Reich on Sanders: "He was an effective legislator - in fact, one of the most effective legislators"

[floppyboo]

'What do you say in response to Barney Frank saying that Bernie Sanders was ineffective in congress?' Well, actually, I was there! I mean, I was Secretary of Labor through some of those years. I saw how effective Bernie actually was. He was tenacious. He kept getting changes, amendments, and very large pieces of legislation ... his name was often not on those pieces of legislation. He did not have a, and does not have, a huge ego, so he didn't hold out for his name to be highly placed on pieces of legislation, but he did hold out for amendments and for changes that almost, in every case - virtually in every case - helped working people, and helped the poor, and I saw it again and again and again. He was an effective legislator - in fact, one of the most effective legislators, because the more you work behind the scenes and don't try to push yourself out there and don't try to get the limelight, the more effective you can be, which, ironically, invites the complaint from some people that he was ineffective because he was not in the limelight. He was behind the scenes, enormously effective."
https://stalkture.com/media/1218316973573148720

[George II]

1. I'll trust the opinion of Barney Frank, who WAS an effective legislator.

[charlyvi]

2. 1000+

[floppyboo]

4. Reich, son of Scranton, was trusted by Carter, Clinton and Obama

Not taking anything away from Frank, but ...

[George II]

5. Robert Reich has been on a tear against the Democratic Party ever since he left....

....Clinton's administration.

[elleng]

8. NOT

[Thekaspervote]

11. Yes he has!! If you look at his website it shows!!

[NurseJackie]

3. Oh good grief! GMAFB!

He was behind the scenes, enormously effective.

Oh brother!

[CentralMass]

32. Well, I know that I"m typing on my cellphone to excersize my finger here but here are some links.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/24/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-was-roll-call-amendment-king-1995-2/

And..

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/politics/election/iowa-caucus/fact-checker-just-how-effective-was-bernie-sanders-with-a-republican-congress-20160108
Fact Checker: Just how effective was Bernie Sanders with a Republican Congress?
"The Gazette
Fri., January 08, 2016
Fact Checker: Just how effective was Bernie Sanders with a Republican Congress?

“Bernie Sanders passed more amendments in a Republican Congress than any other member.”
Analysis

The television ad airing in Iowa and New

Fact Checker examined whether Sanders passed more amendments than any other colleague in a Republican-controlled Congress, which is a statement he has repeated elsewhere. We’ll look at the pieces of the claim one by one.


The Sanders camp cited congressional research showing 17 amendments sponsored by Sanders passed between 1995 and 2005. The data is a little dated but the time frame lines up with his service.

During Sanders’ career — House, 1991-2007 and Senate, 2007-present — Republicans controlled the House from 1995-2007 and the current Senate, which began in 2015.

The research identifies the top 10 senators for 1995-2005. Sanders ranked No. 1 at sponsoring successful amendments, edging out Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, with 16; Rep. Christopher Smith, R-NJ, with 14; and Benjamin Gilman, R-NY, with 13, according to the data.

Sanders research has an important qualifier: The query includes only amendments passed by roll-call votes, which excludes a substantial portion passed by voice votes.

The Fact Checker independently researched the votes using a congressional database.

When searching only roll call votes, we found the same numbers. The picture looks a little different when including voice votes. Sanders sponsored 42 adopted amendments, 18 of which became law. Traficant, who served one less term in that time frame than Sanders, had 121 amendments, including 41 in bills that became law. Some bills had multiple amendments.

For comparison, in that time frame, former Iowa Rep. Jim Leach, who served in the House from 1977-2007, sponsored one successful amendment, which passed by roll call; former Iowa Rep. Jim Nussle didn’t sponsor any; Iowa Rep. Steve King had 12, four by roll call; and former Iowa Rep. Tom Latham had five amendments, one by roll call. In a review of a dozen more congressmen, no others had more success with amendments than Sanders, other than Traficant."

[NurseJackie]

34. That's very impressive.

And, by that I'm referring only to your ability to cut and paste and format a message on your phone. That takes a lot of patience.

Amendments are not legislative accomplishments. I'm not impressed. Anyone can toss an extra found apple into a cart that's already headed to market. I'm more impressed with the person who actually builds the cart and fills it the first time.

...other than Traficant."

[CentralMass]

36. Your consistency is commendable..

[thesquanderer]

39. re: "Amendments are not legislative accomplishments"

They are if they get passed. Many don't.

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread floppyboo.

[crazytown]

7. This was Pete Buttigieg's view in 2000

A successful and popular mayor, he went on to win Vermont’s one Congressional seat in 1990. Since then, he has taken many courageous and politically risky stands on issues facing the nation. He has come under fire from various conservative religious groups because of his support for same-sex marriages. His stance on gun control led to NRA-organized media campaigns against him. Sanders has also shown creativity in organizing drug-shopping trips to Canada for senior citizens to call attention to inflated drug prices in the United States.

While impressive, Sanders’ candor does not itself represent political courage. The nation is teeming with outspoken radicals in one form or another. Most are sooner called crazy than courageous. It is the second half of Sanders’ political role that puts the first half into perspective: he is a powerful force for conciliation and bi-partisanship on Capitol Hill. In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy wrote that “we should not be too hasty in condemning all compromise as bad morals. For politics and legislation are not matters for inflexible principles or unattainable ideals.” It may seem strange that someone so steadfast in his principles has a reputation as a peacemaker between divided forces in Washington, but this is what makes Sanders truly remarkable. He represents President Kennedy’s ideal of “compromises of issues, not of principles.”

Sanders has used his unique position as the lone Independent Congressman to help Democrats and Republicans force hearings on the internal structure of the International Monetary Fund, which he sees as excessively powerful and unaccountable. He also succeeded in quietly persuading reluctant Republicans and President Clinton to ban the import of products made by under-age workers. Sanders drew some criticism from the far left when he chose to grudgingly endorse President Clinton’s bids for election and re-election as President. Sanders explained that while he disagreed with many of Clinton’s centrist policies, he felt that he was the best option for America’s working class.

(18 years old)
https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/profile-in-courage-essay-contest/past-winning-essays/2000-winning-essay-by-peter-buttigieg

[elleng]

9. For those interested in facts:

[Republican AND Robert REICH] Praises Bernie Sanders For Effective Legislating & Humility
Both a former Repub and Robert Reich featured in this vid on Sanders' effectiveness and humility in congress.


https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287268885

[NurseJackie]

10. Here's an interesting fact...

For those interested in facts:

Here's an interesting fact...

Cenk Uygur is really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this, and considering Former Republican Congressman Bob Ney's sordid past and his trouble with the law... it's amazing to me that his judgement (regarding anyone's character) would be held up and displayed as a source of pride.

Something like this only works if the viewer/reader/listener is clueless has no idea what came before in Bob Ney's life. But for anyone actually who knows WHO he is, this is something that would cause more harm than benefit.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-rep-bob-ney-gets-30-months-in-jail/

[elleng]

12. NO thanks for this,

more slam.

[NurseJackie]

13. It's all true. Deal with it.

Bob Ney had to deal with it when he was sentenced to THIRTY MONTHS in jail for corruption. It's just amazing to me that his "endorsement" is being held up as some bright guiding light of truth that everyone should be drawn to. Fact of the matter is, Bob Ney's judgement is severely lacking. He has no moral compass.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6280001.stm

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-rep-bob-ney-gets-30-months-in-jail/

[vsrazdem]

14. Deal with it.

[NurseJackie]

15. ...

[George II]

18. Looks like you've got a new friend.

[NurseJackie]

20. I noticed.

Deja vu.

[George II]

21. A blast from the past.....

[NurseJackie]

23. I know.

[revmclaren]

30. Old friend...

IMHO.



ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[George II]

31. Bazinga!

[Downtown Hound]

16. One of the reason why I want him to stay in Congress

We need people like him there.

[floppyboo]

17. Ah, but if he was Prez, think of the coat tails for 2022!

Liz would make a great Senate leader.

[NYMinute]

33. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether to laugh

or laugh continuously.

[BlueMississippi]

19. Bernie was extremely effective

He named not just one but TWO whole post offices.

That is a whopping one post office every 16 years. Bravo!!

[JI7]

22. he also gave the most profound speech since we lost Martin Luther king jr

[George II]

24. Yes, Reich is a good public speaker.

[JI7]

25. im referring to Sanders

according to Jacobin or common dreams

[George II]

26. The most profound speech since MLK?

[JI7]

27. here, it was common dreams

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.commondreams.org/views/2019/06/15/bernie-sanders-delivered-most-profound-speech-we-lost-mlk%3famp

[George II]

29. From a Sanders surrogate? That doesn't make it true, maybe just a "common dream"?

[betsuni]

41. ...

[NYMinute]

35. and that was before he parted the sea nt

[delisen]

28. Reich is old school labor

So much has changed

[krawhitham]

37. Sanders was the primary sponsor of 7 bills that were enacted, none in last 5 years

2 were renaming Post offices
1 was to designate March 4, 1991, as “Vermont Bicentennial Day”
1 to protect Vermont's Taconic Mountain Range
1 to make the Federal charter of Veterans of Foreign Wars gender neutral "men" switched to "veterans" & "widows" switched to "surviving spouses"
1 for injured vets (increased the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities)
1 to "Granting the consent of Congress to the Vermont-New Hampshire Interstate Public Water Supply Compact." whatever that means

29 years, 7 passed bills 4 of which are BS

If that is one of the "most effective legislators" ever, we're pretty screwed.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/browse?sponsor=400357#enacted_ex=on

[Bluepinky]

38. Thank you for this! Sometimes, working behind the scenes

is more important than working in the public eye. The issues Bernie fought for in the most recent Presidential election seemed extreme to some people at the time but now are mainstream ideas, like the $15 minimum wage.

Predictably, some posters can’t stand reading something positive about Bernie, they have to spew their hatred of him every chance they get.

[thesquanderer]

40. Like much on DU, it will be believed by those who want to believe,and disbelieved by those who don't

[Duppers]

42. K & R