Thursday, November 19, 2015
Since he launched his bid for the presidency last May, Sen. Bernie Sanders has been dogged by persistent questions about his identification as a democratic socialist. Speaking Thursday afternoon at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., the independent from Vermont sought to put those questions to rest.
"Let me take this opportunity to define for you, simply and straightforwardly, what democratic socialism means to me," he told a supportive audience of students in the university’s ornate Gaston Hall. "It means building on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he fought for guaranteed economic rights for all Americans. And it builds on what Martin Luther King, Jr., said in 1968 when he stated, and I quote, 'This country has socialism for the rich and rugged individualism for the poor.'"
In a forceful, unapologetic tone, Sanders defended the ideology to which he’s long subscribed as nothing more radical than a desire for economic justice. Abandoning his campaign-trail comparisons to Scandinavian political systems, he instead framed democratic socialism as entirely American.
To drive his point home, Sanders repeatedly invoked Roosevelt’s 1944 State of the Union address, which the candidate described as “one of the most important speeches ever made by a president.” In it, Roosevelt called for a “second bill of rights,” which the 32nd president said should guarantee such basic human necessities as decent pay, food, education and health care.
“‘We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence,’” Sanders quoted FDR as saying. "That was Roosevelt's vision 70 years ago. It is my vision today. It is a vision that we have not yet achieved. And it is time that we did."
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Following last week's terrorist attacks in Paris, two Republican candidates — Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and retired Wall Street banker Bruce Lisman — told Vermont Public Radio Tuesday that they would like to temporarily halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States. Authorities have blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for the attacks, which killed at least 129 people, but news accounts have indicated that most, if not all, of the suspects were French and Belgian nationals.
On Thursday, Democratic candidate Matt Dunne accused his Republican opponents of "playing to our worst fears."
"I have to say that when I heard Phil Scott's position on it, I was extremely disappointed," said Dunne, a community affairs director at Google and a former state senator. "I would have hoped that Phil would be someone who would not just fall in line with the right-wing Republicans in Congress."
Meanwhile, Scott appeared to walk back the tone, if not the substance, of his comments.
"When asked what I would do, I probably should have gone a little further to explain that I don't understand the situation and I certainly don't feel like we can pause or stop the refugee program in its entirety," he said. "But I do honestly feel the highest obligation of any government is to ensure the safety and security of every citizen."
Tags: Syrian refugees , Vermont , Matt Dunne , Phil Scott , Sue Minter , Bruce Lisman , Peter Shumlin , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Last month in Iowa, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told reporters he planned to deliver a formal speech explaining democratic socialism, the political ideology to which he's long subscribed.
"I think we have some explaining and work to do," he said at the time. "Because I think there are people who, when they hear the word 'socialist,' get very, very nervous."
After several delays, Sanders' presidential campaign announced Wednesday morning that he would deliver the speech Thursday afternoon at Georgetown University.
When Sanders first disclosed his plans last month, senior adviser Tad Devine told Seven Days that the democratic socialism address would be just one of several "set-piece" speeches on topics ranging from tax policy to foreign policy. But it looks like Sanders now plans to roll several topics into one speech.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2015
The next day, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton swamped him, taking the coveted endorsement of the two-million-member Service Employees International Union.
"Hillary Clinton has proven she will fight, deliver and win for working families," SEIU president Mary Kay Henry said in a written statement Tuesday. "SEIU members and working families across America are part of a growing movement to build a better future for their families, and Hillary Clinton will support and stand with them."
The SEIU's endorsement is a further blow to Sanders' presidential campaign, which has struggled to win the backing of major national unions, despite the senator's longstanding support for the labor movement.
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"I am stepping away today because it is the right thing to do," Smith said during a 2 p.m. news conference. He added that it is unlikely he will resume his campaign. He did not endorse another candidate.
In a short, emotional statement, Smith explained that his wife, Melissa Volansky, had received her breast cancer diagnosis earlier in the fall and undergone surgery — which the family had hoped would be all the treatment required. Last week they learned that doctors advised additional treatment.
"We are optimistic that she will make a full recovery, but as so many Vermonters know, a diagnosis like this reshapes one's priorities," Smith said. "This is a time during which Melissa and the kids need me most."
A clutch of Smith's closest supporters watched with glum faces as he announced his withdrawal from the 2016 race.
"Sad, very sad," said Selene Hofer-Shall, a fundraising and operations consultant for his campaign. When asked who she might support in the gubernatorial race instead of Smith, she said, "That is a tomorrow problem."
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"Now is not the time for demagoguery and fear-mongering," he said at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. "If you think about it for a moment, you understand that what terrorism is about is trying to instill terror and fear into the hearts of people — and we will not let that happen. As Americans, we will not be terrorized. We will not live in fear."
Sanders' comments came three days after alleged members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria carried out coordinated attacks in Paris that killed at least 132 people.
Since then, at least 25 Republican governors and one Democrat — New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan — have said they would block Syrian refugees from resettling in their states, though it is unclear whether they have the authority to do so. On Monday morning, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, said he would to welcome Syrians to the Green Mountains. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama pledged to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S.
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Monday, November 16, 2015
"The corn ethanol industry is spreading a Washington-sized load of manure across Vermont," he said in a written statement released Saturday.
But at a press conference Monday in Barre, Welch conceded that the ad's central claim — that he signed a letter drafted by an oil industry lobbyist — is true.
The dustup comes as the Obama administration finalizes regulations governing how much ethanol must be blended into gasoline. The corn and agribusiness industries have lobbied for the Environmental Protection Agency to increase those levels, while the oil and restaurant industries have lobbied to decrease them.
For years, Welch has taken the latter position, arguing that ethanol mandates drive up corn prices for farmers and food producers, hurt the environment and damage small engines. Two weeks ago, he and four other members of Congress, including Rep. Bill Flores (R-Tex.), authored a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy calling for stricter limits on biofuels. Another 180 members signed the letter.
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Sunday, November 15, 2015
The intrusion of tragedy prompted CBS News to flip the script on a forum it had intended to devote to economic policy. For the first half-hour, the candidates parried with one another over terrorism and foreign policy, each determined to appear a credible commander-in-chief.
But the debate soon segued to the domestic policy issues that have so far dominated the race for the Democratic nomination — from tax policy to health care to gun control. The sharpest exchanges came not from disagreements over who could defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, but over who could rein in the bankers of Wall Street.
Nobody onstage at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium appeared more eager to change the subject from Paris than Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has spent little time on the campaign trail discussing foreign policy. The Vermont independent spent just 18 seconds of his minute-long opening statement addressing the attacks, calling himself “shocked and disgusted” by them.
Then he pivoted.
“I’m running for president because, as I go around this nation, I talk to a lot of people — and what I hear is people concerned that the economy they have is a rigged economy,” he said. “People are working longer hours for lower wages, and almost all of the new income and wealth goes to the top 1 percent.”
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Friday, November 13, 2015
Sen. Bernie Sanders departed for Des Moines Friday afternoon for the second Democratic debate of the presidential campaign. Accompanied by an entourage of aides and his wife, Jane, the candidate posed gamely for selfies at Burlington International Airport.
After marching in a Veterans Day parade Wednesday in Lebanon, N.H., Sanders holed up in Burlington Thursday to prepare for the debate, according to senior adviser Tad Devine. He reluctantly participated in debate rehearsals, Devine said, with chief of staff Michaeleen Crowell standing in for former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and consultant Mark Longabaugh playing former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley.
"You know Bernie. He's not a guy to sit around and want to sort of playact this thing," Devine said. "I think he'd be happier to go out and campaign, as opposed to this. But he also understands there's a lot of people watching this. It's a big moment in the campaign."
Indeed, the Saturday night debate at Drake University is Sanders’ last chance to engage Clinton directly before the holiday season begins and potential voters tune out. The Democratic candidates’ next encounter, in Manchester, N.H., is scheduled for six days before Christmas.
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Thursday, November 12, 2015
Calling Sanders "a leader in the fight to protect the public Postal Service," APWU president Mark Dimondstein cited Sanders' opposition to the privatization of the service, his support for six-day delivery and his efforts to keep post offices and mail facilities open.
“We should judge candidates not by their political party, not by what they say, not by what we think they stand for, but by what they do," Dimondstein said in a written statement. "Applying that criterion, Sen. Bernie Sanders stands above all others as a true champion of postal workers and other workers throughout the country. He doesn’t just talk the talk. He walks the walk."
Though Sanders has long championed the labor movement, its leaders have been slow to embrace his presidential campaign. Prior to Thursday's announcement, the 185,000-member National Nurses United had been the sole national union to back his bid. Sanders has drawn support from other local and state unions.
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