Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumBernie's Millions
(snip)
The real question is not what Bernie possesses but who his political program serves. The top 1 percent? In 2017, the very year of his peak royalties fortune, Sanders voted against the Trump tax cut giveaway, 85 percent of which went to the 1 percent.
Advocating economic justice despite possessing substantial wealth is not hypocrisy the name for that is integrity. Hypocrisy is when a news outlet that routinely promotes the fiction that everyone can be a millionaire slams someone for becoming one.
Bernies financial balance sheet was determined by his politics not the other way round. His financial windfall was an accidental side effect of movement-building, reaped by someone who has never shown any sign of being motivated primarily by individual gain. (Demagogues and fraudsters of that sort have been known to enter into politics.)
Accordingly, we should tally Bernies wealth in its moral and political dimensions, not by bank accounts and real estate. He does have many millions: the millions who would achieve health care under his Medicare for All policy, the millions whose Social Security he would protect, the millions of veterans whose benefits he has defended, the millions of students whose college education he would make free, the millions of supporters who have attended his rallies, knocked on doors, stood in caucuses, bought Our Revolution, talked to their relatives, made phone calls, and taken other small measures in their lives to use his message as a means to push for economic equality and democracy against the tendencies of contemporary capitalism that seem only to enrich the 1 percent at the expense of all others.
Those are Bernies millions.
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/05/bernie-politico-antisemitism-democratic-socialist-millionaire-net-worth
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)Jacobin is a democratic socialist quarterly magazine based in New York offering American leftist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.
Articles include pieces on wealth inequality, the power of mass protest, pieces on unions.
Its paid print circulation was 36,000.
Noam Chomsky has called the magazine "a bright light in dark times".
https://tinyurl.com/yxjh8epm
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Uncle Joe
(58,354 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,327 posts)getting an abortion because they REALLY need one.
"His financial windfall was an accidental side effect of movement-building."
That's a hell of a side effect.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
George II
(67,782 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
you are so right
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,327 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Autumn
(45,058 posts)Last edited Mon May 27, 2019, 11:07 AM - Edit history (1)
and now being worth around 80 million and his wife is worth around 45 mil? What about Obama being worth around 40 mil ? Pelosi around 16mil ? Di Fi a cool 58 mil? The Bidens are worth about 2 mil and have a deal for 8 mil for 3 books yet to be written.
There's your one hell of a side effect.
The ones that are obsessed with Sanders' paltry 2 mil are fine with all of our other Dems wealth. But... BERNIE!!!!
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,327 posts)Sanders has and no higher. Got it.
Jacobin is definitely not fine with other (sic) Democrats' wealth, but they sure do a lot of work reminding us that Sanders' is somehow DIFFERENT. Maybe because he's not a Democrat? IDEK.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Autumn
(45,058 posts)Obama's or the Sander's wealth. They all earned their money. But I laugh at people who trash Bernie for his while giving a pass to the others. I also find the accusation that Sanders supporters only think that Bernie's 2 mill is acceptable to be laughable along with the HE'S NOT A DEMOCRAT!!!! to be the highest order of hypocrisy.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
murielm99
(30,735 posts)then he is not as good a writer as the others.
Nancy Pelosi was wealthy before she took office.
I mean, as long as we are making dollar comparisons.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Autumn
(45,058 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
murielm99
(30,735 posts)on a discussion board.
If we don't like what you say, we have to shut up and ignore it.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Autumn
(45,058 posts)Dems in office becoming wealthy. By the way, not all of their wealth is from their book sales.
then he is not as good a writer as the others.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
murielm99
(30,735 posts)you were the one who told me not to contribute to this thread.
And you were the one who brought other Democrats into it. This thread was about Bernie, and it was not necessarily critical of him to start out.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)Still fighting the 2016 primary?
But remember, the Clintons weren't "millionaires" while in office and didn't become so until they were private citizens. Plus, the Clintons didn't devote their political careers decrying the rich and "1%".
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Autumn
(45,058 posts)Clinton and Sanders in a response having nothing to do with politics but their personal wealth then you know what to do George. Botton left-hand corner. One and done.
7. Side effect? What do you call Bill Clinton, one of our best being broke when he left the White House
and now being worth around 80 million and his wife is worth around 45 mil? What about Obama being worth around 40 mil ? Pelosi around 16mil ? Di Fi a cool 58 mil? The Bidens are worth about 2 mil and have a deal for 8 mil for 3 books yet to be written.
There's your one hell of a side effect.
The ones that are obsessed with Sanders' paltry 2 mil are fine with all of our other Dems wealth. But... BERNIE!!!!
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
George II
(67,782 posts)....the Clintons, Pelosi, Feinstein, and the Bidens are a "side effect" of, as the article put it, Sanders' "financial windfall" which was "an accidental side effect".
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Me.
(35,454 posts)for inconvenient questions
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
lapucelle
(18,252 posts)Interesting.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Autumn
(45,058 posts)due to White Water. I imagine some of their book money went to pay those legal bills. You always have the most "interesting innuendos". As you are well aware Sanders wrote a few books while in office too so yeah, he made money.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
lapucelle
(18,252 posts)Most people are well aware that millionaire BS spent August 2016 maximizing his wealth when he could have been doing other things.
Democrats will never forget that BS prioritized building his bank account in August 2016.
Nor will history forget.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)....was out on the campaign trail, campaigning for Obama.
In 2016 Sanders was conspicuously absent for six weeks after the Convention. As you point out, he had other priorities other than helping the Democrats retain the Presidency.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
lapucelle
(18,252 posts)writing a few pages here and there so you can bank the book advance and maximize pre-sales and profits on Amazon with a November 2016 release date.
Don't forget to schedule the advance ticket sales for the lucrative book tour! Those books won't sell themselves!
Not ME...US, indeed.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BannonsLiver
(16,370 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
stonecutter357
(12,695 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Uncle Joe
(58,354 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Its about what I dont have.
I see Sanders supporters taking the bait about Sanders Millions.
If you dont care that Sanders has millions or million then dont care about it.
I dont care about it and I dont even like Sanders anymore.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Me.
(35,454 posts)And is for every politician and why we want to see tax returns.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
lapucelle
(18,252 posts)side effect" sounds reasonable to me.
And as for the moral dimensions of BS's wealth, Politico notes that the accidental side effect of his wealth is due to
and it is a comfort to know that not every American got screwed as a result of 2016. We should all be happy for BS!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)heist was designed to reward, i.e., those of accidentally increased equality.
I do wish, though, that his nearly 30 years in the house and senate had somehow managed to reduce that increasing inequality, even a tiny bit. I'm quite sure his talk never increased my net income by a penny a year or allowed even one to stay in my pocket. Some benefit, accidental or on purpose doesn't matter, would have been very welcome.
But maybe as president he'd finally dig deep and find the real Bernie Sanders he knows is in there.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)"The millions who would achieve health care under his Medicare for All policy" - how many have healthcare insurance under his policy?
"The millions whose Social Security he would protect" - how many have had their social security protected any more than previously?
"The millions of veterans whose benefits he has defended" - how many have not lost their benefits because of him?
"The millions of students whose college education he would make free" - how many college students have received free education?
If he hasn't been able to achieve any of these as a Congressman or Senator, what makes anyone think he'll be able to achieve them as president who can't even vote on any of them?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden