Is Bernie Sanders an American Empire Denier?

[eridani]

Not hoping for an unusually enlightened foreign policy here myself, but I think he is still well worth backing.

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/32612-focus-is-bernie-sanders-an-american-empire-denier

Few on the left have savaged that record more harshly or unfairly than journalist Chris Hedges, an ordained Presbyterian minister, who damns Bernie as not a true socialist, democratic or otherwise.

“You cannot be a socialist and an imperialist. You cannot, as Bernie Sanders has done, support the Obama administration's wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen and be a socialist. You cannot, as Sanders has done, vote for every military appropriations bill, including every bill and resolution that empowers and sanctions Israel to carry out its slow-motion genocide of the Palestinian people, and be a socialist. And you cannot laud, as Sanders has done, military contractors because they bring jobs to your state.”

Setting himself up as a one-man vanguard to define socialism on behalf of the benighted and brainwashed masses, Hedges preaches with the certainty of those who have seen the light and know the way to secular salvation, whether in Athens, Barcelona, or Peoria. But he loses himself in a sectarian wilderness, offering no way to get from where we are to where we want to go.

Welcome to the old-time religion. In nearly every American election, purists like Hedges push the left into the same sterile debate. Should we fight within the Democratic Party, where we will likely be co-opted? Or should we create a third party, where we will likely be ineffective? Both are usually dead ends, convincing many of us to put the majority of our energy into organizing and direct action outside the electoral and Congressional arena, as we did in the civil rights, free speech, and anti-war movements of the 1960s.

But that was then, this is now. Thanks primarily to the energy and common-sense proposals of Bernie Sanders, millions of Americans have opened their minds to the possibility of a democratic and egalitarian control of the economy, which is not a bad working definition of socialism for the 21st century. We need to talk to, work with, and learn from these Americans, and most of them will vote in the Democratic primaries.

[tecelote]

1. Is it called socialism when our tax dollars...

...support a company's workers because they are not paid a living wage?

...support military contractors (trillions of dollars) for wars that only make terrorism worse creating more war?

...support bailing out Wall Street when they bet on our mortgages going bust?

...support tax breaks for corporations moving jobs overseas.

The list goes on.

Maybe it's time this socialism worked in favor of the people instead of our corporate overlords.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. Oh sure, let's spend like we're in the middle of WWII forever.....

We'll be able to Ooo and Ahhh over the next war toy.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, eridani.

[Recursion]

4. I mean, no; not by any realistic modern standard

He's as anti-imperialist as you can realistically get in the US political scene today.

The JSF stuff is a distraction too: the damn boondoggle is going to be built no matter what; there's nothing particularly odious about his wanting some of those jobs in his home state (and that is in fact his job).

[Cheese Sandwich]

5. I like and respect Chris Hedges but just disagree with him on this issue of Bernie Sanders.

Chris has seen too many brown babies blown up by US weapons that he refuses to support political parties who enable it.

He's got a good point. But we have to make strategic choices about who to support. Right now something big is happening in the Democratic primary. Bernie is inspiring a movement than could open the door for genuine socialists and anti-imperialists in American politics so we can't pass up this opportunity.

[eridani]

6. The US has been an imperial power ever since the invasion of the Phllippines

"Civilize 'em with a Krag." This has been bipartisan all the way, and it will be very difficult to change. The hope I have for a Sanders presidency is that he can cut some of the ridiculous spending so we can invest in solving problems here at home.

(Not discounting the Native American genocide, but around 1900, quite a few Americans thought that when we got "from sea to shining sea" it was time to quit. Didn't happen.)

[Live and Learn]

7. All empires fall. Bernie is simply trying to move us to a safer place so the fall doesn't

kill us all. I'd love to give Bernie a chance to prevent the total collapse. The Bernie revolution is much preferable to an actual one along with the destruction of the universe with climate change.

[TBF]

8. Bernie believes in a 2-state solution for Israel -

as I do (and so do others - but they tend to be on the very left of the Jewish spectrum). That gives me a lot of faith in how he will handle foreign policy. He is not a hard-core socialist/communist obviously. But he wouldn't be in the game if he were.

I'm sure he has voted "yes" on appropriations bills - he tends to vote with dems on such matters.

More detailed "on the issues":

http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Bernie_Sanders_War_+_Peace.htm

[merrily]

9. "In nearly every American election, purists like Hedges push the left into the same sterile debate."

Well said. If Bernie Sanders is not sufficiently leftist for you, I don't know what realistic option you think you can see in your lifetime.

[KoKo]

10. In a way this could be an advantage for Bernie....

We know he will be attacked as a "Socialist" in the coming primaries and the uninformed voter and RW Repubs will delight in bringing that up at every opportunity. Some Repub Operatives will use "Socialist" to infer Nazi or Communist

So, it may work to Bernie's advantage that he isn't "Left" enough for hard core Socialists. Obama has been tarred with the Socialist label and it hasn't stuck...so, pushing that same attack again might backfire.

I like and appreciate Chris Hedges views--although he can get a bit OTT in doom & gloom sometimes.

[merrily]

11. I'm not sure how many voters get into the weeds of what someone like Hedges is writing.

As Jay Leno demonstrated many times, quite a few passersby in Manhattan can't even name the current Vice President.


What I think does help:

They've worn out the term socialist by applying it to every Democrat. It no longer seems especially threatening.

The cold war has been over a long, long time. Most age groups today never heard of "creeping socialism."

In general, labels have become meaningless. People who hear Bernie are responding to his message. They don't care about the many labels media has been trying to stick on him.

Nice to see you.

[KoKo]

12. Here's an interesting article I just found:

You make a good point:

They've worn out the term socialist by applying it to every Democrat. It no longer seems especially threatening.

This is an interesting article about "Socialism, Bernie and the Pope" that I just read over at VOX after I posted. A good read, I thought...

Nice to see you, too!

There's a reason Bernie Sanders talks about Pope Francis so much
Updated by Jonathan Allen on September 28, 2015, 9:30 a.m. ET [e-mail]

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/28/9407493/bernie-sanders-pope-francis

[merrily]

13. Thank you.

[swilton]

14. Chris Hedges is leading the left to perform a circular firing squad

and I agree with Weissman that Hedges is narcissistic in putting himself on the pedestal that only he can anoint the Fuhrer...Socialism has become fuzzy not just because the Republicans have abused the term but also because globally political leaders from all political stripes have claimed to be socialists.

It's a turnoff that the Greens have engaged in Sanders bashing when they have much to gain by some of Sanders proposals (publicly funded elections).


I think having a spectrum of political views is helpful for discussion....and the far left of which Hedges seems to have anointed himself as spokesperson has a purpose in the discussion. The idea is for citizens to remain engaged after the general election - hopefully with that engagement Sanders foreign policies will move to the left.