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
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, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —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.