Calling all Bernie Sanders supporters

[kahiljabroni]

Ill be upfront and tell you I haven't listened to any of his speeches and have no opinion on the man. From what i hear he's an avowed socialist?

My questions to you:

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

What brand of socialism? No privately owned means of production?

Why do you support him?

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country? If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

Im very curious to learn about his supporters.

 

[speakhandsforme]

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

No. Even if that was his platform, the legislative system would never allow that kind of drastic change

What brand of socialism? No privately owned means of production?

Colloquially, he describes himself as a "democratic socialist," which would imply some worker/public ownership of industry. However, his actual platform is that of a "social democrat," at least in the terms of the systems which he is citing (Scandinavia). To that end, he still endorses private means of production with safeguards and regulation to benefit the lower and middle classes

Why do you support him?

I believe his policy approach is proven to be successful elsewhere in Europe and I think it's refreshing that he denies corporate influence on his platform

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country? If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

No, not particularly, but that depends on what a "truly socialist country" entails, as it has never been realized in history. Scandinavia, which still has many capitalist variants, is the closest incarnation. But, yes, I would like us to be closer to their model, which would be good for everyone present and future in my opinion.

About myself: I'm a 25 year-old law student from a lower-middle class family and was born in a rural farming community. No kids.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

considering socialist countries have the highest quality of life and the happiest people on earth, it might do a little good to have one in the high post for a few years.

 

[speakhandsforme]

considering socialist countries have the highest quality of life and the happiest people on earth, it might do a little good to have one in the high post for a few years.

Meh, be careful painting with a broad brush. There are also states that are in ruins and were exploited by single parties under the guise of socialism. Just look at Venezuela. What was originally a very benevolent and successful turn towards the left turned into a totalitarian mess after the private media and Western capitalists funded a coup and forced such heavy-handedness.

What is very, undeniably clear, however, is that a strong element of socialist variants in not only beneficial, but necessary in a capitalist state.

 

[Falsedawn]

Ill be upfront and tell you I haven't listened to any of his speeches and have no opinion on the man. From what i hear he's an avowed socialist?

My questions to you:

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

What brand of socialism? No privately owned means of production?

Why do you support him?

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country? If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

Im very curious to learn about his supporters.

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

No, though he openly advocates for redistribution from the top to the bottom. Essentially, he wants to balance the budget, but not on the backs of the poor and middle class. So yeah, tax wealthy people more (with very modest tax increases for everyone else), simplify the tax code, and cut down defense spending (among other things). This in theory should allow us to solidify our social safety net and grow the middle class.


What brand of socialism? No privately owned means of production?

Democratic Socialism, though not to the full extent where our economy is fully nationalized. To put it as simply as possible, it's sort of the philosophy behind the New Deal (which was incredibly socialist). Give power to the workers against the vastly superior capital of their employers to sort of balance the scales. It's not really taking ownership of production, but it should allow employers to have more skin in the game than they do right now with regards to the welfare of the people they hire.

Why do you support him?

Aside from the fact that i'm somewhat of a socialist, he's pushing for a constitutional amendment to invalidate Citizens United v. FEC. In my opinion, that's one of the most grave cuts against our political system since its inception.

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country? If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

Well, define "truly socialist". If you're talking about full nationalization of our economy, not really. I do however think that you can make corporations more civic minded through regulatory efforts as we have successfully done in the past. On efforts where they can not directly be civic minded, money talks (taxes). If you're asking whether i'm opposed to paying higher taxes myself, i'm not. If I could pay more taxes and have a national healthcare system, then i'd do it yesterday.

 

[carlos cadona]

Bernie Sanders is just a social democrat, similar to a middle of the road type of guy you would find in European politics(except for the fact that he's to the right of Europe on immigration).

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Bernie Sanders isnt calling for anything that FDR didnt call for really.

 

[KOQ24]

if you look at sanders positions hes basically a social democrat,which is the center-left in european politics.
except on immigration where hes further right

 

[speakhandsforme]

if you look at sanders positions hes basically a social democrat,which is the center-left in european politics.
except on immigration where hes further right

Bernie Sanders is just a social democrat, similar to a middle of the road type of guy you would find in European politics(except for the fact that he's to the right of Europe on immigration).

Yep and yep

 

[2GunTommy]

I like that he is openly opposed to the TPP. Id like to know more about his immigration stance. If its anything like Hillarys then no thanks.

 

[WalkenWouldOwn]

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/agenda/


Some good, concise info here on what he stands for and would seek to accomplish as president.

Edit, and I am 31, transportation sales manager married with 2 young kids

 

[Forkfoot]

There've been some perfect answers already, but I'll share from my own POV anything that hasn't already been covered.

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

No and it would be absurd for him to do so if he wanted to. Eight years with a system of checks and balances is not anywhere close to enough time or leverage to bring about a complete transformation on his own. He's very open about the fact that he can't turn this country around without the help of a massive grassroots effort from the people. I like his policies, but I think the fact that if he got elected he'd have the biggest spotlight in the nation to share his ideas with Americans would by itself be hugely transformative. It'd basically force all his ideas into the mainstream media, and he'd actually be given a shot at proving that they can work right in front of everybody.

Why do you support him?

Because I'm tired of this shit. Tired of hearing that there's no money to care for the poor but we need to attack Iran and increase military spending. Tired of hearing there's no money for the sick but banks need bailing out and corporations need billions in subsidies. Tired of hearing there's no money for higher education but billionaires need tax breaks so they can buy more elections. Tired of hearing the lower class needs to just pull itself up by its bootstraps while the bodies pile up and the money hemorrhages under the failed and oppressive war on drugs and the booming prison industry. Tired of hearing "This is a Christian nation founded on Christian principles" while sweeping everything that makes Christianity worth a damn under the carpet. Bernie's helping to lead things in a different direction.

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country?

I think our country should keep moving to the left until it stops being fucking insane. When we're no longer pursuing insane domestic and foreign policy, murdering our ecosystem and fucking over everyone in the bottom ninety nine, that's far enough in my book.

If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

I do hospice care full time and I'm happily divorced with no kids. It's still important to me to leave a better world for the next generations though.

 

[Zipp]

Why?

Because I want to see America acknowledge that it's already got a foot in the socialist hole and that some of our current ways of doing things (i.e. obamacare) are just the worst of both worlds for the common man.

Would you like to see the US become socialist?

Within reason. I'll support anything that tips the inequality scales. I know they "provide jobs" but I will never lose sleep over some poor billionaire only getting to have ten sports cars instead of twelve.

About me?
I am unmarried with no kids. I'm a school teacher. I expect it will help my field of work.

 

[bad seed]

Ill be upfront and tell you I haven't listened to any of his speeches and have no opinion on the man. From what i hear he's an avowed socialist?

My questions to you:

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

What brand of socialism? No privately owned means of production?

Why do you support him?

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country? If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

Im very curious to learn about his supporters.

Sanders would be centrist/conservative by Swedish parliament standards. And look at the havoc socialism wreaked on that nation- burdened with top 3 ranking in all standard of living charts.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Sanders would be centrist/conservative by Swedish parliament standards. And look at the havoc socialism wreaked on that nation- burdened with top 3 ranking in all standard of living charts.

Exactly. Pretty much every developed country implements some form of social democracy except the US. Even countries which the right uses as a paragon of free-market policies like Singapore have some elements of it.

No one ever attempts to explain how this works so well everywhere but would be disastrous for the US other than saying dumb things like "We have brown people here who screw everything up" or"Our country is the biggest in the world!!!!11 Because of that it would never work here!!!"

 

[speakhandsforme]

This thread has cast some light on some outstanding people.

 

[Lustercross]

I'm just sick of us common folk having to struggle so bad with expensive college and shitty healthcare. It's hard to move up in life if your poor or the bottom of middle class. Meanwhile the kids of rich people get every advantage handed to them. I won't lose any sleep if more money is taken from the rich and distributed to the bottom. The rich do the same thing by taking advantage of hard working people and paying them crumbs.

 

[Anung Un Rama]

Does he run on the idea that he would complete the trend towards a socialist nation if elected?

No.

[Bernie] Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history. A self-described democratic socialist,[7][8][9][10] he favors policies similar to those of social democratic parties in Europe, particularly those of Scandinavia.

Social democracy is a political ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a capitalist economy, and a policy regime involving welfare state provisions, collective bargaining arrangements, regulation of the economy in the general interest, redistribution of income and wealth, and a commitment to representative democracy.[1][2][3] Social democracy aims to create the conditions for capitalism to lead to greater egalitarian, democratic and solidaristic outcomes.[4] "Social democracy" is often used in this manner to refer to the social and economic policies prominent in Western and Northern Europe during the latter half of the 20th century.[5][6] Alternatively, social democracy is defined as a political ideology that advocates a peaceful, evolutionary transition of society from capitalism to socialism using established political processes.[7]

Bernie Sanders
Democratic Socialism

What brand of socialism? No privately owned means of production?

See Above.

Why do you support him?

The majority of American's have been marginalized in favor of the interests of the very rich and powerful. From our shrinking middle class and gross income equality to our foreign wars, everyday Americans have not had a real say. The Citizens United decision puts that disparity on steroids and the upcoming TPP, TTIP, and TISA trade treaties will cement those conditions and cement The United States of America as an oligarchy.

Would you like the US to be a truely socialist country? If so, tell me a little about yourself...do you have a career, spouse, children? How would you expect it to affect their future?

If by "truly" you mean 100% Socialist, then no, I do not want the US to be a truly socialist country. If you mean shift the balance of our country so that our already Socialist aspects are strengthened and fortified while our reverence toward Capitalism is reduced, then yes, I would like that. I'm sure there was a time in our recent history where this balance was actually struck.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

If Princeton and Jimmy Carter are admitting the US is an oligarchy you know its past the tipping point.

 

[carlos cadona]

I like that he is openly opposed to the TPP. Id like to know more about his immigration stance. If its anything like Hillarys then no thanks.

Here is a few things he has to say about immigration.
"It does not make a lot of sense to me to bring hundreds of thousands of [foreign] workers into this country to work for minimum wage and compete with American kids."

"Last year, the top 10 employers of H-1B guest workers were all offshore outsourcing companies. These firms are responsible for shipping large numbers of American information technology jobs to India and other countries."