Bernie supporters - name 1 policy reason you are supporting Bernie other than his "revolution".

[jillan]

I am curious about actual policies only.

We know that Bernie has been consistent over his entire political career. We know that he is truly an independent because he will stand up to his own party when he thinks they are wrong. I am asking about an actual policy that makes you choose Bernie over Hillary.

Going to ask the same question to Hillary supporters. This is about Bernie only. Not about Hillary.

[Xipe Totec]

1. Energy, Environment, Education, TPP, Citizens United. nt

[valerief]

51. All those and healthcare, too! nt

[Xipe Totec]

62. Yea! It's almost as if he put together a platform! nt

[virtualobserver]

2. many reasons, but he is the only politician who isn't merely pretending to care about climate change

[berni_mccoy]

3. Universal Healthcare, Universal Access to College Education, Livable Wage, Pro-American Trade Policy

Shall I continue?

[VulgarPoet]

4. Foreign policy, free trade, and education.

[John Poet]

5. Bernie will only use the military as a very last resort,

and doesn't support this neocon "regime change" bullshit.

[mikehiggins]

6. Opposition to "boots on the ground" with American feet in them. n/t

[Orsino]

7. All of the above.

His concerns mostly mirror mine, more so than any candidates' since Kucinich.

[UglyGreed]

8. Making College

affordable or possibly free for my children. My daughter is very smart and I fear she will not be able to reach her full potential.

[abelenkpe]

49. Ditto

I have two kids, both bright hard working students. I don't want them to have to go deep into debt like their parents. It took more than a decade to pay off our loans and since then college education expenses have practically doubled. Despite having two good paying jobs we will never own a home, never retire. I want a better world for my kids. One where one family member getting a serious illness doesn't lead to bankruptcy. One where we actively work to improve our infrastructure and protect the environment. Where excelling in high school and being accepted into an institution of higher learning isn't rewarded with close to twenty years of debilitating debt. Fact is Bernie's proposals would save my family a lot of money each year and give us hope that our children could have a better life. Anyone making less than 500,000 a year voting against Bernie is voting against their own best interests. But Americans excel at voting against their own best interests so I don't have much hope that much will change.

[UglyGreed]

71. I agree with everything

you wrote. I myself would benefit from a single payer system since I have been disabled for over twenty years now, even with insurance I can not access the help I need. I wish you and your family all the best and thank you for your reply.

[seaotter]

9. Bernie is not under threat of indictment.

Hillary should withdraw for the good of the nation.

[Buzz Clik]

10. Name five bills in the US Senate for which Bernie was the primary author and sponsor.

[Tommy2Tone]

53. You won't get an answer

Bernie is going to fix everything and yet while in congress he pretty much did nothing but want to primary Obama in 2012.

[monicaangela]

80. Okay

What is your reason for asking this question? Do you know how most legislation in congress gets written?
Who actually writes the bills that the members of congress sponsor and vote for?

This is no simple question and the answer involves many different sorts of people.

If you want to know who actually puts pen to paper, it’s nonpartisan staff lawyers who work for Congress who know the existing law they are affecting inside out. They do that under the direction of office staff for Members of Congress and congressional committees, who vet the bill with outside experts and advocates. Sometimes those advocates (i.e. lobbyists) propose changes in the form of legislative language. But did they write the bill? Probably not.

Not very many representatives in congress actually sit down alone and write legislation. So it would probably be impossible to name 5 bills that any congressperson can be considered the primary author.

[monmouth4]

11. Bernie doesn't lie or manipulate...n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. He is squeaky clean, a straight shooter, no baggage.

[monicaangela]

13. Here's my list Jillan

Rebuild America Act: Sen. Sanders has proposed a $1 trillion plan to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and put 13 million Americans to work. Paid for by making corporations pay taxes on all of the “profits” they have shifted to the Cayman Islands and other offshore tax havens, which the Congressional Research Services estimates may currently create losses that approach $100 billion annually, and other loopholes.

College for All: Sen. Sanders has proposed making public colleges and universities tuition-free and substantially reducing student debt, in a plan that would cost about $75 billion a year. Paid for by imposing a tax on Wall Street speculators that would generate about $300 billion in revenue.

Expand and Extend Social Security: Sen. Sanders has proposed expanding Social Security and extending the solvency of this program until 2065. Paid for by lifting the cap on taxable income above $250,000 so that the wealthy pay the same percentage of their income into Social Security as working people.

Youth Jobs Program: Sen. Sanders has proposed a $5.5 billion youth jobs program to create 1 million jobs for disadvantaged young Americans. Paid for by ending the carried interest loophole that allows billionaire hedge fund managers to pay a lower tax rate than nurses and truck drivers.

Paid Family and Medical Leave: Sen. Sanders has proposed at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to all workers. Paid for by a payroll tax that would total $1.61 a week for the typical American worker. According to Sen. Gillibrand’s office, this would be “a self-sufficient program that would not add to the federal budget.”

Protect Pensions: Sen. Sanders has introduced a plan to prevent cuts to the pensions of over 1.5 million Americans. Paid for by closing two tax loopholes that allow the wealthy to avoid taxes on money they inherit and expensive artwork they collect.

Renewable Energy and Clean Jobs Transition: Sen. Sanders has a plan to invest in clean, sustainable energy sources powered by the sun, wind and Earth’s heat. He also has a plan to provide comprehensive benefits to workers as they transition to making the solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries of tomorrow. Paid for by stopping taxpayer-funded giveaways to oil, gas and coal companies.
Sen. Sanders has introduced a plan to expand health care coverage to every American. Paid for by a 6.2 percent income-based health care premium paid by employers, a 2.2 percent income-based premium paid by households, progressive income tax rates, taxing capital gains and dividends the same as income from work, limiting tax deductions for the rich, adjusting the estate tax, and savings from health tax expenditures.

[Bettie]

74. All of this

Heck, without Sanders we wouldn't even be HAVING a conversation about any of this.

[monicaangela]

75. Bingo Bettie!

You are absolutely correct. Bernie is my choice for President!

[Bettie]

81. And that is why he needs to stay in the race, even if he doesn't win all the things tonight

because without him, the conversation will come to a screeching halt.

We need to talk about what we'd all like our country to be, because it isn't just Clinton's country, it is ours too and we have a right to say what we'd like our future to be rather than be told what we're allowed to hope for.

[Qutzupalotl]

14. The Wall Street transaction tax.

High-frequency trading is a HUGE impediment for the small investor. Large financial institutions get preferential treatment on stock pricing at the expense of everyone else.

Taxing each transaction will incentivize these firms to slow down and deal more honestly. Nobody needs to make 10,000 transactions a second on the same stock.

Raising money to send middle-class and poor kids to public colleges is just icing on the cake.

[Arazi]

15. Getting out of the ME quagmire, UHC, free tuition program

reducing the prison population and tackling mass incarceration/private prisons to name just a few

[immoderate]

16. College, wages, elections, the environment. Did I mention the environment?

--imm

[jillan]

17. My top 2 are fighting against Monsanto & fighting against fracking.

Tons of other reasons but these are my top 2.

[knixphan]

18. Single Payer

For-profit health insurance is immoral and inefficient. Medicare-for-all is my policy reason.

[jillan]

20. Knix - are you in Phoenix? Neighbor?

[yellerpup]

19. Environment, first.

Citizen's United, Medicare for All, and all his other intiatives.

[Armstead]

21. The Big Policy -- Challenging the Oligarchy of Wealth and Power

As for specifics, pick any one you choose:

Becoming more aggressive about regulating the financial system, and reducing the size of the Big Banks and Investment Houses.

Bringing back some measure of progressive taxation, and stopping the financial hemorrhage caused by Corporate and Elite tax evaders.

Single payer universal healthcare.

Stop giving away the store through neo-liberal "free-trade

Campaign Finance Reform

Public college accessible to everyone.

Criminal justice reform.

Infrastructre improvement/job creation

[Nanjeanne]

22. Money out of politics, education,jobs, unions, taxes,

Trade, peace, justice reform, protecting SS, Medicare 4 all, Im sure I'm forgetting something

[sarge43]

23. His pledge to eliminate the corrupting influence of money in our political system. n/t

[BuelahWitch]

24. He'll protect Social Security

and not make "Grand Bargains" with the Republicans.

[Snotcicles]

25. Publicly funded campaigns would make things, easier, cheaper and would render better candidates. nt

[TIME TO PANIC]

26. He will fight for $15, universal health care, end for profit prisons, free public college for all

decriminalization of marijuana.

[revbones]

27. Bring back Glass Steagall n/t

[thereismore]

28. War. College. Health care. Public campaign financing. Prisons. Marijuana. Police. Infrastructure.

The list goes on.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

29. Climate change and the sixth global mass-extinction event is happening now

Sanders will not let this issue be ignored.

[WDIM]

30. Audit the Fed and his economic and tax policies.

Also healthcare as a right for all without making CEOs at insurance companies billionaires.

[elljay]

31. TPP

Bernie has consistently been opposed to the TPP and other trade agreements.
Hillary said:

This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/oct/13/hillary-clinton/what-hillary-clinton-really-said-about-tpp-and-gol/

She then lied and said that she had stated that she "hoped it would be the gold standard".

Then, she "absorbed new information" and changed her mind about the TPP.

I am absolutely positive that as President she will make some very small cosmetic changes to the TPP, declare that she has fixed the problems and will try to push it through.

[Shandris]

76. This right here.

TPP is an election-deciding issue imo. No democrat who supports it will ever get a vote from me.

[Faux pas]

32. To answer your question

this is what I posted yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1280130037

[jg10003]

33. Single payer healthcare & wall street regulation

[whatchamacallit]

34. The unstated policy of eliminating rich blood sucking vampires from government

Starting with the Clintons.

[tk2kewl]

35. Opposition to trade deals that are killing democracy while empowering corprotocracy

[jeff47]

36. Do I have to pick one?

Off the top of my head:
-Greatest threat is climate change

-Reform public university tuition

-Cut back on the war on drugs/bring the police to heel (would actually prefer he go further on the first part)

-Stop creating failed states all over the world

-Health care not health insurance

-Get the Democratic party to stop shitting on the base and then blackmailing the base into keeping the party in power.

-Tax policies

-Stop pushing "free trade" deals that aren't about trade.

-Sane policies on immigration (ie. H1B visas)

[datguy_6]

37. $15 miminum wage...it will do more for minorities than anything else

[aspirant]

38. Expand Social Security

the beginning of a guaranteed annual income for all

[TheSocialDem]

39. He will break up big banks

allowing one bank, if it went under, to be in the position of jeopardizing the entire world economy is ridiculous.

We know Hillary doesn't think they need to be broken up, this is absolutely wrong.

[demwing]

40. Extending public education through college, single payer, and CF reform /nt

[pengu]

41. Climate change, single payer, free public college, money out of politics, racial justice

I could go on... and on...

[bkkyosemite]

42. Social Security (cap and expand), Infrastruture jobs, Wage increase ($15), Energy, prison

privatization a no, women equal pay, women own their own bodies, agree with rigged system, agree with voting out greedy politicians, no more vote suppression, healthcare is a right, corporations and Wall Street pay their fair share of taxes, gun loopholes, increased background checks, helping mentally ill immediately not when it's too late, getting rid of lobbyists writing our laws, not allow banks to control breaking them up, police who break the law go to jail. Wall Street and corporations who break the law go to jail........can continue to type but I have to go check on kid.

[lmbradford]

43. So many

Wars, money, education, criminal justice, jobs, common sense and common decency.

[TheFarseer]

44. Opposes TPP and Citizens United

Hillary only opposes TPP during democratic primaries.

[retrowire]

45. I am highly in favor of him regulating Wall St and ending disastrous trade deals.

NO MORE LAYOFFS is essentially my motto.

It is also the biggest problem that has affected my life as a young married man. How the hell am I supposed to establish myself and have a long term career if I keep getting laid off every 2 years? HOW?

[RiverLover]

83. +1 We need to put Americans back to work at decent wages. Downsizing our jobs to increase CEO pay

& stock prices while not paying taxes, all of that, we have come to passively accept. Its wrong & it needs to stop.

I hope you find a good, stable, dependable employer soon, retrowire!

[Mufaddal]

47. Only one?

Healthcare as a right
Higher education as a right
Police & criminal justice reform
An end to a foreign policy built on regime change
New Glass-Steagall
Fighting Citizens United
Actually fighting for $15
Stronger environmental protections
He will fight to scrap neoliberal Clintonian trade policies

There are more, but that's a pretty good start.

[lumberjack_jeff]

48. "revolution" isn't a policy; but you know that.

1) war is a last resort - not a tactic.
2) the economy is supposed to serve the needs of a country's citizens.
3) we're all in this together
4) social security is the single most effective federal government program ever. It should be strengthened and expanded.
5) young people are being exploited by lenders and colleges. Reasonable people can disagree that free college is the solution to that problem
6) Because government doesn't control its currency, banks control the government.
7) economic inequality is, in my view, the root cause of most if not all of our other problems including bigotry and the environment.
8) government is "we the people". Bernie is the only one who really believes this. To all the other candidates, we're only tools to be manipulated and wielded.
9) its about time the words "liberal" and "socialist" are rehabilitated.
10) health care will never be reformed so long as guaranteeing huge private profit is a major element in the calculus of public health.

[disillusioned73]

50. Where to begin...

campaign finance reform -aka repeal citizens united
single payer
end the M.I.C. (military ind. complex) - or at least attempt to begin to end it
a sane trade policy - TPP etc.

and just overall "make Amurica great again".. oh wait, that's someone else's line - ahhh screw it, Bernie can run with that one as well

Go Bernie!!

[Land Shark]

52. LOL, over fifty replies in the first ten minutes of this "challenge" nt

[jillan]

57. Very few responses in the other thread.

Not saying a word.

[TBF]

54. Climate Change, Income Inequality, Universal Healthcare, Affordable College. nt

[Svafa]

55. I can't pick just one!

Campaign finance reform, breaking up the banks, increasing corporate taxes/closing tax loopholes, climate change/environment, paid family leave, criminal justice reform, drug policy reform, opposition to devastating trade policies...it goes on and on.

[rurallib]

56. I expect him to actually fight for all the above mentioned policies

not just give them lip service during the primaries and campaign.

Single payer, Social Security, youth employment, breaking up the too big to fail banks, climate change among my top.

[azurnoir]

58. Universal Health care, education costs, wages, protecting Social Security, TPP, Glass Steagall

[thesquanderer]

59. Only one? Have to list at least three...

Move toward single payer. (ACA was step in right direction, but forces many people to buy policies that they generally can't afford to use.)

Against patriot act.

Less aggressive/interventionist in foreign policy.

Those are ones that I feel personally invested in, where he differs from Hillary.

Honesty/integrity counts, too.

[PaulaFarrell]

60. Climate change n/t

[Old Codger]

61. One?

where have you been he is not "one" issue candidate unless you wish to call the people and the united states "one" issue..

[jillan]

64. Lol - that was a funny response!

I'm trying to do an experiment between Hillary supporters and Bernie supporters.... but they are not responding.

[Old Codger]

66. they not responding

Is not a real surprise is it? Might have a hard time figuring out if there really is anything there.

[Kip Humphrey]

63. off the top of my head (more than one):

in random order,
1. electability
2. breaking up the too-big-to-fail banks
3. universal single payer health-care
4. expanding health-care to include all parts of the body (including eye care, dental, and psychological care)
5. ending the private prison industrial complex
6. avoiding future wars in the Middle East or Africa
7. expanding free education from 12 to 16 grades
8. overturning citizens united & getting big money out of politics
9. protecting & expanding Social Security
10. attending to climate change with all of the priority it deserves
11. demilitarizing police
12. cleaning up a corrupt criminal justice system

BTW, among other means, the revolution is a means to achieve the above. It is not a policy.

Enjoy the day!

[NEOhiodemocrat]

65. Climate change. nt

[LostOne4Ever]

67. Only one? Naw, I will name 10 instead

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]

1. First and foremost, his long and consistent records on LGBTQ issues. I know that he will continue to support and protect LGBTQ rights and won't throw those issues under the bus the moment an unpopular LGBTQ issue (most likely trans rights) comes up.


2. His Iraq war vote and confidence that he won't use military force as anything other than a last option.


3. His vote against the Patriot act and confidence he won't curtail our privacy rights


4. His not being backed by superpacs. I feel that money from special interests and lobbyists are destroying our country and prevent progress on ANYTHING. Only be supporting candidates who divorce themselves from these interest can we even begin to fix things.


5. His support for single payer universal healthcare


6. His support for a $15 minimum wage


7. His support for taking marijuana off the controlled substance list


8. His opposition to the Death Penalty


9. His holding wall street accountable and wanting to increase regulation and taxation on corporations


10. Finally, his supporting for tuition free colleges and universities

I also think he is more electable than Clinton and more likely to beat any of the GOP candidates running. But that not really one of the reasons I am voted for him[/font]

[LisaM]

68. Stand up to his own party? Just curious....

which party would that be?

[Major Hogwash]

69. Breaking up the banks. Campaign finance reform. That's 2!!

What happened in 2007 should never have happened.

Hillary never talks about banking reform or campaign finance reform.

[think]

70. Civil Rights, A living Wage, Family Leave, Single Payer, Environment, corruption, foreign policy

& debt free education

Sanders has signed on to the majority of what the Black Lives Matter movement is promoting to help get racial justice in our law enforcement.

https://berniesanders.com/issues/racial-justice/

http://www.joincampaignzero.org/#vision



Bernie has a long record of standing with the LGBT community and he would work to make sure their rights are protected.

He's been strong on women's rights and an outspoken advocate for wage equality.

Bernie Sanders is combating the worst wealth inequality since the great depression. He supports a $15 minimum wage by 2020.

America currently offers no guaranteed family leave for employees like many other major countries offer.

America is one of the few major countries that doesn't have universal healthcare coverage making sure the sick are taken care. Medicare for all is a sound and reasonable plan to help America join the rest of the modern world in protecting it's citizens.

Bernie is against fracking, the Keystone pipeline, and beleives climate change is the greatest threat facing man kind.

The game is rigged! Everyone knows it. The Wall Street banks has had it's way with the American government for many years. the banks help write the laws that govern them and routinely break the laws that exist. Some big banks rigged markets, bilked their clients, and committed felonies. Bernie has plans to break up these too big to fail banks and actually do something about their criminal behavior. You won't see someone connected to Wall Street appointed to top positions in a Sanders administration.

Bernie has always been about diplomacy before warfare and his record consistently shows this. From his no vote on the IRaq war to his strong support for President Obama's Iran deal Bernie is for peace. He'd work to reduce out bloated military budget
which is a huge drag on the American govt's ability to provide better for it's citizens.

College costs have been soaring for years. Students are straddled with debts and pay exorbitant interest rates. Debt free college is an investment in the future of America by making sure people can get an education in this competitive economy.

There are plenty of reasons to support Bernie Sanders. He's also a person of great integrity that's trust worthy, honest, and sincere.

[WillyT]

72. Climate Change.... Citizens United... Breaking Up The Big Banks...

[Mike__M]

73. Tribal sovereignty

I'll just name the one.
It's a no-brainer, and I'm sure Secretary Clinton is "for" it as well; but if it came down to deciding between tribal sovereignty versus big-business greed, I have much more trust in Bernie to make the right choice.

[TDale313]

77. Money out of politics.

Cause nothing else gets fixed till we actively address this.

[corbettkroehler]

78. Medicare For All, 50-State Strategy n/t

[Eric J in MN]

79. Sanders wants to ban fracking; Clinton doesn't. NT

NT

[Arugula Latte]

82. This is a little broader, but he is a booster for traditional Democratic Party policies and ideals

unlike Ms. Wall St./Republican Lite.