Bernie Sanders as a Democratic Socialist 2016 Election
Facts: Sanders wins important elections as a declared Socialist. As a Socialist, Sanders is very progressive on most all domestic issues. Does any Socialist oppose Sanders domestic issue positions? If Sanders domestic issues would be implemented, the result would be perhaps the greatest peace movement victory ever imagined possible! What other Socialist can legitimately claim any reasonable chance to win a Senate seat, let alone the Presidency?
Socialism tends not to deal directly with military & war issues,
The Frankfurt Declaration, 1951: Socialism aims to liberate the peoples from dependence on a minority which owns or controls the means of production.
It aims to put economic power in the hands of the people as a whole, and to create a community in which free men work together as equals… Socialism has become a major force in world affairs. It has passed from propaganda into practice. In some countries the foundations of a Socialist society have already been laid. Here the evils of capitalism are disappearing…
Since the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Communism has split the International Labour Movement and has set back the realization of socialism in many countries for decades. Communism falsely claims a share in the Socialist tradition. In fact it has distorted that tradition beyond recognition. It has built up a rigid theology which is incompatible with the critical spirit of Marxism… Wherever it has gained power it has destroyed freedom or the chance of gaining freedom…
Socialists worked on domestic issues with U.S. administrations deeply involved in wars in Southeast Asia during the 60’s.
In the 1960s Michael Harrington and other socialists were called to assist the Kennedy Administration and then the Johnson Administration‘s War on Poverty and Great Society[2] while socialists also played important roles in the 1960s Civil Rights movement.[3][4][5][6]
U.S. Socialism is fragmented with very few significant election victories in recent times!
Socialism in the United States has been composed of many tendencies often in important disagreements with each other and it has included utopian socialists, social democrats, democratic socialists, communists, Trotskyists, and anarchists.
At its peak a century ago, the Socialist Party of America polled at 6 percent nationally, had two representatives in Congress and boasted hundreds of state and local legislators.
But for more than a generation, socialism has been virtually invisible on the American scene. Its return in several high-profile local city council races—Sawant’s in Seattle, Ty Moore’s in Minneapolis and Seamus Whelan’s in Boston—has been surprising.
Sanders expresses good intentions as to Peace, War, Human Rights, Nuclear Weapons, Free Trade, Sovereignty of other peoples, but he is publicly naive as to the true nature of U.S. Government. For example he still believes 9/11 Government fairy tale and is naïve as to true nature of ISIS founding and funding. But Sanders has continually displayed an open mind with the ability to modify his positions progressively when further educated. What some progressives forget is that publicly promoting some truths can be a serious detriment to winning the Presidency with a politically ignorant voting public. And elections in America are determined heavily on bread and butter issues rather than foreign policy. By running as a Democrat, if Sanders gets the nomination, he will have most of the Democratic Party constituency vote behind him. As a 3rd Party candidate, he would have no hope! Sanders knows how to get elected!
Cuba: Bernie Sanders supports President Obama’s efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba. In 2014, Bernie commended the announcement of the President’s policy as a “major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba.”
Bernie supports closing the Guantánamo Bay detention camp the United States maintains on the Cuban island, noting it has “significantly damaged the United States’ moral standing, undermined our foreign policy, and encourage terrorism rather than effectively combated it.”
His opinion refers to abuse and torture, as well as the unlawful detention of inmates at the military prison Amnesty International has called a “gulag of our times.”
Iraq: Gulf War and Desert Storm: Bernie voted against the joint resolution to authorize the use of force against Iraq in 1991, calling for economic sanctions and other diplomatic means to address the conflict instead.
Iraq War and Operation Iraqi Freedom: Bernie voted against the joint resolution to authorize the use of force against Iraq in 2002, and voted against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Iran: Bernie views Iran as a major player in the Middle East and believes that diplomatic relations between Iran and the West are crucial for both regional stability and the long term security of the U.S. and its allies. Furthermore, Bernie believes that Iranian nuclear ambitions must be held in check and the only way to accomplish this is through clearly defined restrictions verified by international observers.
Bernie has stated unequivocally the we must limit nuclear proliferation and work towards a safer world free of nuclear weapons: “I strongly agree with President Obama’s call for ‘a world without nuclear weapons.’ It is with this vision in mind that Bernie supports the Iran nuclear pact. Similarly, Bernie has been working to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles around the world. In 2015, Bernie co-sponsored the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures Act, which would reduce the nuclear weapons budget by $100 billion over the next ten years.
Israel/Palestine: Bernie Sanders has described the entrenched conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as both depressing and difficult, and considers the conflict one of the most important issues in the Middle East. He acknowledges that there is no magic solution to the problem, but Bernie believes in a two-state solution, where “Israel has a right to exist in security, and at the same time the Palestinians have a state of their own.” Finally, Bernie sees many other conflicts in the Middle East as exacerbating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Jewish Heritage: Bernie is Jewish, but he does not favor Israel over the Palestinians, nor does he otherwise let his religion influence his positions regarding the conflict.
Two-State Solution: Bernie believes that Israel and the Palestinians can, and should, peacefully co-exist, and that Palestinians should have a country of their own.
On Netanyahu & Iran: Bernie is not a big supporter of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and believes that diplomacy, not military action or economic sanctions, can keep Israel safe from Iran.
Latin America: Bernie Sanders believes the United States should not involve itself in the governments of other countries, even if officials in charge do not agree with the other countries’ left-leaning principles. He also believes that free-trade agreements harm the U.S. working class and that the U.S. can provide and receive aid from countries in Latin America.
Nicaragua and the Sandinistas: Bernie did not believe the U.S. should send arms to the Contras in Nicaragua.
NAFTA: Bernie opposed NAFTA because he believes most free-trade agreements are detrimental to the American working class, and are mostly in the interest of the business elites.
Venezuela and Vermont Deal: Bernie brokered a deal with Venezuela to provide discounted heating oil to low-income families in Vermont.
Greece: Bernie supports the people of Greece in rejecting the increasingly constricting austerity measures proposed by its creditors. He’s written letters to the managing director of the IMF and U.S. Federal Reserve encouraging these organizations to ease the Troika’s demands:
“In a world of massive wealth and income inequality, Europe must support Greece’s efforts to build an economy which creates more jobs and income, not more unemployment and suffering.”
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): NATO was formed after World War II as a way to get the militaries of various western countries to agree on mutual defense strategies. Although Bernie Sanders is generally anti-war, he begrudgingly supported NATO’s bombing of Serbia in 1999. He did not vigorously oppose NATO’s 2011 military intervention in Libya, although he did voice concerns. He was also against NATO expansion.
Kosovo Crisis: The decision to bomb Serbia was a complex one, and Bernie ultimately voted to take action to prevent further genocide.
Libya Intervention: In 2011, the United States and other NATO countries launched strikes against Libya. Bernie expressed wariness regarding the human and fiscal cost then, and now, as civil war rages on in the country.
Anti-Expansion: Bernie is against the expansion of NATO because it provokes unnecessary aggression from Russia. Moreover, he believes European nations should fund more of the costs of an alliance primarily intended to protect their continent.
Libya: In a February 2011 interview, Bernie expressed concerns with Obama’s decision to circumvent the War Powers Act , saying: “I think one of the things many people are upset about is this war took place without consultation of the Congress, without debate within the Congress. Look, everybody understands Gaddafi is a thug and murderer. We want to see him go, but I think in the midst of two wars, I’m not quite sure we need a third war.”
In a June interview later that year, he said: “I have reservations about our involvement in Libya. I mean, we are in a huge deficit. We are in two wars. And I would become somewhat conservative on that issue.”
So how has he voted with regards to our involvement in Libya? Bernie hasn’t had a chance to vote on bills regarding Obama’s choice to join the Libya airstrikes. The Kerry-McCain bill, drafted by Senate Democrats who wanted to show support for the president’s military intervention in Libya, was pulled from a vote in July 2011.
Afghanistan: The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 resulted in a military conflict in Afghanistan that is still being fought to this day. Although Bernie Sanders voted in a symbolic debate to retroactively support the U.S. military engagement there, he has been appalled by the continued presence of the U.S. in Afghanistan, the resulting casualties, and the debt accrued over the long war.
Bernie voted in favor of the 2001 Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF), which he justified by saying,
“I will vote for this resolution because I believe that the use of force is one tool that we have at our disposal to fight against the horror of terrorism and mass murder. One
tool but it is not our only tool, and it is something that must be used wisely… and with great discretion.“
It’s important to understand that under the War Powers Act, President Bush already had the legal right to use force without the approval of Congress because America had been attacked. The debate in Congress about whether or not to use military force in Afghanistan “was more symbolic than legally necessary,” according to Bernie.
In 2008, Bernie grew concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, and voted against the Defense Authorization Bill, which authorized $603 billion in military spending, including $69 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the time, Bernie called it an “unwinnable war”:
In 2009, Bernie strongly opposed a proposed 40,000 troop surge in Afghanistan, saying it would be “a very, very, very bad idea”.
After President Obama announced a timetable to withdraw troops in 2011, Bernie released this statement: “This country has a $14.5 trillion national debt, in part owing to two wars that have not been paid for. We have been at war in Afghanistan for the last 10 years and paid a high price both in terms of casualties and national treasure. This year alone, we will spend about $100 billion on that war. In my view, it is time for the people of Afghanistan to take full responsibility for waging the war against the Taliban. While we cannot withdraw all of our troops immediately, we must bring them home as soon as possible. I appreciate the president’s announcement, but I believe that the withdrawal should occur at significantly faster speed and greater scope.”
ISIS: is an incredibly dangerous, powerful, and barbaric organization. For the sake of people in the Middle East and all over the world, they must be stopped.
We Must Learn From the War In Iraq: In terms of lives lost, injured soldiers, monetary costs, and lasting effects in the region, the Iraq War was a disaster. We need to learn from it so we don’t make the same mistakes twice. “I voted against the war in Iraq because I feared very much the destabilizing impact it would have on the region. Today, after 13 years in Afghanistan and 12 years in Iraq, after the loss of almost 7,000 troops and the expenditure of trillions of dollars, I very much fear U.S. involvement in an expanding and never-ending quagmire in that region of the world.”
A Coalition is Required: The United States cannot and should not lead the effort to defeat ISIS on its own. There are enough capable military powers in the region, and the coalition should be led by Middle Eastern allies.
China: is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. As such, America’s foreign policy towards China is immensely important. One of Bernie’s key goals is to end our disastrous trade policies with China which force American workers to compete against low-wage labor, which serves largely to benefit already wealthy corporations. Because Bernie respects national sovereignty and believes strongly in the universality of human rights, he has a strong record of supporting Tibet as well as both political and religious freedoms in China. Bernie also strongly supports efforts to prevent foreign sales of weapons to China to prevent them from building up their military.
Russia: Historically, Russia has been, and will continue to be, a significant player in the international economic and diplomatic sphere. Bernie Sanders supports a strong, consistent stance with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Bernie supports enforcing economic sanctions and international pressure as an alternative to any direct military confrontation when dealing with Russia.
Bernie believes the United States should isolate Putin politically and economically. In March 2014, Bernie commended President Obama on sanctions levied against Russian leaders after voters in the Crimea region supported a Russian-backed referendum to secede from Ukraine.
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