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Socialist Sanders Poised to Win a Senate Seat
Guest poster Jennifer Nedeau considers the prospect of Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joining the Senate...
Bernie Sanders is comfortably ahead of his opponent in the Senate race. (By Toby Talbot -- Associated Press)
As Republicans attempt to motivate their base with dire predictions of a Congress run by uber-liberals like Nancy Pelosi, they seem at peace with the fact that a Vermont socialist is poised to take a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Vermont Rep. Bernard Sanders, according to most polls, is far ahead in his bid to win the seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Jeffords, the former Republican who went "independent" in 2001 after switching his support to the Democrats.
"If elected Tuesday, he would be the first self-proclaimed socialist to serve in the Senate," according Raja Mishra of the Boston Globe.
Mishra writes that "Bernie" could soon join the pantheon of other self-proclaimed socialists known by their first name only --"Fidel, Vladimir, and Karl." But Sanders is not seen as a stern ideologue. He calls himself a "democratic socialist," and served officially as an independent while in the House. And Sanders's leftist political leanings apparently appeal to Vermont's crunchy Ben and Jerry's population as well as the larger electorate within the state. He is considered an "affable figure among his constituents," who admire is "contrarian" streak, according to the Globe.
As an eight-term member of the House, Sanders is the closest thing to an incumbent in Vermont's Senate election. He even ran in the Democratic primary to keep out "intruders," according to the Burlington Free Press. However, after making an arrangement with Democratic Party leaders, Sanders "declined the nomination after winning the primary so he could run as usual as an independent."
In the 435-member House chamber Sanders did not make much of dent in the political debate. He could certainly have a larger impact in the 100-member Senate where smaller factions of lawmakers can control the outcome of major legislative actions and the rules allow for unlimited debate.
And though he plans to caucus with the Democrats, Sanders told The Globe that he has "some differences with the Democratic Party in not being strong enough in standing up for working families and taking on big money interests," and that being independent "allows me, interestingly enough, a lot of flexibility." He went on to say, "You'd be surprised. I can join coalitions with Republicans on an issue-by-issue basis."
Today's Washington Post profiled Sanders as well, noting that he's not afraid of a fight, even if it's with fellow leftists: "Sanders annoys some to his left (admittedly a rather small neighborhood). Peter Diamondstone -- who founded the Liberty Union and is running for the Senate this year -- has had more doctrinal splits with Bernie than they have fingers. Now 72, he recalls spending the night at Sanders's Burlington apartment in 1981. They argued over dinner, they argued over dessert, they argued deep into the night. After turning in, Diamondstone says, 'there was a few minutes of silence and we began yelling at each other up and down the stairs.'"
-- Jennifer Nedeau
By washingtonpost.com Editors |
November 5, 2006; 2:08 PM ET
| Category:
Senate
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Get This Widget >>
Posted by: Cori Smith | November 8, 2006 2:07 PM
Jeebie: "Did Sanders go to school in America? Seems to me socialism was taught as the antithesis of everything our founding fathers fought and died for."
Let's see: Arrests without trials. Imprisonment in secret jails without notification to family or the right to see an attorney. Waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and hypothermia treatments during interrogations. Wiretapping American citizens without a warrant.
I guess I didn't go to school in America either. Because I was taught these are things our founding fathers fought against (though unless you call Nathan Hale a Founding Father, I don't know of any national leaders that actually died in the Revolution. And yes, I know wiretapping didn't exist when the Founding Fathers were around, but they did prohibit "unreasonable searches").
Seems to me Bernie Sanders is as American as they come.
Posted by: Try and Try Again | November 7, 2006 4:47 AM
I don't appreciate the condescending tone of the article "Vermont's crunchy Ben and Jerry's population." Is this meant to be informative or an editorial? If the latter, please let us know in advance.
Posted by: Charles Germany | November 7, 2006 12:00 AM
Did Sanders go to school in America? Seems to me socialism was taught as the antithesis of everything our founding fathers fought and died for. Welcome any input on how socialism would enhance freedom or liberty.
Posted by: Jeebie | November 6, 2006 8:42 PM
What does it day about the democrat party when a avowed socialist like bernie sanders will caucus with them when he's elected to the senate. When will America wake and smell what's happening to our great country?
Posted by: An American Citizen | November 6, 2006 3:37 PM
Bernie Sanders is no better a socialist than Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Barney Franks.
Posted by: individual | November 6, 2006 3:24 PM
Sanders is going to cruise. Rothenberg still thinks Dems can get to six seats.
Posted by: JNutting | November 5, 2006 2:24 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
I think you people (and by you people, I mean those posting) need to do some research on what you are talking about before you voice what you think. Socialism fights for equality of all people: equality of opportunity, equality of resources, equality in general. Who in their right mind can be against equality. As for what you learned in your Junior High social studies class about socialism, why don't you look into the party yourself and see what it is they (socialists) really stand for. Every type of government has failed at some point, look at the "representative democracy" we are living in right now where the VAST majority of people are NOT represented! And where we have more problems than could even be listed in this space.
If you really want to know what socialism is all about and all the good it could do for our country go here: wsws.org