2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Bernie Sanders Accomplishment Challenge
There was a thread earlier today challenging DUers to name Bernie Sanders accomplishments. There were some good thoughts in the thread. While not having a candidate yet, since I have not done my research yet in this area, I thought I would give it a try.
A couple of themes popped up on topics I see argued here as I did the research. A couple thoughts on these memes:
The "he didn't author legislation" meme - Not a lot of legislators have dozens of bills that get passed. Bernie's legislative strategy has long been getting amendments in to others' legislation. Some of his successes I list here are amendments to other lawmakers' bills.
The "Obama screwed up" statements - Bernie was stifled when first elected as mayor of Burlington. He did his job well and in subsequent elections, got the stiflers voted out. I think this is what he is talking about when he refers to organizing the masses. I personally don't agree it works on the national level, but it doesn't seem as anti-Obama when considered in this context.
So here are 14 accomplishments I found in 1 day of research. Feel free to add or argue. My goal is to just share information with the class:
Drafted legislation to support and start repairing the Veterans Administration following the scandal that broke in Arizona.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-Bernie-Sanderss-accomplishments-as-a-political-figure-in-Vermont-and-on-a-national-level-as-a-US-Senator
As mayor of Burlington Vermont, stopped landlords who were using a loophole that allowed the landlords to convert the buildings into market rentals or luxury condos for 20 years.
Cleaned up Lake Champlain waterfront
Not in the article, but Sanders first won control of the waterfront in a lawsuit. It was previously controlled by railroad interests.
Instrumental in successfully developing Burlington, Vermont
He did have some projects defeated by environmental advocacy groups, but I dont think it diminishes the accomplishment.
http://www.thenation.com/article/bernies-burlington-city-sustainable-future/
Founded, along with a few others, the Congressional Progressive Caucus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Progressive_Caucus
Created one of the first community land trusts in the country, which has since become an important tool for cities to maintain affordable housing
An opposition group, Homeowners Against the Land Trust, or HALT, labeled it a communist scheme. But the plan went through. In 1984, the Burlington Community Land Trust became one of the first affordable housing trusts in the world, and the very first to receive municipal funding. Today, there are over 250 such trusts in the United States in places like Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Boston and Chapel Hill, North Carolina most of which receive some form of government funding.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/how-bernie-sanderss-radical-ideas-entered-the-municipal-mainstream-118447
Secured $11 billion for community health clinics in the ACA
https://theintercept.com/2015/07/06/gop-senators-support-sanders-obamacare-expansion/
Is an effective legislator
Sanders is the amendment king of the current House of Representative. Since the Republicans took over Congress in 1995, no other lawmaker not Tom DeLay, not Nancy Pelosi has passed more roll-call amendments (amendments that actually went to a vote on the floor) than Bernie Sanders. He accomplishes this on the one hand by being relentlessly active, and on the other by using his status as an Independent to form left-right coalitions.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-horror-show-that-is-congress-20050825
"Negotiating with Bernie was not a usual experience, because he is very passionate and he and I are both very strong-willed people and we spend a lot of time banging our fists on the table and having the occasional four-letter word," McCain said. "But at the end of the day, Bernie was result-oriented."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/04/bernie-sanders-2016_n_7514328.html
Helped Jesse Jackson win the 1988 Vermont caucuses
http://www.pdafund.com/downloads/background-and-issues/5-25-things-you-may-not-know-about-bernie-sanders/file
First member of Congress to help constituents buy drugs cheaper in Canada
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/04/news/mn-60970
Successfully Amended the Patriot Act to prohibit FBI from examining library and bookstore records without a warrant
The debate and the vote came the next afternoon. It wasn't close. Fifteen Republicans? How about 38, along with 199 Democrats (one voted the other way) and Sanders. The vote was 238 to 187 in favor of the Sanders amendment
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050703/NEWS/507030306/1029/FEATURES03
Has had an lengthy Congressional career getting re-elected without falling into the common trap of having to spend most of his time fund raising
Polls had Sanders leading by wide margins even in areas where Democrats run poorly. Why? Because the senator does not waste money on TV commercials designed to scare or fool voters into backing him. Rather, he goes where voters live. Personal Democracy Media co-founder and editorial director Micah Sifry, who has followed Sanders and Vermont politics for years, recalls: Visiting hunting lodges to talk about protecting natural resources for hunting and fishing and establishing a connection with [hunters] was one of the ways that Sanders managed to earn the trust of the predominantly conservative and working-class Northeast Kingdom section of Vermont, which regularly gives Sanders, a self-declared socialist, its hearty support.
http://www.nationofchange.org/how-does-bernie-sanders-do-it-1351864096
Bringing Smartgrid technology to Vermont
Over the next three years, the center will have up to $15 million to accelerate energy efficiency, move toward renewable and localized sources of energy, and make Vermont the first state to have near-universal smart meter installations, Sanders announced. Sandia will invest $3 million a year, Shumlin added, along with $1 million each from the Department of Energy and state coffers.
Vermonts reputation for energy innovation recently attracted $69.8 million in US Department of Energy funding to promote rapid statewide conversion to smart grid technology. This has been matched, said Sanders, by another $69 million from Vermont utilities.
http://vtdigger.org/2011/12/12/sandia-center-at-uvm-will-accelerate-smart-grid-transition/
Co-authored the National Housing Trust Fund Bill which has permanent federal funding to assist extremely low income people get housing.
Congressional Record House Vol 153, Part 19, Page 26972
The primary purposes of the NHTF is to increase and preserve the supply of rental housing for extremely low income (ELI) households (earning less than 30% of area median income (AMI)).
http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/NHTF_KeyDifferences_2015.pdf
Passed Audit the Fed Legislation with Ron Paul
Paul was unhappy with some of Sanders changes in the final bill, but in reading what they were in the article, it remains a legitimate accomplishment.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704594804575648683678596728
Well, that's what I found in a day. Add others if you know them, I'm sure there are 20.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)leftofcool
(19,460 posts)It is too bad that Bernie's supporters can not also recognize the accomplishments of Hillary Clinton without snarky comments.
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)I just think Bernie is what the country needs right now.
kenfrequed
(7,865 posts)That there are a select few of the Hillary supporters on this site that continue to run the meme that he either cannot accomplish anything or has not accomplished anything. This post is a counter to that.
Response to leftofcool (Reply #2)
Name removed Message auto-removed
GitRDun
(1,846 posts)My OP was meant to show positive accomplishments of Bernie Sanders.
Please don't pollute it by swearing at others.
senz
(11,945 posts)Not to worry...
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Response to leftofcool (Reply #2)
Name removed Message auto-removed
delrem
(9,688 posts)Hillary Clinton's accomplishments in the world of US foreign policy are Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and she's a total hawk, hiring Dick Cheney's principal aide for her own when she continued the PNAC policy.
And that's just the beginning of Hillary Clinton's accomplishments, that some of us look askance at.
restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)no qualifiers. a long and comprehensive career of public service.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)We need a lot to counter Hillary doing a lot of foreign good for women and children. This is a respectable start for Bernie.
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)bvf
(6,604 posts)PatrickforO
(14,602 posts)This is just one day's research on an illustrious 40 year career. A career of accomplishment. A career of caring about the people instead of his own reelection.
Sanders is a good guy and a great candidate.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
senz
(11,945 posts)Too sleepy to add anything now...
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)are. A supporter or a candidate, especially supporters of the decent candidates we have on our side, would not post comments that would reflect poorly on their candidate and certainly would not use the language of the GOP to make their points.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)If DU was around in 1988, I wonder where the membership would stand on the primary candidates.
Would Jesse Jackson be the popular choice? Or Al Gore? Dukakis?
delrem
(9,688 posts)I can imagine that a lot of DUers would've been inspired by him.
But past-lives fiction is like future-lives fiction, in that it's fiction.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)because of his platform, which was VERY similar to Bernie Sanders' today. He was focused on Economic Equality understanding that poverty makes one powerless. He also wasn't focused on appealing to a narrow demographic of just Dems.
I read recently an excellent article on his run in 1988 and which he HAD won that election. Bernie was super impressed with his platform the reason why he worked so hard to support him.
And managed to help him win Vt, a major accomplishment for both of them.
Bernie met with Jackson recently, was a special guest on his radio show a few weeks ago and I'm sure they discussed many of the things they both supported then and still support now.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)in_cog_ni_to
(41,600 posts)Thank you for posting this. It's great having many of Bernie's accomplishments in one thread!
nenagh
(1,925 posts)Bookmarked ..
merrily
(45,251 posts)Last edited Sat Sep 19, 2015, 07:42 AM - Edit history (3)
That says a lot about his popularity among his colleagues, including colleagues of color, many of whom were in that caucus.
It was called the House Progressive Caucus then. The new name reflects the fact that Sanders remained in the Caucus after he was elected Senator (and, to this day, is the only Senator ever to have been a member of the HPC or CPC).
The Senate has no progressive or liberal caucus. It did have a New Democrat Caucus, to which Democratic Senators such as Kerry and Clinton belonged, but nothing leftist.
More about the caucuses at http://www.democraticunderground.com/12778196
His negotiation of a veteran's bill with Senator McCain was so successful that it became a case study at the Brookings Institute about how to work across the aisle.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/128027637
He did get quite a few bills and amendments that he wrote passed, despite (partly because of?) his Indie status while in Congress.
Lifelong proponent and worker for equal rights, including, of course, while in Congress http://www.democraticunderground.com/12809672 (race); http://www.democraticunderground.com/128033139 (LGBT)
Many videos have been posted of his speeches in the House and Senate about equal rights.
His overall record in Congress on all issues is partly reflected in his ratings. All the organizations that Democrats probably favor rate him over 90%, some 100%, and the NRA has given him D_ to F ratings, despite all the bloviating seeking to portray him as the CEO of the NRA.
Mayoralty:
He totally transformed Burlington, physically, culturally, politically, financially. And made it a sanctuary city. Among many other things, the waterfront park where he made his formal announcement that he was running for the Presidency was his doing.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026768671 (over all)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/128049118 (Burlington prospered)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026772510 (housing development, now resident owned)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/128032022 (international politics)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026708500 (environmental)
He even brought in speakers, like Noam Chomsky. http://www.democraticunderground.com/128047498
And on and on. A good one to tell us more about his time as Mayor might be karynnj. Although she moved to Vermont well after Sanders went to D.C., she seems to know about his stint as Mayor.
Last, but far from least, he is the only politician talking about wealth inequality and politicians talking about income inequality are pretty much following in his footsteps (sorry, beloved fellow Warren fans). So, to a great degree, was Occupy Wall Street, which began to change the national conversation about this issue. And, as a Presidential candidate, he's been cutting through all the bs memes with which Americans have been inculcated for forever and getting Americans excited, engaged and inspired again.
Of course, there are many more specific accomplishments. The above is just off the top of my head before my very necessary second cup of coffee. I've been meaning to attempt a comprehensive list myself, but haven't gotten there yet. I'll bookmark this thread to use as initial research for when I get ambitious enough, though.
This post by Playinghardball, which is pinned in the Bernie Sanders Group, lists many good things. http://www.democraticunderground.com/128017789
Frankly, anyone actually interested can search DU, esp. the Bernie Group -- so many threads on his positive accomplishments as Mayor, Representative and Senator--and maybe take a look at the history given at berniesanders. com (His campaign website contains a much more humble and terse list than some of the articles posted at DU).
Thanks again for asking and for your OP.
That is a HUGE accomplishment.
merrily
(45,251 posts)volumes, including about the one who claimed he couldn't remember his name now, so he had to refer to him as "the socialist."
I hope with all my heart he'll soon have to refer to him as Mr. President when he can't remember his name.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)than having some of the greatest freshwater fishing in North America in front of your eyes but no local boat launch facilities.
One of my favorite lakes in Michigan has the most horrible, primitive launch ramp and nearly the entire shoreline is privately owned. Well, you can't even call it a boat ramp.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)is already going, calling or contributing to the only Qualified person who WANTS to help our country, and unlike all the rest his fellow candidates his record shines, not for deals, industry and wealth, but for people, GO BERNIE!!!
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)reason why I support him, are War accomplishments. Promoting and supporting invasions of ME and African nations.
When talk about Hillary's accomplishments that is mostly what they are referring to.
Bernie Sanders has one of the best records in Congress for working for and accomplishing things for the PEOPLE who elected him.
He would make a remarkable president.
SonderWoman
(1,169 posts)Most of those aren't accomplishments, its called doing your job.
restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)i believe this exempifies it beautifully.
yodermon
(6,143 posts)k then.
GitRDun
(1,846 posts)Doing your job is being a decent mayor. Here's a few quotes from an article about BS time as mayor:
CEDO, Sanderss development agency, helped arrange the purchase of the area and provided the capital for irrigation systems, farm vehicles, and washing stations for vegetables. By the end of the 1990s, it was home to a dozen urban farms, annually producing over 500,000 pounds of food for local homes and stores. Today it generates over 10 percent of the food sold in Burlington.
The first key move was support for the Burlington Community Land Trust with an initial $200,000 grant. Now named the Champlain Housing Trust, the nonprofit has over $290 million in assets; manages a portfolio of 2,800 price-controlled houses, condos, co-ops, and rentals; and owns over 120,000 square feet of commercial space and nonprofit facilities.
The coalition that coalesced around Sanders in 1981 governed Burlington for all but two of the next 31 years.
Burlingtonians give Sanders credit for steering the city in a new direction that, despite early skepticism, proved to be broadly popular with voters.
http://www.thenation.com/article/bernies-burlington-city-sustainable-future/
Burlington won most livable city near the end of Sanders tenure. He wasn't just "doing his job as you say". He took an ordinary city with a disgusting waterfront and steered it into being one of the best places to live in the country. In the process he created tools like land trusts that have become main stream for major cities to use in the fight for affordable housing. Of all his accomplishments, it's my opinion that what Bernie did as mayor is a blue print for what he'll try to do as President.
I don't post this as a committed Sanders voter. These are facts that can be read in multiple places. I'll do another search in the next week or so for HRC. I'm sure her accomplishments are impressive as well.
Pope Sweet Jesus
(62 posts)in her years as a Senator?
That is her only legislative job that she had, and she had it for 8 years.
And then she used it as a launching point for her failed 2008 campaign and soon-to-be-failed 2016 campaign.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)When Hillary was serving as Senator, she:
*Led the charge against Flag Burners.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Protection_Act_of_2005
*She spearheaded the attack on Cartoon Violence in Video Games
while supporting the actual grisly murders of approximately 1 Million REAL LIFE innocent Iraqis.
*Helped Bush keep America safe by voting FOR and supporting The Patriot Act
(Bernie has continually voted NO on the Patriot Act)