street. Actually it is not. In fact, Congress regulates Wall Street.” And here is how B. Sanders addresses American billionaires:
“You cannot have everything. You can't have tax breaks while the kids are hungry. You cannot organize jobs in China while there are millions of unemployed people in our country. Your greed must have limits."
B. Sanders plans to return production to the United States from developing countries in order to create millions of new jobs at home. He advocates the most simplified procedure for creating trade unions and the introduction of high fines for violation of labor laws.
In foreign policy, B. Sanders is in favor of the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, he has always opposed the war in Iraq. He calls for a decisive fight against ISIS and international terrorism, but he is against Islamophobia.
B. Sanders is considered one of the poorest candidates for the US presidency over the past few decades. His campaign slogan is "the future you believe in." Sanders is not supported by the leaders of the Democratic Party, he is not supported, like other candidates, by large American companies and corporations, he is not supported by the federal mass media. He campaigns solely on voluntary donations from his supporters.
In recent years, the ethnic and age composition of the US population has changed significantly. Millions of migrants from Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, Russia, and China brought leftist beliefs and ideas to America. In addition, B. Sanders "saddle the wave" caused by obvious disappointment with the actions of Barack Obama, who came to power promising significant changes in the social sphere. He did not keep his promises, which caused a certain radicalization of part of American society, especially young people. The Vermont senator is calling for a political revolution that many see as something fresh, new and bold.
Sanders is not associated with the American establishment, which especially appeals to young people. According to public opinion polls, up to 84% of young voters supported him in the primaries in Iowa, and about 82% in Nevada.
No wonder B. Sanders, at the very beginning of the campaign, spoke in defense of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
We must not forget that in recent years the United States has hosted numerous anti-capitalist forums and marches. The struggle of colored youth against police brutality has become very widespread. There were constant sit-down demonstrations of migrants, various environmental actions of the "greens" were carried out, who are increasingly opposed to the extraction of shale oil and gas by exploding seams, which causes enormous damage to nature. There were protests against greenhouse gas emissions, numerous blockades of new oil pipelines, student and youth sit-down demonstrations under the slogan “No Documents, No Fear” in support of young migrants who do not have the necessary documents for full legalization. Similar protest social movements have been actively developing in the United States over the past 3-5 years, and have created a base of supporters of the ideas of B. Sanders.
The “new Americans” know firsthand about the social protection of the population in various states of our planet, and they are increasingly influencing the mindset of ordinary American voters, as the popularity of an elderly senator from Vermont clearly testifies. Sanders and politicians like him are supported by millions of Americans between the ages of 20 and 35, as well as members of America's lower middle class. Clusters are ripening, if not anger, then, in any case, discontent and irritation. Their enthusiasm and enthusiasm will help Bernie in the final stage of the primaries.
Moreover, it is possible that Hillary Clinton will eventually be forced to seek support from Sanders in the fight against D. Trump. And, as has happened more than once in US domestic politics, she will offer him the post of vice president.
And then he will be able to really influence the domestic and foreign policy of America.
It seems that in recent years in the United States, more and more people, especially young people, began to understand that the society of the American dream and prosperity has sunk into oblivion. Faded, faded "American dream" ...
To continue to live under the complete rule of Wall Street billionaires is becoming undesirable and unpleasant for many young, poor Americans. Therefore, even before the end of the primaries, almost 12 million Americans had already voted for the senator from the state of Vermont.
There is an alternative - Europe with its traditions of social protection. And Americans know about it through the media, migrants and personal experience. Apparently, they are fed up with the two-party system in their country. They need new policies and fresh ideas. So it turns out that Bernie Sanders is not just a phenomenon, but a harbinger of possible changes in America, which will become more and more like the Old World politically.
Special for the Centenary
Historical event. What's happened
“For the first time in the history of our nation, a woman is nominated for president by a major party,” Clinton said after the Democratic primary in New Jersey. This victory provided Clinton with a sufficient number of votes in the party convention, which will host the election of the party's presidential candidate.
However, such a result was not predetermined: from the very first caucuses and primaries in February, Clinton's main competitor was the senator from the state of Vermont, the socialist Bernie Sanders. He won a landslide victory in Idaho, Minnesota, Kansas and many other states. At the same time, Sanders had to deal not only with the popularity of Clinton, earned as US Secretary of State, but also with her impressive connections: since her nomination, Hillary has received serious support from the party establishment, donors who generously replenished campaign accounts, and "superdelegates" who at the Democratic Party Convention were ready to cast their vote in favor of Clinton, even in those states where Sanders pulled ahead.
How Sanders became popular
Sanders' political views gained support among Americans in the wake of the popularity of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The senator calls himself a social democrat, and his entire election campaign was based on the fight against economic inequality: support for state programs for the poor, universal health insurance, free higher education, progressive taxation, and state and public control over the work of large financial institutions. In addition, Sanders has advocated tough measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, the legalization of marijuana, against the deportation of illegal immigrants, and for restrictions on firearms ownership.
Sanders believes that the United States needs to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, supports American sanctions against Russia after the annexation of Crimea, strongly opposes the creation of a US-EU free trade zone, as this will lead to the loss of American jobs. The countries of the Middle East must fight ISIS * militants - for this they have all the necessary resources.
#FeelTheBern: Bernie Sanders speaks
When the senator announced his candidacy in 2015, the campaign began under the hashtag #FeelTheBern. His policy statements and speeches were quickly dispersed into quotations. Among the most famous:
- “Today, billionaires have taken control of the economy and they are working every day to gain control of the US government as well.”
- “Many people mistakenly believe that Congress regulates Wall Street. It's not really like that: it's Wall Street that controls Congress."
- "If a financial institution is too big to afford to fail, it is too big to have the right to exist."
- "Education should be a right, not a privilege."
- "If you can't afford to take care of veterans, don't start a war."
- “We live in the most prosperous and richest country in the history of mankind. But most Americans don't even realize it. Because almost all the prosperity and wealth of the country is concentrated in the hands of 1 percent of the population.”
"The fight is not over." Will Sanders become vice president?
Despite the actual victory of Clinton, Sanders is not going to give up until the primaries are held in all states and the victory is not officially announced: “We will fight to win the primaries in Washington. And then we will fight for economic, racial and environmental justice in Philadelphia, where the Democratic National Convention will be held.”
The electorate is not so optimistic: the voters who voted for Sanders are faced with a difficult question - to remain loyal to their candidate or now, if only Republican Donald Trump does not win. Against the second option, Sanders' supporters even created a petition in which they urge voters not to vote for Clinton, who, in their opinion, will pursue a center-right policy as president. More than 92 thousand Americans left their votes under the petition.
Political scientists also believe that for the final victory of the Democrats in the elections, Clinton needs to enlist the support of Sanders. The Clinton electorate is made up of women, Hispanics and African Americans, people of democratic views who used to vote for Obama. But Sanders owns the voices of youth, veterans, and workers—not the largest constituency, but their participation in the Clinton vote could make a difference. One way to bring Sanders and his constituency into the Clinton campaign is to offer him the vice presidency. How likely this scenario is, "Snob" was told by political scientists Nadezhda Shvedova and Victoria Zhuravleva.
Nadezhda Shvedova, political scientist, head of the Center for Socio-Political Research at the Institute for the US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
American youth voted for Sanders - these are progressive people who want and are looking for change, do not support big business and do not trust the old elites, which include Clinton. This is a very active part of the voters who will not leave the political arena just like that. Clinton is a very competent and strong politician, she tries to take into account the interests of the young electorate, which can play in her favor in the current circumstances.
Whether Sanders will be offered the post of vice president is still too early to say. In any case, Sanders made himself known at the federal level, received tremendous support from such a nondescript start. Sanders continues to take a hit, his political baggage will not let him leave the scene quickly and without a trace. Sanders, if he leaves, then only of his own free will, for example, from fatigue. In addition, in America it is not customary to write off people from the political Olympus because of their age.
Victoria Zhuravleva, political scientist, senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
How Sanders' political career will now develop is one of the most pressing questions. I think now Sanders and Clinton will be bargaining with each other: can Clinton offer anything to the senator to get his support. Clinton needs the Sanders electorate. In this sense, Sanders as vice president could be very beneficial for Clinton. But how interesting it will be for the senator is a big question. Sanders is a very principled politician, he declared himself as a person who does not make concessions and acts solely in accordance with his principles and ideals.
To interest him, Clinton must promise him some kind of carte blanche, most likely in social matters, because this is Sanders' strong point. It is hard to say what other forms this bargaining can take. But it is clear that the Democratic Party and its candidate need Sanders voters to win.
* The organization is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia.
AiF.ru talks about Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders e, which acts as the main competitor Hillary Clinton.
Bernie Sanders. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Dossier
Bernard ("Bernie") Sanders was born on September 8, 1941 in New York City. His father Eli Sanders emigrated to the US from Poland in 1921. Mother is a native of New York Dorothy Glassberg.
Education
He studied psychology at Brooklyn College, then transferred to the University of Chicago. During his studies, he was a member of the Socialist Youth Union of the Socialist Party of America. As a student, he joined the civil rights movement in 1963, becoming a student organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. After graduation, he moved to Vermont, where he worked as a carpenter and documentary filmmaker.
Political career
Throughout his political career, Sanders has not changed his political views. As a socialist, he has always positioned himself as a defender of the interests of the working class. Sanders is always open to debate or plebiscite at any level. He himself always says that "it is better to take part in elections and lose than not to participate in them at all."
In 1972, he lost the election for governor of Vermont (2% of the vote).
In 1976, he loses the election for the post of governor of Vermont for the second time (6% of the vote).
In 1981, as an independent candidate, he was nominated for the post of mayor of Burlington - a small town in the state of Vermont, 70 kilometers from the Canadian border - and defeated the incumbent Democratic mayor by only 10 votes (he was re-elected three times in the next eight years).
In 1986, he lost the election for the post of governor of Vermont for the third time.
In 1988, he lost the elections to the US Congress.
In 1990, he won the congressional elections.
From 1991 to 2007, he was a congressman from the state of Vermont, holding the record for the longest tenure in Congress among independent candidates.
Senator from Vermont from 2007 to 2015.
In 2012, he was re-elected for a second term, which ends on January 3, 2019. Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
US presidential candidate
Sanders, 74, has been running for president since 2015, being the oldest candidate. He is considered one of Hillary Clinton's main rivals. The socialist decided to join the Democratic Party in order to increase his own chances to lead the country.
Sanders' presidential campaign slogan: "A future you can believe in."
Sanders advocates economic equality and supports government programs aimed at helping the poor and raising the minimum wage. He advocates gender and race equality, the legalization of same-sex marriages, free higher education, health insurance for all (“according to the Canadian model”), the abolition of tax breaks for the rich, the legalization of marijuana and strict rules for controlling the work of financial institutions.
Supports stringent measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions. He opposes the deportation of illegal immigrants, but is in favor of limiting guest worker programs, arguing that they take away work from American youth.
Attitude towards Russia
After the launch of the Russian Aerospace Forces operation in Syria, Sanders announced the need to wage war against the Islamic State in alliance with Iran and Russia. At the same time, he supported anti-Russian sanctions and condemned the reunification with Crimea. In a recent televised debate, Sanders called for more military spending and greater cooperation with NATO "to defend Europe against Russian aggression."
Family status
Married, second marriage (wife - Jane O'Meara Sanders), children - Levy(son from first marriage) and adopted children - Heather, Karina and David; seven grandchildren.
personal fortune
Sanders' fortune is estimated at $ 330,500 - he is considered one of the "poorest" presidential candidates.
The Islamic State terrorist group is banned in Russia.
Bernie Sanders is hard to take as a serious candidate, but even harder to ignore: A socialist who praises the Scandinavian model is running for president in the homeland of rampant capitalism? A stubborn old man (Sanders is now 70) who, on principle, refuses to accept donations from corporations, dooming himself to a colossal gap in opportunities from other candidates? Does he have a chance to change America?
BERNIE SANDERS
A socialist who praises the Scandinavian model is running for president in the homeland of rampant capitalism.
Student riots, youth in the kibbutz
and the road to socialism
Bernie Sanders was born in 1941 to a Jewish family who fled Poland and an American. A rare case, but Sanders' socialism is really family: his brother Larry also chose the path of a politician, he is the head of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Bernie studied psychology at Brooklyn College and political science at the University of Chicago, and after graduating he decided to experience all the delights of life in an Israeli kibbutz. Brother Larry, who went with him to Israel, said that the decision to live in a kibbutz was spontaneous. According to Larry, he was more attracted to the daily life of the kibbutz, while Bernie was delighted with the very idea: "He liked that people get together and do everything together." By the way, Bernie discovered a civil activist in himself back in his student years - he actively participated in protests against the Vietnam War and wrote a conscience objector statement, and in Chicago he organized a march against the construction of a separate campus for white and colored students.
Upon returning from the socialist utopia, Sanders plunged headlong into the game of survival: before starting his political career, Bernie had a chance to work as a correspondent for a local newspaper and a carpenter. “Most of the time the electricity in his house was off because Bernie couldn't afford to pay for it,” recalls a neighbor.
“I don’t wake up, like some in Washington, thinking, ‘I was born to be the president of America. What I wake up with in the morning is the idea that the country is now facing problems of the level of the Great Depression and people who would represent the interests of the working and middle class in front of the owners of big money.
The turning point in the fate of Bernie Sanders was in 1971, when he joined the Vermont Freedom Union party, of course, socialist and, of course, anti-war. For the Freedom Union, Sanders ran twice for mayor of the Vermont city of Burlington and twice tried to be elected to the Senate - all unsuccessfully. Disillusioned with politics, the failed mayor returned to his literary pursuits and the position of director of the American People's Historical Society, which he had by then held.
Sanders next ventured again in 1981: on the advice of a friend, he ran again for mayor of Burlington and won the election by just 14 votes. After that, he was re-elected three more times and served as mayor for a total of eight years - until 1989. The next step in Sanders' political career was membership in the House of Representatives from the state of Vermont (from 1991 to 2007). And finally, since 2007, Bernie has been a senator from Vermont.
Sanders first announced his desire to become President of the United States in March 2014. In an interview with The Nation, he described his intentions as follows: “I don’t wake up, like some in Washington, thinking:“ I was born to be the president of America. What I wake up with in the morning is the idea that the country is now facing problems of the level of the Great Depression and is terribly lacking in ideas that would fight the crisis, and people who would represent the interests of the working and middle class in front of the owners of big money.
What does Bernie Sanders want to do with America?
As already mentioned, Sanders shares socialist views. He is sure that now America is a country of social inequality, in which most of the money is concentrated in the hands of a very small number of people. And this, according to the Vermont senator, is fundamentally wrong. "This campaign is a message to billionaires 'you can't have everything'. You can't have tax breaks while the kids are hungry. You cannot organize jobs in China while there are millions of unemployed people in our country. Your greed must have limits,” says the website-manifesto of the politician.
Progressive taxation, fight
with offshore companies
“The reality is that since the mid-1980s there has been an outflow of capital from the poor and the middle class into the hands of America's richest people. This is the Robin Hood principle in reverse. This is wrong and needs to be changed." Sanders plans to overcome social inequality in several ways. First of all, the creation of a progressive tax scale for the largest American corporations and the fight against offshore companies. And raising taxes on those who earn more than $250,000 a year is designed to increase the Pension Fund and ensure a decent old age for every American.
Raising the minimum wage from 7.25
up to $15 per hour
In addition, he plans to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour. Sanders plans to involve Americans in the construction of infrastructure, thus creating jobs for them. Separate jobs will be created for young Americans with disabilities.
Return
production in the USA
Sanders also plans to return production from China and developing countries to America to create new jobs with decent wages and give Americans the opportunity to earn.
Body camcorders
for the police
As a solution to the problem of physical violence, Sanders suggests giving the police fewer weapons "so that the police do not look like military men in hot spots", making their composition reflect the national composition of American society, conducting training among police officers on the de-escalation of violence, and requiring police officers to wear body cameras.
Investment in job creation
Sanders plans to combat economic violence against people of color by investing $5.5 billion in a youth unemployment program that will be used to create jobs for young people of color.
Reducing the interest on educational loans or the abolition of fees for post-secondary education
According to the politician, everyone should have the right to education and health care. Therefore, Sanders plans to eliminate tuition fees at American colleges and universities. Sanders also plans to stop the practice of state benefits from educational loans. It is estimated that the US economy receives $110 billion a year from education loans. According to the senator, it is morally wrong and economically wrong to cash in on students. Therefore, Sanders plans to halve the interest on student loans and allow Americans to refinance them at the lowest possible interest rate. In addition, students from disadvantaged families should, in the opinion of the presidential candidate, be eligible for financial assistance from the university.
Development of the Medicare Program
The first thing Sanders is going to do to deal with the problem of high drug prices is to develop the Medicare program founded by Barack Obama to force participating drug companies to lower prices. Then he plans to stimulate the introduction of expensive generic drugs in the US market and provide older people with discounts on them.
Pharmaceutical pricing control
market
In addition, the senator is in favor of importing medicines from Canada and wants to oblige pharmaceutical companies to publish information about their income and pricing in order to exclude unreasonably high prices for medicines.
Increase in paid vacation
Sanders is also concerned about family values: he advocates an increase in paid vacation and medical insurance for working people so that they can be with their family, and not frantically try to earn a normal existence every day.
Building a system of kindergarten education
Another innovation: the system of pre-kindergarten education. "The age of three is very important for the formation of personality, and we want to make sure that all Americans can provide their children with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten," says the election program of Bernie Sanders.
Strengthening trade unions, simplifying the registration procedure
Another change that will affect the American economy is the strengthening of labor unions. The politician is convinced that the right of the middle and working classes to increase wages and other bonuses has been significantly infringed upon by employers, and stronger unions will help to influence this.
Tougher penalties for violators of labor laws
The Workplace Democracy Act, lobbied by Sanders, would regulate how to form a union, making it as easy as possible, and penalizing companies that break labor laws. The candidate promises that the punishment will be severe.
Left America: From Franklin Roosevelt
to Barack Obama
It's hard to believe, but in the first half of the twentieth century, the United States was one of the most left-wing states in the developed world. Great merit in this was played by the Great Depression and the subsequent response of President Franklin Roosevelt - "New Deal".
The first thing Roosevelt did after his election as president was to temporarily close the banks to streamline their work and restore confidence in the banking system and organize public works for the unemployed. Then the dollar was devalued and the banking system was enlarged. It was forbidden to export gold abroad, the ban was reinforced by the confiscatory exchange of gold for paper money so that gold would not remain freely available. The industry was divided into 17 groups, each regulated by special codes to ensure fair competition.
The Rural Regulatory Administration was established to regulate the prices of agricultural products, and the Public Works Development Administration, which undertook the difficult task of providing the population with paid work. The unemployed were sent to special organizations that were engaged in the repair of infrastructure - roads and bridges. Women were mostly engaged in sewing for hospitals and charitable organizations.
Many also call the current president of America, Barack Obama, a socialist - mainly for the successful lobbying of the Affordable Care Act, popularly called ObamaCare.
In 1935, the Social Security Administration was created and the Social Security Act was passed. It was the first piece of legislation in US history that provided eligible Americans with a retirement pension in old age. Roosevelt's measures proved successful despite constant criticism from right-wing conservatives and large corporations: "Too socialist."
By the way, Republican presidents also have “leftist sins” on their account. For example, Eisenhower continued the GI Bill after World War II, which helped create a stable middle class, which, in turn, was able to ensure America's economic growth. The measures of Richard Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency and the Safety and Health Administration, can also be called socialist. One of these departments carried out state regulation in ecology, the other - in health care.
Many also call the current president of America, Barack Obama, a socialist - mainly for the successful lobbying of the Affordable Care Act, popularly called ObamaCare. Thanks to the program, now every person can buy compulsory insurance or pay part of the money for it every month in the country with the most expensive medicine. For people who cannot afford to buy insurance, the state pays 95% of its price. This law changes the conditions that existed when insurance companies could refuse to sell insurance to a person who was already seriously ill, and many people simply could not afford to buy insurance. In addition, this law expanded the already existing social programs Medicare (for the elderly) and Medicaid (for the poor).
"I don't believe corporations manage people the way their founding fathers dreamed they would"
Bernie Sanders
Can Bernie Sanders win the presidential election?
The socialist reforms that Sanders proposes are certainly unexpected in modern America, but they will not be the first. The problem of Bernie Sanders as a candidate, according to Alexander Petrov, an Americanist historian, a leading researcher at the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is different:
“Bernie Sanders is an independent candidate, one of the few independent politicians in the US who is quite successful and has been successful for many years. This is such a phenomenon of American political life. Its main slogan is: “I do not believe that corporations manage people the way their founding fathers dreamed about it.” Therefore, he sees himself as a person who serves the interests of small and medium-sized businesses, the middle class and the poor and leads the fight against corporations. This is his main political motto, with which he is nominated for the election of the President of the United States.
Sanders advocates the return of the bank transparency law. This is a law that allows you to seriously enough control bank capital, in the first place, the bank's occupation of securities. This law was passed in 1933 after the Great Depression, which was largely caused by the fact that banks were engaged in securities, and lasted until 1999, when it was repealed. Many associate the 2007-2008 crisis with the repeal of this law. Sanders advocates the return and active application of this law, and many others advocate this.
However, the likelihood of Bernie Sanders winning the presidential election, unfortunately for him and, perhaps, for many of his fans, is not so significant. The nature of American political life is such that representatives of either the Democratic or the Republican parties become presidents. The Republican Party has traditionally been perceived in recent years as conservative, and the liberals stand for rights and freedoms.
The parties have a lot of resources: it's branches in every state, televised debates - the independent candidate does not have all this. It is very difficult for an independent candidate to break through due to the promotion of this machine. Therefore, Sanders's chances are slim, but if he still manages to win at least a few states, this will be the most important indicator that a third political party has a chance of appearing.
How will America change under President Sanders?
Victoria Zhuravleva
Senior Research Fellow of the Institute
World Economy and International Relations IMEMO RAS
“I think that all of Sanders' socialist plans will be very heavily restricted by Congress. We remember that America is not Sweden, and there the decision-making process involves the participation of the president and Congress and is very dependent on who sits in Congress. It is unlikely that the Democrats will be able to win in the White House and also in Congress, even if they won, then the majority of Democrats do not support Sanders' socialist undertakings, and they will block them with all their might. We can look at the fate of Obama's social agenda, which in eight years was only able to move forward with health care reform. I think that in the near future, Americans need to take a little break from such revolutions. It must be a justified revolution. It is unlikely that the next president will have such a chance for a breakthrough in the social sphere, the American society is still preparing for such fundamental reforms for a long time. Sanders may win, but America is unlikely to become Sweden."
Dmitry Solonnikov
political scientist
“Sanders is one of the most extravagant candidates for the presidency of the United States from the entire team that is going to be elected now. On the one hand, he is a left-wing politician, on the other hand, he is a lover of marijuana and soft drugs, on the third hand, he spent his honeymoon in the USSR. That is, he definitely falls out of the image of the American elite, in many ways confronts the models that exist in the United States.
He is not a conservative, he clearly does not stand on the positions of the need to strengthen the foundations of Christian dogmas. He feels much freer among modern innovations, new trends in human communication.
In my opinion, he will be an even more active supporter of social programs than the current president, and many accuse Barack Obama of depriving America of individuality and the American dream, when a person could make his own career and lifestyle, and everything depended on from him personally. Sanders will further strengthen this line. His slogan, like that of Gorbachev in his time: "More socialism!". In principle, we can say that this is not bad. More socialism in America means more payments to the middle class, more opportunities and special funding programs for the middle class. This will increase the purchasing power of the middle class. The middle class will no longer have the danger that they will have nothing to live on tomorrow, they will not have their usual way of life.
Sanders will try to support the US economy, he will inject money not into state corporations, but there will be many companies sitting on government orders. It will increase consumption not by increasing the state in the consumption structure of the economy, but by increasing private demand and shifting funding for government programs in favor of maintaining the creditworthiness of the middle class.
In addition, his campaign to liberalize the basic principles of life will continue. I think drug legalization will continue. There is a serious lobby behind the legalization of marijuana, and I think it can be passed as a federal bill.
Under Sanders, the Atlantic Free Trade program will be much less actively developed, and the idea of US dominance in Europe will not be so actively promoted. Military spending will be reduced, as the state will gradually reduce its spending, spending more money on supporting the population and social programs. In general, US foreign policy under Sanders will become much less aggressive, more tolerant and restrained.”
Alexey Tsvetkov
Writer
“Sanders' rating ranges from 4 to 7%, which is incredibly cool for a socialist in the US. The crisis and melting of the middle class has led to the fact that the tradition of American socialism - the Industrial Brotherhood of Workers, John Reed and Pete Seeger, the yippies and the "new left" of the 1960s, the Black Panthers, etc. - again becomes a living political practice, leaving the confines of the university ghetto for Wallerstein-reading nerds and Jacobin quotes. It is not difficult to imagine "America according to Sanders". This is a transition to a new, ecological way of production, the curtailment of military imperialism, the disembowelment of corporations, the transition to free medicine and education available to everyone, the full legalization of marijuana, and in the long run a basic income for any citizen. In this sense, Sanders has an immediate political predecessor who played a similar role in American politics and meant roughly the same ideas - Ralph Naider. Even Patti Smith supported him in the elections. But the Sanders program is a bit to the left for the reasons I started with."
Whether Bernie Sanders becomes president or not is a question with an almost unequivocal answer of "no." A socialist, an independent politician, wants to run for the Democrats and at the same time his name is not Hillary Clinton - the chances of winning are minimal. Nevertheless, the level of support for the alternative candidate by the Internet press, activists and concerned citizens cannot but impress. America is certainly not yet ready to become Denmark, but certainly not as far from socialism as it might seem at first glance.
February 7, 2016 at 6:43 p.m., when tens of millions of Americans, munching on endless commercial breaks on spicy chicken wings, watched two dozen massive men from Colorado and North Carolina knead each other's sides in the Super Bowl, the annual climax of the football season and On the most popular American TV show of the year, 75-year-old Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened Twitter and saw fit to tell his 1.5 million followers: “Our main task is to breathe new life into American democracy.”
In fact, the tweet must have been sent by some specially hired manager, or even a program that puts them out on a schedule that no one thought to amend for the biggest pop culture event of the year. Nevertheless, the fact that while the entire country was discussing the unexpected failure of quarterback Cam Newton and the impending appearance of Beyoncé during the intermission, the potential candidate for the President of the United States of America from the Democratic Party continued to broadcast his slogans is symptomatic.
Bernie Sanders does not like to be distracted at all: stooped, gray-haired, in professorial glasses, he looks like a grumpy grandfather who is at the happy family table, while the children are discussing where to go on vacation, and the grandchildren are throwing sweets at each other, loudly indignant at low pensions and high utility bills.
The most interesting thing is that children and grandchildren are completely delighted with him.
Half a century before these events, In August 1963, a photographer for the Chicago Tribune caught on camera the moment a curly-haired activist was arrested as he protested the segregationist policies of the local education authority. He was also Bernie Sanders, who came from a poor family of Brooklyn Jews and at that time a political science student who had already distinguished himself by organizing a sit-in at the door of the president of the University of Chicago. Sanders was tried for resisting police and found guilty and fined $25. Two weeks after the incident, he went to a black rights march in Washington and personally watched as Martin Luther King told the tens of thousands gathered at the Lincoln Memorial that he had a dream. It is important to understand that Sanders' current success in American politics is largely a consequence of the fact that half a century later, the dream is still far from being realized. Just as importantly, Sanders himself hasn't changed much over the past half century. Unless I had to correct my hair.
Bernie Sanders is a man, in general, without a destiny. In his school years, he ran fast and was upset when he did not make the football team. After receiving a university degree, he worked part-time as a carpenter and made activist documentaries. Fascinated by the woods and fields of Vermont and moved there from New York. Married a second time in 1988, he spent his honeymoon in Yaroslavl, building relationships with Vermont's Soviet sister city of Burlington, of which Sanders had served successfully as mayor. He recorded an album on which, with the support of three dozen local musicians, he recites folk songs of protest. Plays with grandchildren, portraying a monster. Doesn't like shopping.
That, in fact, is all. The rest is forty years of political struggle for class justice and attempts to rehabilitate the terrible word “socialism” for Americans. Sanders doesn't even have time for a sense of humor - the most he can afford - to joke about having to wake up at night to go to the toilet. Donald Trump, the second nominal outsider, who in 2016 found himself at the epicenter of the American political process, closes all the problems on himself, his boundless ego and his supposedly fantastic managerial abilities; Sanders, on the contrary, gives up personal qualities to the best of his ability in the name of the ideas to which he devoutly maintained and demonstrated loyalty for decades. Back in the early 1990s, he accused congressional colleagues of being too close to the rich; in the 2000s, voted against the invasion of Iraq and the Patriot Act, which greatly expanded the powers of the state to spy on citizens (and even tried to make a touching amendment to it that would prohibit the authorities from gaining access to information about who borrows what books in the library); successfully rebuilt and refurbished Burlington without resorting to gentrification or other methods of alienating the poor. A characteristic detail: when Bernie Sanders was elected mayor in 1981, the winner, who ran without the support of major parties and beat the incumbent Democratic mayor by ten votes, did not have a suit in his wardrobe.
An old acquaintance of Sanders once told The New Yorker magazine that Bernie is the last person with whom he would like to be on a desert island: "Two weeks of lectures about the health system, and you yourself will climb into the water with sharks." This, of course, is an exaggeration - the matter would not be limited to talking about the importance of universal state insurance. We would also talk about free education; and mandatory maternity leave; and on ensuring the right to abortion; and the fight against global warming. A separate item would certainly have been a manifesto about the fight against the political influence of corporations and the impunity of Wall Street financiers, raising taxes for the rich and the need to close the economic gap between the 1% of the population, saving billions in accounts, and the remaining 99%, forced to work off debts all their lives.
In other words, Sanders is a typical politician of the European left, which in the United States has always been and remains a nice marginal; he officially became a Democrat only last year in order to run for president, and before that he lived and worked outside party structures, setting a record for staying in Congress among independent deputies. In other words, the paradox is not so much in Sanders himself, but in his electorate - in the millions of young Americans who at his rallies behave like a rock star in front of them, are ready to go to the polls for the sake of Bernie for once and turned him into meme star (one of them shows Sanders next to Doc Brown from Back to the Future, the caption reads: "They both arrived in 2015 to save middle-class lives").
What is it about the stubborn white old man that wins over millennials, Snapchat users, Vampire Weekend, and the fiery rapper Killer Mike? The connection with the era of Martin Luther King, the struggle for civil rights, the sexual revolution and LSD is, of course, quite significant here. The sixties for the new generation are far enough away to be a full-blooded myth, but close enough to feel the bitterness of unfulfilled promises. Bernie Sanders is a witness to the unfulfilled, a preacher of a great missed dream. An economic crisis provoked by the greed of the bankers, which was eventually paid for with taxpayer money and blamed on the poor and migrants; a law enforcement system that releases corrupt officials and kills the defenseless; big business ignoring climate threats and spending millions to be ignored by everyone else; social elevators that do not have insurance; the debilitating wars that add to the world's disorder all indicate that the political structures built after 1968 are hopeless. And even if the black president failed to fix everything, it means that more serious measures are needed and the enemy is more global - for example, capitalism as such. Hence the sudden immunity to the fears associated with the word "socialism" and the slogans about the need for a political revolution. Sanders, of course, gets it for putting class issues above racial ones (African Americans, whose leaders Hillary Clinton cultivated relations with for many years, almost do not vote for him), but in any case, he puts the question squarely. The Sanders phenomenon is in search of a new American dream, as soon as the usual one has stopped working; and with America's self-centeredness, this search takes place in its own past.
Having a dream of course, does not mean that it will become a reality. The chances of Bernie Sanders winning the Democratic primary (and then the election itself) are still slim. But in a sense, it doesn't matter anymore. Using the expression of Peter Mamonov in the address of the artist Podolsky, Bernie "personifies". And what he represents, America will have to deal with in the very near future, when supporters of democratic socialism will leave colleges into adulthood with thousands of debts in their accounts and a violent self-righteousness complex in their heads. As, however, she will have to deal with Trump supporters - white traditionalists, convinced that the system is twisted in favor of progressives and minorities. An attempt to find at least some kind of compromise between the population that has diverged along the two poles, most likely, will become the main American political plot in the near future.
As for Sanders, he has by and large already accomplished his mission, famously and defiantly turning the American liberal mainstream to the left. And even in case of defeat, this presidential campaign will become the epic finale of his career, and his personal history will turn into another American myth - about a fiery fighter who never betrayed himself and his ideals, who for decades bent his line, who single-handedly voted against the majority, and in the end a self-discovered leader who, as it now turns out, is the future.
