Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
Bernie Sanders You are in the Sanders 2020 Group. Only members who have selected Bernie Sanders as their preferred Democratic presidential candidate are permitted to post in this Group.

JonLP24

(29,322 posts)
Tue Feb 11, 2020, 09:17 AM Feb 2020

Bernie Sanders isn't a radical -- he's a pragmatist who fights to un-rig the system

As Bernie Sanders continues to increase his standing in the Democratic primary, and his opponents in both parties feel the pain, there is an effort to paint him as an extremist of some sort. Someone who might even lose to Trump because of this alleged “radicalism.” But it’s not that easy to make the case on the basis of facts.

He has a 40-year track record as a politician. The things he is saying now are mostly what he has shouted from the mountain tops for pretty much the whole time. The main difference is that now, other Democratic politicians have joined him: on a $15 minimum wage, student-debt relief, free tuition at public universities, expanding Social Security, reducing income inequality, and some even on Medicare for All.

His actions speak even more consistently than his words: he understands that politics is about compromise. He fights hard for what he has promised to voters, but then takes the best deal he can win if it will advance the ball down the field, and prepares to fight again the next day.

That’s why he supported Obamacare when it was the best deal on the table — expanding insurance coverage to 20 million Americans, without the life-threatening exclusions for “pre-existing conditions.” This despite the fact that Obamacare was still quite a distance from Medicare for All — “health care as a human right” — that had been his passion and signature issue for decades.

Market Watch
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/793708FC-4C26-11EA-B630-D3AA685BDC0A

Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»Sanders 2020»Bernie Sanders isn't a ra...