Bernie Sanders Has A HABIT Of Always Being Right

[Segami]

Portsmouth Herald
111 New Hampshire Ave.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

Posted Dec. 11, 2015 at 2:01 AM




To the Editor:

Why not elect the idea guy behind Hillary’s campaign? Throughout her candidacy, Hillary has taken her time sharing her positions with us. When she finally takes a position it’s a watered down version of a position Bernie has come out with months, years, even decades earlier. She clearly recognizes that Bernie’s message is reaching us and that it’s resonating.

Faced with a choice between adapting or sinking like a rock, she adapts. Not an easy decision when your top donors are the very same banks and investment companies Bernie’s platform will inevitably challenge. Is she misleading her donors or misleading us?

Forget about that question for a minute but don’t forget it.

Hillary’s listening to him now. She should have listened to him in 2003 when he told the nation what he feared would happen if we went to war in Iraq. Instead she voted for war. Everything Bernie predicted happened. To her credit, she says the vote was a mistake. Oops.

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan should have listened to him back in 1992 when he stood on the congressional floor and predicted the financial collapse we would experience if we continued in the direction Greenspan was taking us. The collapse happened and during a congressional hearing in 2008, Greenspan had to admit he was using a financial model that was flawed. He’d been using it, he said, for the past forty years.

They should have listened to him decades ago. We should listen to him now. Try it on, it fits.

This February, let’s vote for the guy who sees it before it happens instead of reacting to it after it’s too late. Let’s vote for the “unelectable” guy who hasn’t lost an election for 25 years.


Greg Tuveson

Dover

http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20151211/NEWS/151219831/101050/OPINION

[treestar]

1. ALWAYS is not a good idea to claim

No one is perfect.

[seabeckind]

2. All it takes to refute it is one instance.

You think anyone else noticed you didn't refute it with even one instance?

So what issue do you see where Bernie has been wrong?

Perhaps we might discuss it.

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Bernie was wrong to vote against the Brady Bill.

Discuss.

[zalinda]

7. Discussion vs facts

Did Bernie Sanders vote against background checks and waiting periods for gun purchases?

<snip>
After some back and forth, a version of the bill resurfaced that reinstated the five day waiting period. In November 1993, Sanders voted against that version but for an amendment imposing an instant background check instead (seen by some as pointless, as the technology for instant checks didn’t exist at the time).

• He also voted against an amendment that would have ended state waiting periods, and for an amendment giving those denied a gun the right to know why.

<snip>
According to Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ reason for opposing the Brady bill was two-fold. First, he believed implementing a national waiting period was federal overreach. And second, he was doing his job.

"He wasn't opposed to states having (waiting periods) if they wanted to. The Republicans wanted to repeal waiting periods in states that had them, and Bernie voted that down," Weaver said. "He said he would be against waiting periods, and he kept his word to the people of Vermont."

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jul/10/generation-forward-pac/did-bernie-sanders-vote-against-background-checks-/


Z

[Cali_Democrat]

8. Did Bernie vote against the Brady Bill?

Yes or no?

[Kentonio]

9. Asking for yes/no answers to that kind of question is not asking for honesty

The complexity of bills and amendments and the habit congress has of attaching riders to things that completely change the overall picture makes yes/no unrepresentative of a lot of votes. Not to mention that sometimes 'vote for this, or something worse will pass' is a very real thing that members have to deal with regularly.

If you want to know why someone voted the way they did, you have to get much deeper than 'yes or no'. Unless you're just trying to score cheap points.

[pangaia]

11. "If you want to know why someone voted the way they did, you have to get much deeper than 'yes or no

Exactly. But that takes effort, and is not as likely to score points.

[seabeckind]

21. That is how I look at it.

There were good parts of the bill and bad parts.

After weighing those factors Bernie made a choice.

After hearing his thoughts behind it, I agree with his choice.

I don't consider it a mistake.

Going along with a criticism based on a pure yes/no I consider a much bigger mistake.

[Kalidurga]

27. You are too funny

you say discuss then say don't discuss, just answer yes or no. Which is it that you really want?

[artislife]

22. Gosh, I guess when can use the same reasoning to the phrase

h is the most electible candidate

except for the voters who were always against the war

except for the voters who believe glass steagal should be put back in place

except for the voters who think citizen united should be abolished now and not some future election

except for the voters who think climate change is the number one issue facing this country

kind of like that.

We should all be aware of our use of language.

Good point, Cal_democrat.

[treestar]

6. I was stating the general idea

that nobody is perfect.

All it takes it one instance, so it won't last long.

[seabeckind]

20. I would have preferred a more substantive response.

Perhaps a little discussion about an issue rather than a quip and and a quit.

[Persondem]

29. Here are some of his mistakes quantified.

1.3 Trillion dollars – cost of f-35 program supported by Sanders (now at least 70% over budget)
8.6 Billion dollars cut from Food Stamps with his vote
95,000.00 - dollars accepted in donations from machinist aerospace workers PAC while providing ongoing support for the f-35
10,000.00 - dollars accepted by Sanders from Clinton’s PAC in 2006 (So he was ok taking Wall St money then)
5 – Votes against the Brady Bill
1 – Vote to allow guns in National Parks (that’s all it took)
1 – Immigration Bill killed by his hand (2007)

[gtuveson]

35. Noted.

I might mention, as the author of the letter, that when submitting to the paper it was published in, one doesn't write their own headings. The paper's editors write their own. Omitting "always" would have been more respectful of the spirit of the letter. Another paper published it under the heading "It's Time to Start Listening to Bernie."

[Live and Learn]

3. K&R nt

[Ino]

4. Bernie is right instinctively.

He doesn't need to triangulate, poll test, etc. He knows what is right, speaks honestly, and sticks to his principles.

[lunatica]

10. Other than too many gnats buzzing around in this thread

I think Bernie is one of those very rare politicians who goes with his moral compass on issues. He's never been weighed down by popular opinion or what's safe to say.

It doesn't matter to me if at times he's been wrong. It only matters that he's honest with himself and us.

[libdem4life]

12. This ^^^^

[pangaia]

13. Very good.

He is a human being first.
Then a public servant.
Then, a politician-- as a chosen profession to serve other human beings.

[senz]

16. Well said. (nt)

[artislife]

23. He does have a moral compass that is very apparent to see. nt

[madokie]

24. Exactly

spot on

[Akamai]

14. Psychologists talk about fast-thinking and slow-thinking -- Bernie gets it right both ways.

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman proved that we have these two systems at work within us.

"Fast-thinking" is a quick, gut response that tends to bypass our sober logical thinking process. Most of our decisions are made this way. For example, in driving, we respond very quickly to traffic conditions and we would not be able to state out loud in real time how we make correctly the huge number of decisions we make. Indeed in driving we are likely to be focused on our own thoughts, maybe mostly listening to "Brunch With Bernie" on the Thom Hartmann Radio Show, giving full attention to driving at certain particularly thorny commuting conundrums.

"Slow-thinking" involves logical reasoning, may well involve getting more outside data, trying to avoid logical mistakes, etc.

These two systems of thinking work in us pretty seamlessly.

I certainly trust Bernie in both his Fast-thinking and Slow-thinking responses.

Also, his pattern recognition skills are superb -- for example, in saying "No" loudly and repeatedly to the Iraq War, to banksters crashing the economy, to the incredible wealth inequality we have in this country, to the horrors of global warming, etc., etc.

Bernie has no need for a polling group to dictate his policies, has no interest in personal power.

What Bernie Sanders does have is a burning commitment to solving problems and helping people. And he has a very lengthy track record of being absolutely correct on important matters very, very much earlier than anyone else.

[senz]

19. Yes! Nailed it.

Thanks for this!

And welcome to DU!

[Akamai]

25. Thank you, Sir! Bernie is certainly a uniter of people.

[senz]

15. Bernie is what the other politicians pretend to be.

He is indeed the Real Deal.

Pretty much the opposite of Hillary.

[Go Vols]

32. +1

[Ferd Berfel]

17. Bernie has PROVEN Judgement - Hillary triangulates

I'll take proven judgement

[Android3.14]

18. "Is she misleading her donors or misleading us?"

I'd like someone from the Hillary camp to answer that one.

It's either she's lying to the donors, to us, to both or to neither.

[Ferd Berfel]

33. You don't take money from the fascist oligarchy and then change your mind

[RandySF]

26. Really?

Even when he voted to prevent the CDC from studying gun violence?

[slipslidingaway]

28. knr nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

30. Great LTTE!

This February, let’s vote for the guy who sees it before it happens instead of reacting to it after it’s too late. Let’s vote for the “unelectable” guy who hasn’t lost an election for 25 years.

Couldn't agree more!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[UglyGreed]

31. K/R

[madokie]

34. As Bernie says

"Don't underestimate me."