SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at a 2010 rally for single-payer health care in Vermont. (Photo: Jobs with Justice/cc/flickr)
What Ails this Country? Bernie Sanders Will Ask You
"What is government if not a relationship with the people?"-resident of Concord, Massachusetts
"I think the amount of influence I have, or anyone has, as a member of the public basically comes from free discourse." -resident of Concord, Massachusetts
May 02, 2015
"What is government if not a relationship with the people?"-resident of Concord, Massachusetts
"I think the amount of influence I have, or anyone has, as a member of the public basically comes from free discourse." -resident of Concord, Massachusetts
Bernie Sanders' 2012 campaign in Vermont for US Senate was not the celebrity affair of many campaigns that present a glossy image with short vacuous slogans. His campaign through rural Vermont was an exercise in democracy. What an anomaly in this cynical time. His approach is so rare and so respectful, I am not sure we will know what to do with it if he conducts the same kind of campaign for the presidency.
He would show up in a town of 6000 residents in northern Vermont, step into a high school meeting room and fully engage the community. Not through mesmerizing residents with modulated speech patterns, but through discussion. He would ask the group of 100 people or more, "Why can't people get jobs? What is going on with the economy? How do we lower unemployment?" One woman answers, "Wall Street is the problem", another says, "taxes hurt small business" and then others give their opinions. After listening and responding briefly to people's comments, Bernie shares his opinions. Mixed into his answers are statistics, analyses, and his own take on the issue.
He offers not only an avenue for democratic activity through open discussion, but an education on what ails this country. He is an educator in the best sense. Education that empowers with information and opportunities to critically approach a problem.
Economic inequality, climate change, health care are topics he raised. His words are distilled down, speaking to what most concerns people in that room, without embellishment, manipulation of language, or obfuscation. And he leaves behind abstractions. He traces the national and even international issues to the problems of folks in tiny Northfield, Vermont.
We have lost this sense of ordinary people interacting with elected officials to solve problems. People feel helpless and powerless in our corrupt and highly polarized political system. Attendees left Bernie's meeting feeling empowered because they could share their concerns with other residents and with Bernie. They engaged in a substantive discussion of the issues and ultimately, this is what can change the world.
His open and equalizing approach to campaigning appeals, despite party affiliation. And his talk about jobs, social security, veterans' services, elevating wages appeals to both sides. Just his campaign may draw closer together the many that can't see the other side. And he can re-acquaint us with what it feels like to take part in democratic actions.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Elizabeth Oriel
Elizabeth Oriel is a conservation biologist, currently studying positive models of coexistence between humans and marine mammals. Previous research has been focused on animal welfare and climate change adaptation.
"What is government if not a relationship with the people?"-resident of Concord, Massachusetts
"I think the amount of influence I have, or anyone has, as a member of the public basically comes from free discourse." -resident of Concord, Massachusetts
Bernie Sanders' 2012 campaign in Vermont for US Senate was not the celebrity affair of many campaigns that present a glossy image with short vacuous slogans. His campaign through rural Vermont was an exercise in democracy. What an anomaly in this cynical time. His approach is so rare and so respectful, I am not sure we will know what to do with it if he conducts the same kind of campaign for the presidency.
He would show up in a town of 6000 residents in northern Vermont, step into a high school meeting room and fully engage the community. Not through mesmerizing residents with modulated speech patterns, but through discussion. He would ask the group of 100 people or more, "Why can't people get jobs? What is going on with the economy? How do we lower unemployment?" One woman answers, "Wall Street is the problem", another says, "taxes hurt small business" and then others give their opinions. After listening and responding briefly to people's comments, Bernie shares his opinions. Mixed into his answers are statistics, analyses, and his own take on the issue.
He offers not only an avenue for democratic activity through open discussion, but an education on what ails this country. He is an educator in the best sense. Education that empowers with information and opportunities to critically approach a problem.
Economic inequality, climate change, health care are topics he raised. His words are distilled down, speaking to what most concerns people in that room, without embellishment, manipulation of language, or obfuscation. And he leaves behind abstractions. He traces the national and even international issues to the problems of folks in tiny Northfield, Vermont.
We have lost this sense of ordinary people interacting with elected officials to solve problems. People feel helpless and powerless in our corrupt and highly polarized political system. Attendees left Bernie's meeting feeling empowered because they could share their concerns with other residents and with Bernie. They engaged in a substantive discussion of the issues and ultimately, this is what can change the world.
His open and equalizing approach to campaigning appeals, despite party affiliation. And his talk about jobs, social security, veterans' services, elevating wages appeals to both sides. Just his campaign may draw closer together the many that can't see the other side. And he can re-acquaint us with what it feels like to take part in democratic actions.
Elizabeth Oriel
Elizabeth Oriel is a conservation biologist, currently studying positive models of coexistence between humans and marine mammals. Previous research has been focused on animal welfare and climate change adaptation.
"What is government if not a relationship with the people?"-resident of Concord, Massachusetts
"I think the amount of influence I have, or anyone has, as a member of the public basically comes from free discourse." -resident of Concord, Massachusetts
Bernie Sanders' 2012 campaign in Vermont for US Senate was not the celebrity affair of many campaigns that present a glossy image with short vacuous slogans. His campaign through rural Vermont was an exercise in democracy. What an anomaly in this cynical time. His approach is so rare and so respectful, I am not sure we will know what to do with it if he conducts the same kind of campaign for the presidency.
He would show up in a town of 6000 residents in northern Vermont, step into a high school meeting room and fully engage the community. Not through mesmerizing residents with modulated speech patterns, but through discussion. He would ask the group of 100 people or more, "Why can't people get jobs? What is going on with the economy? How do we lower unemployment?" One woman answers, "Wall Street is the problem", another says, "taxes hurt small business" and then others give their opinions. After listening and responding briefly to people's comments, Bernie shares his opinions. Mixed into his answers are statistics, analyses, and his own take on the issue.
He offers not only an avenue for democratic activity through open discussion, but an education on what ails this country. He is an educator in the best sense. Education that empowers with information and opportunities to critically approach a problem.
Economic inequality, climate change, health care are topics he raised. His words are distilled down, speaking to what most concerns people in that room, without embellishment, manipulation of language, or obfuscation. And he leaves behind abstractions. He traces the national and even international issues to the problems of folks in tiny Northfield, Vermont.
We have lost this sense of ordinary people interacting with elected officials to solve problems. People feel helpless and powerless in our corrupt and highly polarized political system. Attendees left Bernie's meeting feeling empowered because they could share their concerns with other residents and with Bernie. They engaged in a substantive discussion of the issues and ultimately, this is what can change the world.
His open and equalizing approach to campaigning appeals, despite party affiliation. And his talk about jobs, social security, veterans' services, elevating wages appeals to both sides. Just his campaign may draw closer together the many that can't see the other side. And he can re-acquaint us with what it feels like to take part in democratic actions.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.