6 Things You Need to Know About Bernie Sanders

[Hiraeth]

Sanders: I'm not running against Hillary Clinton, I'm running against the oligarchy
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 01:13 PM EST

With news that Senator Bernie Sanders will have a more formal unveiling of his presidential campaign this afternoon, it seems like a good time to get to know the self-proclaimed socialist from Vermont.

1. He is not running against Hillary Clinton

“I’m not running against Hillary Clinton,” he said. “She’s a candidate, I’m a candidate, and I suspect that there will be other candidates. The people in this country will make their choice.” His socialist platform is “one that resonates” with the American people, and he believes he can effectively appeal to them no matter who his opponent is, or how large her war chest is. But, as he’s said, he’s engaged in “a real struggle against the billionaire class.”

2. Yes, we did say “socialist”

Twice now, actually, because not only is Senator Sanders not afraid of the word, he openly embraces it. Earlier this month, he freely admitted that he wanted to make America “more Scandinavian” — by which he meant, a democratic country with a socialist backbone when it comes to healthcare, education, and retirement. “If you see the transfer of 99 percent of the wealth to the top one-tenth of the one percent,” he’s said, “you’ve got to transfer that back.”

3. President Sanders would overturn Citizens United

“The major issue of our time is whether the United States of America retains its democratic foundation or whether we devolve into an oligarchic form of society where a handful of billionaires are able to control our political process by spending hundreds of millions of dollars to elect candidates who represent their interests,” he said last September. The best way to do that, he said, is to overturn Citizens United, because “freedom of speech does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government.”

http://www.salon.com/2015/05/26/bernie_sanders_im_not_running_against_hillary_clinton_im_running_against_the_oligarchy/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[orpupilofnature57]

1. He isn't making it about her, and his Agenda is Clear .

[sabrina 1]

2. He is right to make this clear. He has to continually fend off the media memo readers who

can't seem to talk about issues, no matter how often he schools them on what a good journalist is supposed to do on behalf of the people.

[swilton]

3. Thank you for this thread - question

I have the six issues down pat - except for #3....How would he overturn C/U....?? Signing statement...executive order??? What does a President have the power to do?

[Hiraeth]

4. I think it will take a constitutional amendment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC

[cascadiance]

5. His using a bully pulpit to push this wouldn't hurt the effort to get it passed!