Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont: biography, career

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

Bernie (Bernard) Sanders is an American politician, representative of Vermont in the US Senate. Formally not a member of any political organization, in April 2015 he nominated himself for the US presidency from the Democratic Party.

Bernie Sanders: biography

Born September 8, 1941 in New York. He was the younger of two sons of Jewish immigrants from Poland. Coming from a needy family (his father was not a very successful paint dealer), Sanders learned early on the economic inequality in the United States. According to him, he saw injustice, and this was the main source of inspiration in his politics. He was also greatly influenced by the American Socialist leader Eugene Debs.

Bernie Sanders attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn and then moved on to Brooklyn College. A year later, he entered the University of Chicago. At the same time, Sanders became involved in the civil rights movement. He was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality and participated in the anti-segregation sit-in in 1962. In addition, Sanders became the organizer of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In 1963 he participated inmarch on Washington.

After graduating from college (in 1964) with a degree in political science, the future presidential candidate lived for a while on a kibbutz in Israel and then went to Vermont. Bernie Sanders tried his hand at various careers, including filmmaker and freelance writer, psychiatric assistant and teacher of poor children, and his interest in politics continued to grow.

During the Vietnam War, Sanders applied for conscientious objector status. Although his request was eventually denied, he was already past military age by then.

Burlington and beyond

During the 1970s, Bernie Sanders made several unsuccessful attempts to be elected from the anti-war Freedom Union party, of which he was a member until 1979. He won his first political victory by a narrow margin. In 1981, he was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont, by a majority of just 12 votes. Sanders was able to achieve this result with the support of a grassroots organization called the Progressive Coalition. He was re-elected three more times, proving that the "democratic socialist", as he called himself, could hold on to power.

Known for his wrinkled clothes and "untamed mane", Mayor of Burlington was an unlikely candidate for deputy, but in 1990 this political outsider won a seat in the House of Representatives. As an independent, Sanders found himself in a dilemma. He had to find political allies to advanceits program and legislation. He considered cooperation with the Republicans "unthinkable", but held a meeting with the Democrats, despite the opposition of conservative party members.

Sanders openly criticized both camps every time he thought they were wrong. He was an active opponent of the war in Iraq. He was concerned about the social and financial consequences of the conflict. In his address to the House of Representatives, he said that the United States, as a caring country, must do everything possible to prevent the terrible suffering that war will lead to. He also questioned the timing of military action "at a time when the country is $6 trillion in debt and a growing deficit."

US Senator

Bernie Sanders ran for the Senate in 2006, running against Republican businessman Richard Tarrant. He succeeded, despite the latter's much more substantial funding. Tarrant spent $7 million of his personal savings in this election battle.

In 2010, Sanders hit the news with more than 8 hours of filibustering against tax cuts for the rich. It seemed to him that the bill represented a "very bad tax deal" between the president and Republican legislators, as he later wrote in the preface to Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class. Sanders ended his Senate address by asking his fellow lawmakers to come up with a "proposal that better reflectsthe needs of the country's middle class and working families and, most importantly, its children.”

Bernie Sanders - senator - was a member of Committees:

• on budget;
• on he alth, education, labor and pensions;
• Veterans Affairs;
• combined economic.

The Senator from Vermont is in favor of expanding voting rights and is against the Supreme Court's decision to repeal part of the Voting Rights Act. He is also a proponent of a universal, unified he alth care system. Driven by a sense of environmentalism, concerned about climate change and interested in renewable energy, Sanders is a member of the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Presidential ambitions

In April 2015, Sanders announced his desire to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. The longtime independent politician had to resort to outside help out of political necessity. It would take an enormous amount of time, energy and money to get on the ballot in 50 states as an independent candidate, he said.

Sanders wasn't worried about being seen as an underdog. He believed that people should not underestimate him. As a veteran independent, he managed to move beyond the two-party system by defeating the Democrats and Republicans, moneybag candidates.

Sanders has really achieved impressive success,challenging Clinton during the presidential primaries and winning the polls. In February 2016, he was ahead of all top candidates and even Republican Donald Trump with 49% to 39% - this was better than Clinton, who defeated Trump by 46% to 41%.

Sanders' platform focuses on inequality in the US. From an economic standpoint, he advocates tax reform that raises rates for the we althy, expands government oversight of Wall Street, and balances the disparity between men's and women's wages. Sanders also advocates a public he alth system, more affordable higher education that includes free college and universities, and an expansion of social security and he alth insurance. A social liberal, he also supports gay marriage and abortion.

Campaign slogans

One of the symbols that characterize Sanders' campaign is his call for a "political revolution": he asks ordinary citizens to take an active part in the political process and make the changes they would like to see.

Another symbol is his fight to get corporate money out of politics, specifically overturning a decision that allows corporations and the we althy elite to pour unlimited amounts into campaigns. These funds, according to Sanders, undermine democracy, distorting politics that favors the extremely we althy.

Record fundraising

Staying true to his principles, Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders relied almost exclusively on small individual donations. To the surprise of many, including the politician himself, he broke the record for raising funds for the presidential campaign, surpassing even the achievement of President Obama during his re-election in 2011

In February 2016, Sanders received 3.7 million contributions from 1.3 million individual donors, averaging $27 per person. In total, the campaign raised $109 million in the first quarter of 2016.

Historic victory in Michigan

Sanders' first victory in Michigan is considered one of the biggest shocks in modern political history. He won 50% to 48% despite being 20% behind Clinton in the polls.

The only time such a big mistake occurred was during the 1984 Democratic primaries (W alter Mondale was 17% ahead of Gary Hart). Then Hart won Michigan by 9%.

Sanders' shocking victory shows that his liberal populism is resonating in a diverse state like Michigan and beyond. It was also a huge psychological blow to the Clinton campaign, which was hoping for a quick election.

Victorious abroad and absent from AIPAC

In March 2016, Sanders won the overseas primary with a score of 69%. Over 34,000 American citizens voted for him in 38 countries.

He also made headlines as the first choicefor president (and the only Jew) who abstained from attending the annual AIPAC pro-Israel lobbying conference. He was justified by the busy campaign schedule, but some considered his absence controversial. Pro-Palestinian groups saw the move as a bold political statement.

Visit the Vatican

Sanders made history as the only presidential candidate ever invited to the Vatican to discuss moral, environmental and economic issues. Amid a contentious New York primary, Sanders flew to a social science conference in Rome in April 2016. He had the opportunity to briefly meet with the Pope, but in order not to politicize the event, the latter stressed that the meeting was a courtesy.

DNC platform and support for Clinton

When the candidate's campaign drew to a close and it became clear that he had little chance of winning, the senator used his political influence to change the platform of the DNC before speaking out in support of Clinton. Bernie Sanders, whose program includes universal he alth care, free tuition at public colleges and universities, a $15 an hour minimum wage, welfare expansion, financial reforms for Wall Street, and addressing climate change, was largely able to incorporate his demands into platform of the Democratic Party. He failed only on the issue of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Nevertheless, Sanders' huge influence on the DNC platform was a significant victory for him and his supporters.

July 12, 2016, before the New Hampshire primaries, he did something that many did not expect from him: he supported Clinton's candidacy. It was a significant milestone for both campaigns, but the determination to keep Trump from becoming the next Republican president pushed the differences to the back burner.

Email hacking

In July 2016, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Wikileaks released more than 19,000 letters to the DNC that showed how officials favored Clinton and sought to undermine the Sanders campaign. In one e-mail, DNC staffers discussed how they could question his religiosity "to make him weak in the eyes of Southern voters."

The leak also revealed tensions between DNC chief Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver, DNC collusion with the media, and the way officials garner sponsors.

As a result, Wasserman-Schulz announced that she would not speak at the convention and would step down as head of the DNC.

The FBI announced the involvement of the Russian government in the DNC mail hack.

Despite the leak, Sanders urged voters and about 1,900 delegates backing him in the DNC to vote for Clinton. Some of his supporters criticized this decision. Addressing the angry crowd of dissenters, he said that it is necessary at all costs to defeat Donald Trump and elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. This is the real worldand Trump is a bully and demagogue who has made bigotry and hatred the cornerstone of his campaign.

Bernie Sanders on Russia

Historically, Russia has been and will continue to be an important player in the international economic and diplomatic arena. Sanders supports a strong, consistent policy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin and advocates maintaining economic sanctions and international pressure as an alternative to any direct military confrontation.

According to the politician, in order to moderate the aggression of the Russian Federation, the United States should freeze Russian state assets around the world, as well as influence organizations that own huge investments in the aggressor state, in order to withdraw capital from this country, which is pursuing more and more hostile political goals.

The United States must work with the international community to create a unified position to effectively address Russian aggression.

Private life

In 1964, Sanders married Deborah Scheeling, but the couple divorced two years later. In 1968, he met Susan Mott, and they had a son, Levi, in 1969.

Bernie Sanders met his second wife Jane O'Meara before becoming mayor of Burlington in 1981. O'Meara's longtime educator eventually became president of Burlington College. They got married in 1988. O'Meara has three children from a previous marriage. In total, the couple has four children and seven grandchildren.

Big brotherLarry Sanders is a British academic and politician who is currently in charge of he alth care for the left-wing Green Party of England and Wales.