Bernie Sanders

Running as an Independent

In 1981, Sanders finally found political success as an Independent, when he defeated the Democrat incumbent by 10 votes to become the mayor of Burlington. He won reelection three times. In 1988,  Sanders ran for Congress against Republican Peter Smith, who defeated him, 41 percent to 38 percent. Democrat Paul Poirier received 18 percent of the vote. Two years later, Sanders capitalized on Smith’s support for the ban on semiautomatic weapons and, with the help of the National Rifle Association,, defeated the incumbent, becoming only the third Socialist elected to the House.

When he arrived in Congress, Democrats reluctantly accepted him into their caucus after a campaign that saw him liberally lob insults at the party. Sanders’ brusque style earned him the condemnation of such powerful and respected liberal Democrats as Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), who said Sanders “offends just about everyone.”Graff, Chris, “Bernie Sanders: Still A Maverick,” Politco, Feb. 9, 2007.   Although he caucused with the Democrats, they ran candidates against him each time he came up for re-election with the exception of 1994. He won every time..

Sanders has amassed a staunchly liberal voting record and gets a 99 percent legislative score from the AFL-CIO. He also formed the House Progressive Caucus, which he chaired for its first eight years. The group has grown to include 75 members and has been led by such progressives as Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.).

At two points during his tenure in the House, Sanders considered and then rejected a run for the Senate against then-Republican Sen. Jim Jeffords. In 2001 Jeffords left the Republican party and became an Independent in name and Democrat in practice, making a challenge from Sanders impractical. In 2005 Jeffords announced he would not seek another term in the Senate. That opened the door for Sanders, who said he would neither accept nor seek the Democratic nomination. Still, Democrats listed him on the primary ballot and he ran away with 94 percent of the vote. Sanders declined the nomination and petitioned the state to list him as an independent.  

Sanders’ Republican opponent was businessman Richard Tarrant, not Gov. Jim Douglas, who was thought to be the strongest possible challenger. Tarrant,,spent $7.3 million of his own money in the race and sought to portray Sanders as an ineffective radical. The strategy failed as Sanders was elected to the Senate by a 33 percent margin. Upon winning, Sanders pledged to take the fight he’d been waging in the House to the Senate. "The people of Vermont have told America that they are sick and tired of right-wing extremism," he said in his victory speech.  "President Bush and Vice President Cheney, this state is going to move America in a very different direction."Ring, Wilson, “Sanders, Welch are winners in Vermont,” The Boston Globe, Nov. 7, 2006.

Sanders remains a member of the Democratic caucus in the Senate and sits on the Budget, Energy and Natural Resources, Veterans’ Affairs and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.

The Economy

The senator has long supported government regulation of private business. In late 2008 he voted against the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, saying, “This proposal as presented is an unacceptable attempt to force middle income families to pick up the cost of fixing the horrendous economic mess that is the product of the Bush Administration's deregulatory fever and Wall Street's insatiable greed.” Instead, Sanders proposed a 10 percent tax on the income of individuals who make more than $500,000 a year and couples who make more than $1,000,000.Nichols, John, “Bernie Sanders: Bailout Transfers Wealth – Upward,” The Nation, Sept. 22, 2008.  The proposal failed.

After economic bailout legislation passed in October, 2008, Sanders introduced the Greed on Wall Street Act, a bill aimed at limiting compensation to executives in charge of banks receiving government bailout funds. The bill, which would have set the limit at $400,000, died in committee. Three months later President Obama proposed a similar limit on executive pay, only his cap was $500,000.Lerer, Lisa, “Senate's socialist scores a win,” Politico, Feb. 9, 2009.  

In 1999 Sanders opposed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which repealed a law prohibiting commercial banks from merging with investment banks. Many have seen this act of deregulation as one cause of the current financial crisis.Stein, Jonathan, “Phil Gramm's Culpability, Acknowledged,” Mother Jones, Feb. 20, 2009.  
Sanders joined fellow Democrats Russ Feingold (Wis.), Tom Harkin (Iowa) and Robert Byrd (WestVa.) in voting against the confirmation of Tim Geithner as Obama's Treasury secretary.

Trade

Sanders opposes America’s current trade policies, saying the North American Free Trade Agreement and other trade pacts have been a “disaster for American workers.” He believes such agreements steal jobs from American workers and propagate sweatshop labor  to the benefit of large multi-national corporations.Sen. Sanders’ Website

Health Care Reform