In Defense of Bernie Sanders

I’ve been seeing a lot of shade thrown at Bernie Sanders, including a lot of outright lies, and I figured I’d gather up some of the positives, and lay them down here, so that there’s a record of them in a place I can refer to; I’m tired of reciting them, and getting nasty incoherent comments in reply. I also think that, despite these genuine positives, Sanders sometimes is a poor judge of character, as we have seen in his recent endorsements, and the man is 84, and perhaps losing his touch. But I remember, I still see sometimes, his critics lying about him, and twisting everything positive said about the man into a reason to hate him. That’s reading the sources the way fundamentalists read the bible, and the only possible result of such readings is to reinforce the readers’ biases. So I’ve gathered these up for people who haven’t seen some of them, and so I have a record for my own use.

On Sanders as legislator

Rob Reich

Here’s a bit from an obscure interview of Rob Reich talking about Sanders; unfortunately I don’t know the date, and the link is locked down. Here, in any event, is Rob Reich’s recollection of Sanders in the House.

Rebecca Lynn: “What do you say in response to Barney Frank saying that Bernie Sanders was ineffective in congress?”

Robert Reich: “Well, actually, I was there! I mean, I was Secretary of Labor through some of those years. I saw how effective Bernie actually was. He was tenacious. He kept getting changes, amendments, and very large pieces of legislation … his name was often not on those pieces of legislation. He did not have a, and does not have, a huge ego, so he didn’t hold out for his name to be highly placed on pieces of legislation, but he did hold out for amendments and for changes that almost, in every case - virtually in every case - helped working people, and helped the poor, and I saw it again and again and again. He was an effective legislator - in fact, one of the most effective legislators, because the more you work behind the scenes and don’t try to push yourself out there and don’t try to get the limelight, the more effective you can be, which, ironically, invites the complaint from some people that he was ineffective because he was not in the limelight. He was behind the scenes, enormously effective.” —original link gone stale, sorry

Bob Ney(!)

Bob Ney (former R-Ohio, conservative) was interviewed by Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks, sigh) at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and Uygur asked him about Bernie Sanders. This section of the interview went like this:

Uygur: so let’s talk about Bernie Sanders you served with him in the Financial Services Committee in the House, so so what’s your impression of Senator Sanders?

Ney: He would come in the office, but he would come down the hallway or in the office. A big thing under his arm, you’re like, “Ah Bernie’s read everything again.”

Uygur: (laughter)

Real quick story. He came in my office and he had an amazing idea for cost-of-living increase to help seniors, instead of the ridiculous way we do it. And he went all through it and I said, “Bernie,” I said, “that’s amazing. I’m on the bill.” He said, “no, no, no. This isn’t about pride of authorship,” I remember the words. “I want to pass this. You take the bill.” That’s Bernie Sanders. The Bernie Sanders, I knew for 11 years. And the Bernie Sanders, Larry Sanders his brother-in-law and the Bernie Sanders you see here today, he’s the real deal.

Philosophically, do I agree with a lot of things with Bernie Sanders? Some I do, some I don’t. I did press conferences of trade bills with him. I love his trade position, because trade bills are ruining American workers’ lives. But beyond that, even if I don’t agree with him, working with the guy was amazing. He got more done than he’s been given credit for. He wasn’t like I said the pride of authorship guy. He was honest, you knew what he said is what you could take to the bank. I can’t say enough about the personal integrity and the and the zest and the tenacity for working people that Bernie Sanders had and has and still has.

Uygur: “I really didn’t expect that answer. That’s really interesting.”

Sanders and Racism

That Famous Photograph

Here’s the young Bernie Sanders being dragged away from a protest over racist educational practices in Chicago. Putting himself on the line and risking a beating at the hands of the Chicago Police Department, a brutal, racist force then and now, took considerably physical courage. Years later, the Tribune reviewed the reporting.

Greg Palast

“When the Congressional Black Caucus asked me to present my discovery of the illegal purge of Black voters in Florida, only one white guy showed: Bernie Sanders. Hillary: MIA. I’m tired of hearing that Sanders doesn’t reach out to Black folk. He’s been on the front lines since Selma. I don’t endorse candidates - but l also don’t tolerate bullshit over facts.”—Greg Palast, Facebook, September 15, 2015

Sanders

He didn’t have to say these names; very few non-Black people did.

“Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Samuel Dubose, Rekia Boyd and too many more. I know you have heard these names before but they bear repeating so we do not lose sight of the real human price being paid.”—Bernie Sanders, Facebook, November 21, 2015