Hellobee Boards

I totally agree with you. I love the ideas...I just don't really believe in the ability to have that drastic of a change (since he'll still be dealing with congress) and I think some of his proposed ideas could have more damaging ripple effects.
I like him, I like his passion and his willingness to push for change. But I just can't get behind him.
But if he were the nominee, I'd still vote for him.

I know next to nothing about Bernie Sanders BUT I'm Canadian, we have universal health care, and we still have insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc. Not everything is covered under universal health care so people still also have workplace insurance - for example, prescription medicine isn't generally covered, but my work insurance covers it, so I still have to submit my receipts, etc. to my insurance.

A lot of countries have a two tiered system. Where a payroll tax might cover catastrophic insurance so no one has to hit some crazy deductible if something happens. Insurance companies still play a decent roll though.

I think I am leaning towards him, more bc I dislike the other candidates but the more I hear and read about him the more I like. Which is the opposite for me for Clinton, the more I read about her the less I like. I do think a lot of his ideas will be reigned in but I do think US individual debt has gotten out of control and its good he's campaigning and bringing it up.

@Anagram: yeah, if you listen to Hillary his plans would increase the federal gov't by 40%. Lots of jobs still.

No, I don't think he will be able to implement his universal healthcare/college plans. He'd have to raise taxes quite significantly on everyone, low- and middle-income included, to do it. He says that just the healthcare part will require a $1.4 trillion increase in revenue. That's a huge amount of money, even by U.S. government standards. His plan is to raise taxes on income by 2.2% and then raise taxes on employers by 6.2% (the "employer tax" should be read as "tax on workers" because as an economic matter "employer taxes" come out of employee salaries). I suppose it's to his credit that he seems to acknowledge that he'll have to tax people who are barely scraping by, although "Hitting Low- and Middle-Income Americans With Higher Taxes" is never the headline.

To put the $1.4 trillion in context, the government could decide not spend a dime on the U.S. military for a year and still need to raise hundreds of billions of dollars that year to get to $1.4 trillion. And that's assuming that $1.4 trillion is a reasonable estimate. Campaigns generally try to present numbers in a relatively positive light, so I'm going to take a wild guess that $1.4 trillion is possibly a tad optimistic.

I haven't seen concrete numbers about his plans for paying for completely-taxpayer-funded college, but I think that the phrase that best applies to that proposal is "pipe dream."

I think a lot of things have become predatory, like banking, college tuitions/student loans, etc and I would love to see more regulation on them. And some things, like prisons, just shouldn't be privatized industries! Oh my gosh, there shouldn't be a profit motive for imprisoning more people! I'd like to see Clinton's crime bill rolled back, and I like how Sanders voted against that back in the 90s.

I like Sanders, but you're right, I don't know how he'd get legislation past a hostile Congress. Maybe I'm just hoping he'll lead a wave of more change.

@lawbee11: that's exactly how I feel. I will vote for whoever gets the nomination between the two, because I honestly can't stomach any one of the Republican candidates. In a perfect world, Bernie would win and then every democrat out there would turn up for the mid term elections and turn the house in our favor. But my pragmatic side tells me I will vote for either.

@Tidybee: This exactly! I love his ideas, love what he stands for, and love that he just doesn't give a shit about whose toes he is going to step on if it is for the greater good, BUT, I just don't think a lot of his ideas are ever going to get through and we'd be stuck exactly where we are now.

As much as I like Obama and think he's done an amazing job in horrendous conditions, I think we need someone who is a bit less polarising for our next president in order to try and make some actual progress. Obama hit a road block for every single thing he proposed, simply because of who he is, (I won't get started on how ragey that makes me!) and I don't think we can handle another four or eight years of that. So for me, that means Hillary, as I think she's a bit more middle of the road, has shown she can work with both parties, and whilst I don't particularly love her, I think she is far and away the most qualified candidate and the one most likely to get things done. Would love to see Bernie as VP though!

This is a good article which really solidified my support of Bernie http://benjaminstudebaker.com/2016/02/05/why-bernie-vs-hillary-matters-more-than-people-think/#more-2620

I've been waffling because I totally agree that he is probably not electable. If he's the candidate going up against any of the republican ones who are also not very electable I foresee someone like Bloomberg jumping into the race.

That being said, I think that it is important for me to vote for Sanders in the primary to show my support for his policies. I just simply don't believe that healthcare should be a for-profit system and I believe that the income inequality this country is currently experiencing is shameful.

What kills me about all these discussion is that we, the people, have control over the congress--but people don't turn out for mid term elections! WHY??? The voter turnout is so low and people weirdly tend to vote for the opposite party of whoever is in the White House, so everything is just gridlocked. The parties don't work together anymore and they don't seem interested in working together.

@Anagram: Totally agree. This country is so polarized it's scary. I don't really view a Clinton or Sanders presidency as one that will get much of their platform enacted but rather as an impediment to the platform of the other side being put into place.

I feel like out of all the candidates, Republican and Democrat, he's fighting for all of us. I believe in a lot of what he is saying and I appreciate that he's been saying the same things throughout his political career.

A lot of people didn't think that President Obama would be able to pass the ACA, but he did amid Republican opposition. We also never thought that gay marriage would be legalized, but it was even though there was a lot of opposition.

So - I'll share my two cents as someone completely on the other side of the fence.

I like to end on a positive...so I'll start with the bad...Bernie's thoughts scare the crap out of me because he is a self proclaimed socialist and I am the exact opposite. So fundamentally I disagree with much of what he says and what his plans are. Ok - thats it...albeit a big one - that really sums up my issues with him.

Here is what I like...he seems "honest" (I think quotes are required anytime you use honest and any politician in a sentence) and I believe he is truly passionate about what he says. I believe he is saying what he feels and not what a team of advisers has instructed him will poll well. I think in that regard he is very much a breathe of fresh air in the game of American Politics.

Now bear with me for a minute and dont freak out - In some ways I see similarities between him and Trump...they are both passionate men, who believe what they say (and dont really let the political games affect their dialogue). I respect that - I want someone passionate about change. I want someone who is going to come in and challenge the status quo and really shake things up. That is why I think they are carrying so much support because they are so different from the talking heads we are used to.

If I were on the other side of the fence, and agreed with some of his policies/ideas/suggestions - it would be a no brainer to me between him and HRC. To me HRC represents so much of what is wrong in DC - plus I just feel she has lost so much accountability in what she says/does.

Just the thoughts from someone on the other side of the spectrum.

@Mrs D: I see a LOT of similarities between him and Trump. and I've seen several articles pointing out how similar they are in spite of being diametrically opposed in partisanship.

I love his ideas, his passion and his grit. I like that he tells the people whose boots every other candidate is licking clean that he has zero use for them and to basically eff off because they can’t buy him. I also think he’s electable, especially if young voters actually come out a vote (a big if, for sure!). That said, I had better odds of winning that billion dollar Powerball than he has getting *anything* through a Republican controlled house or senate. Of course that last bit goes for Hilary too. My God, another Clinton in the white house. It would be mayhem and guaranteed gridlock.

I hope changes are made in banking regulations and college costs that will fall short of his ideal – but will make huge impacts on the middle class nonetheless. It would be great to see steps taken in the right direction.

Like a few others have said, one of my biggest concerns this election is the Supreme Court. Lifetime positions to the highest court are a huge deal, and not something I want to give to the party which has put forward no less than 100+ legal attacks on reproductive rights in the past couple of years, as that is an issue that is so very important to me. The party divisions are pretty starkly clear on many, many issues and I don’t want anyone but HRC or Bernie (out of the current field of candidates from both parties) appointing to our highest court.

I don't know if this will fuel pro or anti hillary sentiment, but I do agree that she oozes politician in the media and on the campaign trail and will do and say what she can to get elected. However I have seen her in "backstage" moments and when she was a senator, dealing with families of people with Alzheimer's, a really important cause only she has mentioned this year and one she has been passionate about and working on behind the scenes for many years. I really believe she has a heart and really cares. I watch Morning Joe every morning and they also say that people who know her really genuinely like her and that her problem is she doesn't show enough of that hillary.
@Mrs D: of course, they're alike - that's why they're both on top! it reflects how the country feels...just very different values...

Sanders is polling a little better than Clinton against Republican candidates
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_presidential_race.html

I guess what is another big issue and he did a better job hitting on in the debate last night is Climtons foreign policy. She's very hawkish and its a bit strange as a democrat to praise Kissinger. Even what she did in Libya was very questionable.

No I don't think he will be able to implement nearly everything, but I'm not okay with the status quo and he is trying to make big changes. It would be a whole culture shift which willl take decades to truly turn this country around in that way. But he's putting himself out there and trying to start, and that to me is worth something!

@lawbee11: lol, I know, I'm asking a lot of the general public! But almost more than anything else, given the ages of several supremes it's a top concern of mine.

@yoursilverlining: YES! I think a lot of people aren't aware that it's entirely likely that our next president will get to appoint 2-3 Supreme Court justices.

I love his attitude. I agree with a lot of his stances. Yes, I think Congress will be assholes and block everything he has to do, but I also think that maybe some of them should think long and hard about how pissed people are at the government before they do it.... That aside. I mainly admire his willingness to call bullshit. He's honest and I trust him, as much as I would trust any politician.

Plus, I'd love to see a president not from one of the big parties. Sanders is running as a dem, but he's actually an independent. Screw the two party system.

That being said.... I'll vote fro HRM if I'm forced to. I absolutely cannot vote for a racist or someone who wants to impose their religion on the rest of us.