CNN Asked Bernie Sanders About His Religion: Here’s His Breathtaking Response

[KamaAina]

https://tr.im/1tzcg

On Tuesday, just four days before South Carolina’s Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton took questions from voters at a lively CNN Town Hall in the newly de-battle flagged state capital of Columbia.

Amid all the talk about Wall Street, racism, Donald Trump, and the GOP’s obstructionism, Bernie Sanders was asked about his “spirituality.” That, of course, was meant to be a trap, a litmus test. Americans like their presidents Christian. In fact, we haven’t had a non-Christian president since Thomas Jefferson (Abraham Lincoln was raised Christian and kept quiet about his un-churched status), let alone a not-particularly religious Jew.

Here was Bernie Sanders’ stunning reply:
“Every great religion in the world — Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism — essentially comes down to: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ And what I have believed in my whole life — I believed it when I was a 22-year-old kid getting arrested in Chicago fighting segregation — I’ve believed it in my whole life.”

And then, Bernie Sanders even appeared to get a little choked up as he declared:
“That we are in this together — not just, not words. The truth is at some level when you hurt, when your children hurt, I hurt. I hurt. And when my kids hurt, you hurt. And it’s very easy to turn our backs on kids who are hungry, or veterans who are sleeping out on the street, and we can develop a psyche, a psychology which is ‘I don’t have to worry about them; all I’m gonna worry about is myself; I need to make another 5 billion dollars.’

[Merryland]

1. That was astonishingly moving.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

63. I fucking love this guy.

[TheDormouse]

106. Yes, it was very moving.

If only all the other candidates answered the same way, and meant it!

[forest444]

117. Oh, but Hillary believes in the Golden Rule too.

"He who has the gold, makes the rules."

[fierywoman]

129. golden ...

... and golden Goldman Sachs handcuffs, too!

[forest444]

131. And bleached blonde to boot.

Here's to you, Shillary.

[eridani]

162. This is irrelevant to issues

Hey--I'm bleached Medium Golden Brown myself, and Hillary's hare looks fine.

[awoke_in_2003]

174. Oh, for fuck's sake

What does her hair color have to do with anything?

[tex-wyo-dem]

123. It literally gave me chills, and I said to my wife "we have to get this guy elected president"

He basically said what I've felt forever...we are all connected, we all need to help each other.

[Cassiopeia]

159. I've said it for decades myself

and I subscribe to no religion at all.

[brooklynite]

2. Why does he need religion to tell him that?

[kennetha]

3. He doesn't

it was a dodge. He doesn't want to say that he doesn't believe in a transcendent being. So he shifts the focus to what "spirituality means to me."

[Peace Patriot]

10. There's a poster: "Vote Bernie Sanders: He's not an asshole."

You need to study that thought.

[dchill]

46. +1,000,000

[roguevalley]

50. I don't need a religous framework to believe in God. In fact, I find that limits the

great love I have for God and God has for me. I am spiritual in the same way that Bernie is. His answer could have come from Jesus. Jesus the man, not the gimmick that religion has made him into, sullying and burying his great loving message of solidarity and love for each other under power and money trips. He LIVES his spiritual beliefs. That wasn't a dodge. it was a testament.

[erlewyne]

61. I would like to say the same thing.

How did you know how I feel? We never met or conversed.


I am voting for Bernie!


Thank you roguevalley

[roguevalley]

68. you are welcome, my dear erlewyne. All of us are one at the

best level of our souls.

[Chemisse]

126. Lovely comment. n/t

[LittleGirl]

83. Spot On roguevalley. n/t

[Fantastic Anarchist]

65. I love that sign.

[daleanime]

17. Since when has it been a 'dodge'....

to talk about what you believe?

[LiberalLovinLug]

67. Of course it was a dodge

I support Bernie but I get a little tired of fellow supporters freaking out about every tiny observation that may be construed as a criticism. Sheez. And the poster above, Peace Patriot : It doesn't mean kennetha thinks he's an asshole.

It was a clever dodge. kennetha is correct. brooklynite tried to ignite a little flame war and you both fell for it.

The host knew full well that the maniacally defensive and dominant religion is Christianity in the US. How it is so culturally ingrained that even non-Christians, or non practicing Christians, are almost conditioned to expect someone proclaiming their Christian faith before running for President. Famous athletes thank God for championships, Actors and musicians do before accepting awards, and the military tributes are blanketed in saccharine dripping Christian/Nationalistic conflations. Hillary got it out of the way a while ago with her declaration that The Bible was her favorite book.

So he used the language of the audience he knew was watching. Put it into terms that could define him by their standards.

Bernie speaks his mind and is honest. But he is still a politician. He can answer the question any way he wants, and this was a gotcha question, so he responded back and showed he knew full well what the host was trying to do. Maybe in his mind he was thinking "I don't believe in fairy tales like Christianity, I don't need that claptrap to tell me to treat others like I'd like to be treated". Do you honestly want him to answer that way? The host was hoping to catch him either saying "next question" or "I'm not a religious person", maybe followed with a "So you don't consider yourself a Christian?". Bernie transcended (!) the question by being inclusive of the more religiously inclined watching, yet still being honest about his own "spirituality".

[gelatinous cube]

124. I don't think anyone could have explained it better n/t

[LiberalLovinLug]

146. thanks!

Just wanted to say I love your handle name.

[awoke_in_2003]

176. I wish he could answer that way

but we know there is no way he, or any other politician, could. It is a sad fact of our banana republic.

[pangaia]

34. He didn't dodge anything. He answered the question.

Watch the video.

[AlbertCat]

43. He doesn't want to say that he doesn't believe in a transcendent being.

He also isn't gonna pretend the Bible is his favorite book.

[Mike__M]

82. Have some respect! When you need

a heavy block to weigh something down, a large Bible is almost as useful as good dictionary.

[LittleGirl]

88. I think

I love you. lol, /s....hmmm, this is weird.

i was once married to a Mike M and you seem much more liberal than him, so probably not. Anyway, that made me laugh out loud.

thanks for the chuckle. Hysterical because it's so cruel and honest.
edit:typo

[restorefreedom]

78. thank goodness there are people here

who know what is in his heart and mind

[OrwellwasRight]

81. You say it's a dodge.

Do you mean that in a negative way? Is that a problem for you?

[RoccoR5955]

90. I don't think it was a Dodge.

I believe that Bernie drives a more reliable Chevy. They cost less too.

[Chemisse]

125. That is true - and it makes a point in itself.

That organized religion is not a requirement to be a good person, that belief in a deity is not necessary to be a spiritual person.

I applaud him.

[elleng]

9. He doesn't; NO one does.

[libtodeath]

11. That was what the question was about.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

20. HE doesn't---Amurkin "christian culture" needs it.

He gave a great response to a gotcha question.

I'm sure ready for more NON Christians in government.

[Arugula Latte]

39. Your candidate is the "Christian" one.

Why does she need Christianity?

[roguevalley]

54. Christianity if practiced according to the tenets of Jesus -Matt.25:31-44 and

the Golden Rule is demanding and hard. Given HRC's history of you name it, she is practicing dogma, not the tenets and teachings of Jesus. Who would Jesus cheat, lie to, steal from, kill for money, sell to the highest bidder? No one.

[snooper2]

73. Well, Jesus did say that you are supposed to kill your neighbor if you catch him working on Sunday

[druidity33]

130. I wouldn't mind knowing

where in the bible he says that.

[Proud Veteran]

167. several places

Numbers 15:32-41

A Sabbathbreaker Executed
32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Also Exodus 35:2 is pretty clear

[awoke_in_2003]

177. Numbers and Exodus are Old Testament

Jeebus doesnt appear in those.

[SwampG8r]

153. One of the charges used against jesus

Was that he didnt respect the sabbath because he cured the ill during it.
So i dont think he ever said that

[RoccoR5955]

92. And here I thought her golden rule

was that the one with all the gold makes the rules.

[AtheistCrusader]

56. He doesn't.

No one does.

[longship]

75. Do you mean other than the highjack question?

How would anybody else answer it?

He fucking nailed it.

[Herman4747]

77. Why does anyone? n/t

[rhett o rick]

100. STRAWMAN. No one claimed he does. Seems you are trying to distract here.

I think what he said rang true, don't you?

[Jopin Klobe]

105. He doesn't ...

... what a stupid question ...

[JackRiddler]

136. Are you going to attack him for not expressing atheism?

That would fit the Clinton campaign approach perfectly. What religion does she profess, again? I forgot. Let's google... Ah, Methodist. Mixed marriage with Bill being Baptist. Right, right, I remember now. The Family. Prayer breakfasts. Yeah.

[RedCappedBandit]

139. Pathetic. nt

[WillyT]

4. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[kstewart33]

5. Hillary supporter here: Great answer.

There is much to admire about Bernie.

[roguevalley]

55. thank you, kstewart33. I agree

[Mika]

6. An injury to one is an injury to all!

IWW all the way!

[starroute]

25. I've also noticed Bernie's emails being signed "In solidarity"

Haven't seen much of that around in a while.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

66. One Big Union!

I'm a member.

I don't think they endorse anyone, but I bet they like Bernie.

[valerief]

7. But he wasn't supposed to talk about Jesus's message. He was supposed to say the name Jesus.

That's how American politics works.

We've learned from the book The Family that many U.S. senators and representatives believe "gawd" shows his love for you by showering you with riches (of the financial type). That's American politics, none of the "do unto my neighbor" stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060560053/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456337343&sr=1-3&keywords=the+family


Presidents can't be hippies. Presidents are supposed to support the country's biggest industry--WAR.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

22. Yes, they were trying to corner him into the Jaayyzuss trap.

KnR for your post!

[valerief]

23. I was soooooo glad he didn't bite! nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

31. I'm sure he did a lot of thinking about questions like that.

They'd be a given.

[karynnj]

30. Hillel said it before Jesus

It is a very basic Jewish belief.

[valerief]

36. He didn't mention any Jewish rituals or leaders or, seeing as he was in SC, didn't mention anything

Christiany. He mentioned no religious trimmings, which is what pols are supposed to do to validate their political eligibility. He could have said, "I'm a humanist," and gone on to say what he did.

He didn't take the bait.

[roguevalley]

57. a life without works is no life at all. Jewish philosophy in a nutshell

the message of Jesus in a nutshell

[valerief]

85. It's all the same "can't we all get along?" stuff that even wolves do. nt

[LibDemAlways]

38. Not just politicians. Spending a few minutes watching that obscenely

wealthy con artist Joel Osteen is a revelation. People fill his giant mega-church and throw their hard earned dollars his way because he tells them that if they do, God will make them rich. Then they go home to their mortgages and big doctor bills and college tuition payments and ride around in their gas guzzlers and hope that one day they, too, will be as blessed by God as Osteen is for he has it all.

PT Barnum would be laughing his ass off.

[valerief]

40. Oh, definitely. And there's that "I need a new private jet" con artist mega-minister.

How does anyone follow these assholes? I think some humans are raised to be masochists.

[SammyWinstonJack]

108. Bet rat face Osteen really isn't a Believer. Nothing more than a

common con artist.

[valerief]

109. I'm an atheist. As I see it, a real believer is the pigeon for the minister. nt

[Petrushka]

156. And none of that "can't serve God and Mammon" stuff either.

[Faux pas]

8. When I was a kid (back in the olden days)

in elementary school the Golden Rule was written on the blackboard in every class the first day of school. It stayed up on all the blackboards the whole school year.

It's a simple rule that I've tried to live by my whole life. Bernie speaks for me!

[pangaia]

37. I have also seen a translation somewhere of the golden rule that is..

"Do not do unto others that which you would not have them do unto you."

Not that this is a comment at all on Bernie's statement, which I greatly admire, but just the interesting observation that the two different translations have very different meanings.

[elljay]

128. Rabbi Hillel

The version you quote is a paraphrase of the earlier Jewish golden rule from Rabbi Hillel.

"That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it." - Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a

The Christian version is expressed as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Different perspectives.

[pangaia]

134. Oh, thank you for that. I had no idea --and I know I read it somewhere else,

but I do not remember a source being mentioned.

Thank you,

[elljay]

145. Pleasure was mine!

[AlbertCat]

48. It's a simple rule

... that does not require anything supernatural.

It's a secular message.

[jberryhill]

86. It is a fundamentally flawed rule...

...because there are too many masochists who take it to heart, and treat everyone that way.

A sadistic asshole is merely a masochist following the Golden Rule.

[Chemisse]

127. I have tried to live up to it, too.

And I haven't been a Christian since I was 14 years old (probably equally long ago).

[anotherproletariat]

12. While I totally agree (& have the same views)...this is NOT going to fly with the general electorate

We are spoiled here because dems can look past things like religion and race...but look at the large chunk of the repubs who want to build a wall and keep Muslims out of the country. They will not go for an agnostic. Period. It would be akin to telling them to take "In God We Trust" off the money. Bernie did a good job in stating his answer in a way that is hard to object, but the Christian right will totally be able to read through the lines.

[starroute]

27. The Christian right wouldn't vote for him anyway

Bernie walks the walk.

[JDPriestly]

28. South Carolina hasn't voted Democratic since maybe 1976. So what difference does it make

what the religious fanatics in that state think?

South Carolina has made itself irrelevant to Democratic strategy. Not a smart move. But then what do we expect from these deep South states.

No way to move them into the 20th century much less the 21st. They are still mired in the Civil War and the Reconstruction.

And I say that as one who lived in the South as a teenager. I know the culture pretty well.

In the 90s I asked a person from the state in which I lived when I was a teenager whether that state had finally changed. The answer: No.

It's not for Bernie to try to match the ignorance of Southerners. It's for Southerners to join the rest of America.

[AlbertCat]

49. No way to move them into the 20th century much less the 21st.

Thanks for the South bashing! It's always refreshing!

BTW SC is not the "Deep South". That would be more MS and AL and GA.

[JDPriestly]

116. I know that there are intelligent, enligtened human beings in the South.

But I am 72 and lived there in the 1950s. Integration was forced on Southerners as was the end of slavery. Their economies are relatively backward. They don't join unions. They don't even seem to believe that employees should share in the profits and benefits (generally) of the companies they work for. They often refused the Medicaid benefits as Sanders points out.

The South is backward.

And Southerners who aren't backward need to do everything they can to organize like-minded people and educate and raise the awareness and confidence of Southerners so that they can move into the 21st century.

Generally, Southern states vote Republican. They send only a few Democrats to Congress. That's backwards. Sorry if the truth hurts. But if you are a Southerner, that is, if the shoe fits, wear it.

The South needs to do better. Southern Democrats need to organize, organize, organize.

[AlbertCat]

118. The South needs to do better.

My state of NC voted for Obama in '08, y'know. And just barely missed it in '12, after the GOP spent tons of dough.

The South IS doing better.

The West and Mid-west, however....

[JDPriestly]

120. I'm on the West Coast. California. We had Repubican governors who borrowed instead

of raising missing money in taxes. We nearly went bankrupt until we elected a Democratic governor -- Jerry Brown. I don't agree with him on everything. Fracking is one thing I strongly disagree with him on. Managements of the land on our coasts is another. But he has returned us to fiscal sanity.

Liberal Southerners have to do a lot better.

Some of the Midwestern states are just terrible also. I agree. So are the Western states that are not on the coast in many instances.

Here are maps of the presidential election results state by state, across the nation.

http://www.270towin.com/historical-presidential-elections/

1964. A big year for Democrats. It followed the 1960 election of JFK and his assassination in 1968. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Look how the map gets redder after that.

Racism is wrong but it is the tool that Republicans used to gain their evil foothold across the country.

We have to return to the sanity of 1964. I hope it does not take tragedy to get us there.

[highprincipleswork]

33. I know. Nobody ever comes out to see him or hear him. The ones that do must be atheists.

[arcane1]

64. The Christian Right won't vote for ANY Dem.

Fuck them.

[farleftlib]

13. The Golden Rule

No, that's not the Goldman Sachs' credo.

It's what Bernie Sanders lives every day of his life, every minute of his campaign, every bill that comes before him for a vote.

[panader0]

29. The Goldman Rule--We know whose religion that is.....

[grossproffit]

58. Which religion would that be?

[JackRiddler]

140. Mainline Mammon, of course.

What in the world do you think you're going to hear? Oh boy!

[grossproffit]

149. I'd like their answer but thanks for playing.

[JackRiddler]

150. Hmm, I just noticed your screen name.

Gross profit is a pretty good name for the religion in question as well. It's shared equally by Deutsche Bank and Bank of China.

[hootinholler]

155. The "He who has the gold makes the rules" one. n/t

[valerief]

32. Ha, right. Bernie lives by the Golden Rule, not the Goldman Rule. nt

[choie]

135. That is beautiful!!!

n/t

[valerief]

137. Well, I just reworked what the previous poster wrote. :)

[Petrushka]

157. Perfect!

[GoneOffShore]

14. As an atheist I approve this message!

No pandering to the Talibornagains.

[Arugula Latte]

41. Indeed. What a breath of fresh air.

We need to break the nutty irrational religious stranglehold on this country.

[Helen Borg]

15. But think about why that question was asked, and how...

He was not asked informally about his spiritual views, as a way for people to know him better as a person. The question was specifically about "God", and not a generic "God", and it was asked in South Carolina. He handled it well though. As well as one could have handled it. But it's fucking clear that the moderators at these debates are totally pro-establishment.

[oberliner]

16. Click bait headline

Not all that astonishing a response.

[longship]

80. Do you mean other than his response?

Or do people actually oppose this sentiment?

And what kind of utter madness would that entail?

I would call that stretching things rather severely.

[angrychair]

18. As an atheist

I find his perspective refreshing and honest. I have always held the feeling that many candidates and office holders, have played the game, given religious beliefs the lip service required but no more believed in it than I do.

[Arugula Latte]

42. I think so too. I think some of them are too smart to really believe in evidence-less nonsense.

However, I'm sure plenty of dumbass Republicans really do think that the world was made in six days by Gawd and that Jesus is coming back to Earth any day now to suck believers up into the sky.

[angrychair]

51. Even with teapublicans

No one believes the tRump is a christian. Cruz? I have serious doubts. Carson? Nope. Rubio? Nope.
Its all about playing to their audience, getting elected. Getting their money.
Remember, as tRump said in his Nevada victory speech, "we love the uneducated".

[blm]

44. Same here - he totally spoke for my view - no lip service needed.

.

[Mr.Bill]

52. I think the same

about the Clergy. They know it's a scam. Most of them anyway. I have known a few former Catholic priests who have told me just that. It's just a career in sales. Not coincidentally, they themselves were having successful careers in sales since leaving the priesthood.

[MisterP]

19. right--is it about labels and electioneering, or is it about how we think and act in life?

[JDPriestly]

21. A soul brother. Praise the Lord. He has the same religion I have. Thanks, Bernie.

[LibDemAlways]

24. I love that response, and I love that

he referenced homeless vets. The plight of the homeless has long been ignored by politicians of both parties. I'm glad to see it's on Bernie's radar.

[Javaman]

26. "The truth is at some level when you hurt, when your children hurt, I hurt.

I hurt. And when my kids hurt, you hurt."


No man is an island. By John Dunne

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

[roguevalley]

59. love that poem, Javaman. Thank you.

[LittleGirl]

95. Thank you for that

it tolls for thee.

lovely

[Fantastic Anarchist]

101. I love that quote.

[TheFarS1de]

115. Truth .

[99th_Monkey]

35. Bernie's comments were incredibly moving to me, from the heart & soul

We. Are. In. This. Together.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

45. I guess that's the goal of the Clintons is to hit that magic first billion.

[Uncle Joe]

47. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, KamaAina.

[mainer]

53. I heard that. It was the perfect answer.

It tells me this is the President for me.

[Bad Dog]

60. Overtly religious people are some of the worst people in the World.

That's not to say there's not some godawful atheists out there, normally the ram it down your throat types, who have every bit as much religious fervour as evangelists.

Look at all the shit Godboy George W Bush kicked up, we're all going to be dealing with that for a generation at least.

If anyone feels the need to tell me their religion, they're not someone I want to spend any time with.

[KamaAina]

69. Yeah, that Martin Luther King sure was a douchenozzle.

[Bad Dog]

84. He was a civil rights campaigner, not an evangelist.

Do you really need to use the sarcasm gif? You think people are that daft?

[KamaAina]

91. But he was overtly religious.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

And yes, people at DU really can be that daft.

[Bad Dog]

96. By that logic so is the Reverand Richard Coles.

There's a difference between a church minister and an evangelist. King was not defined by his evangelism but by his civil rights work. You can pick holes in my definition as much as you want, but the point remains, those who think their religion/philosophy makes them superior to those who do not share that outlook are truly terrible people. King wasn't one of those.

[maddiemom]

94. Really?

I'm sure there must be a few, but in my seventy years, I've never met one. A few who will try to argue reason to religious nuts, sure. But "ram atheism down others' throats?" Not often.

[Bad Dog]

97. I was given a book by illusionist Derren Brown.

I was looking forward to reading it, but it contained nothing about his stage show and everything about why we should all be atheists. I felt ripped off. Maybe evangelical atheists aren't a problem where you are, but in the least religious country in the World they can be a real pain in the arse.

[maddiemom]

172. You live WHERE?

Sorry, I just assumed you were here in the U.S.

[Bad Dog]

175. I live in England.

The least religious country in the World. Unfortunately a lot of proselytizing atheists think non religious= atheist. It doesn't. The godsquad keep quiet, I wish they would too.

We have bloody organisations like this.

The Sunday Assembly was started by Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, two comedians who were on the way to a gig in Bath when they discovered they both wanted to do something that was like church but totally secular and inclusive of all—no matter what they believed.

https://www.sundayassembly.com/story

One of the best things about not being religious is not having to go to church. I can think of better ways to spend my Sundays than sitting with a bunch of smug middle class people singing "We Will Rock You," and other rock classics all churched up.

[maddiemom]

181. Oh, OK.

When you said "least religious country," I knew you couldn't mean the U.S.A. Around here average, non celebrity atheists and agnostics keep pretty quiet about it. I lean agnostic: I can't completely swallow atheism any more than "born again" Christianity. Mostly, if any open-minded person thinks too much about "why are we here/how did we get here?" it's just crazy-making.

[Bad Dog]

182. We don't realise we're so irreligious until we go abroad.

Like most people we just assume we're like everyone else. It's different enough on the continent, but America is something else entirely.

I was made to go to church as a kid, hated it, found it completely miserable and I still can't see the point in it. What sort of superior being would want his followers to spend an hour being bored to the back teeth every week?

[maddiemom]

110. Uh-Oh. I missed the sarcasm too.

[Ferd Berfel]

62. What he said...

[-none]

76. They are both Jews, with the same basic philosophy.

How can "They" worship one and defile the other?

[Ferd Berfel]

79. Being a Republican and being a christian are mutually exclusive

[eridani]

163. Sanders was evn a carpenter for awhile n/t

[-none]

169. Could it be...

Naa, that would be too much to hope for.

[Orrex]

70. That was a much better answer than that idiotic question deserved

[NurseJackie]

71. If that had been Hillary's answer, she'd have been accused of being evasive ...

... and stealing words from Lincoln.

It was a nice and well-constructed answer, but hardly "stunning". (Stunning? Really? )

Religion in politics turns me off. It's unnecessary. His quasi-atheism is about the ONLY thing about Bernie that I find appealing.

[Ned_Devine]

87. We were all wondering what you might find appealing about him

Thank goodness you let us know.

[choie]

138. Hillary doesn't have

the integrity to respond as Bernie did.

[NurseJackie]

160. ...

[sulphurdunn]

72. Home run!

[OxQQme]

74. Condensed version of his talk at Falwell U

in front of a very biased student body.

I'm a 75 year old male and have seen a share of prez's.
Bernie will be The Best for this country since FDR.

If the willy-waggers get their way and any other candidate ends up with 'the crown', we're doomed.

Doomed, I tell you..................think of what came to cause a 'Planet of the Apes' scenario for real ...doomed.
Probably not in our lifetime, but future generations need our concern NOW.

I propose a bumper sticker phrase-----"WE" not "ME"


If it's to be a woman, please let her show the softer feminine side, not the macho warrior.


#Thanks to Sheri Tepper's latest book for the term "willy-wagger".#

[bobthedrummer]

89. K&R n/t

[RoccoR5955]

93. As a devout follower and minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

I have to say to Bernie's statement:
Arrgh and R'amen!

May you all be touched by His noodly appendages.

[monicaangela]

98. A near PERFECT response!

Bernie Sanders is genuine, no phony baloney, nothing wishy washy, he understands what all those Evangelicals will never understand. That is why he gets my vote in March. Bernie Sanders !!!

[KamaAina]

99. He doesn't get my vote in March!

We don't vote until June.

[monicaangela]

104. Does he get your vote in June?

I truly hope so. I'm in Ohio, we vote March 15. I could vote for him now in early voting, but I enjoy going to the polls on the day of the vote...just in case there are a few undecided voters, love to converse with them.

[KamaAina]

107. Look to your left.

<---

[monicaangela]

113. Enough said!

[GoldenMean]

102. I had a dream

January 20th 2017
Standing with his hand over his heart
"I, Bernie Sanders, do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United Sates, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. In the name of all that is good and Holy, with the Spirit of life and love which dwells within and among and beyond us."

[KamaAina]

103. Nice eighth post!

Welcome to DU!

[PatrynXX]

111. I really don't much care what religion he is although because he's Jewish he's related more in the C

hristian string but not all Christians act like Christ . I could just point you to what just came out on blu ray as the best Jesus movie ever made and it was made nearly 40 yrs ago and Jesus is played by a JEWISH actor. Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazereth . Nothing to add here.

[liberal_at_heart]

112. This is what the Democratic Party used to be. Caring about everybody. Now there is too much

"I got mine" in the party and too much win at any cost too.

[840high]

142. Yep.

[NeoGreen]

114. Proud to be the 200th Rec (NT)

[LisaM]

119. It's a fine answer, but "breathtaking" and "stunning"?

IMO that's a bit over the top.

[Hoppy]

121. Bill Clinton's response to the people living in poverty was better. "We are gonna change the face of

welfare."

Translated: You got five years to get your shit together. After that, you're on your own.

[Raster]

132. Don't diss Bill.... he was the first black President

[rhett o rick]

122. Notice it was CNN, the Clinton News Network, a branch of the Clinton-Corp-Media. nm

[JackRiddler]

141. Yes and No.

Did Trump fart in the morning? CNN will report on it for 8 hours straight. They'll rotate a nuclear exchange or two for a couple of minutes, then go back to that. They're the Clinton News Network until the noms are sealed. From that moment they're all Trump's. He's one of theirs after all - a celebrity!

[rhett o rick]

144. I personally think the PTB prefer Clinton over the loose canon Trump. nm

[JackRiddler]

151. Sure, but PTB and CNN are not quite the same.

CNN is no longer the glorious voice of the State Department and CIA, you know. It's a struggling low-ratings 24/7 trash-gossip network that doesn't want to fuck with the PTB, but needs badly to sell some boner-pill commercials.

[SwampG8r]

154. Best analysis of the talking heads evah! Last.sentence says it all

[PatrickforO]

133. Best answer ever! The golden rule. If we JUST lived by that,

this world would stop being a shit hole for so many people and start being a good place to live.

[zentrum]

143. Bernie will be

….. a transformational President.

[shireen]

147. i'd love to see that converted into a caption with his photo

It would make a great quote to circulate on social media.

[catrose]

148. Both Hillel and Jesus commented on that passage from the Torah

It would be sacred to Islam also. And the concept, as Bernie says, is inherent in non-Book religions also. When I read his words, I thought of this poem, written as the author lay ill, close to death and heard church bells ringing:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
--John Donne

[cantbeserious]

152. Compelling Wisdom - Vs - Disheartening Cynicism - The Choice Is Clear

eom

[ChiciB1]

158. Just Adding My... WAY TO GO BERNIE! n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

161. This is why people trust Bernie.

Once you understand his core principles as expressed in the OP, all the other stuff - the policy priorities, the causes, the rhetoric, all of it - makes sense.

It's not an angle. It's not positioning. It's not triangulation. It's not polling group-tested. Once you understand where it's coming from, it all makes sense.

I don't care that elected officials deliver everything they promise; they're not interviewing for the job of mailman. I do care that they articulate a set of values and principles and TRY.

There are only two people in modern politics who I would describe this way; Bernie Sanders and Jimmy Carter.

[Enthusiast]

165. Kicked and recommended!

[bvf]

166. This needs a few thousand recs.

[Warren DeMontague]

168. K&R

[PonyUp]

170. Back to the top n/t

[Rider3]

171. He's such a good, decent man

[AmandaSara]

173. This is what being Spiritual is all about

Senator Sanders has managed to summon in a few words what the problem is and what the solution is. The Senator has my undivided attention. And my vote.

[asuhornets]

178. But at the end of the day...

that so-called breathtaking response will not get him into the Whitehouse.

[JEB]

179. I would guess that approx. 90% of "Christians"

are only trying to get in your wallet, your pants or just fuck with your head for fun.

[senz]

180. Bernie's lifelong compassion drove his lifelong fight for just, compassionate government.

The United States and, indeed, the world will be better off with President Bernie Sanders.

Now is the time for greatness and goodness.