Jan 28, 2020
This is probably not the first time you've gotten "Tips for Better Sex." So far you've been told that sex is all about chemistry and spontaneity. But we're here to tell you that sex isn't just about the right lingerie or the right position. What does it really take to have mind-blowing sex? Here are ten tips--firmly planted in the demand for universal programs and public benefits--guaranteed to provide the conditions for hotter, better sex for all of us.
While public benefits programs help guarantee our basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders has given us a platform for fighting back against decades of elites' self-serving claims that markets--making profits for a few at the expense of the many--are the only way to meet our needs and solve our problems.
Instead of the joy-reducing and stressful reality of the status quo, we argue for well-run government programs that can and should improve our personal lives, our families' lives, our work lives, our lives as citizens, and--yes--our sex lives too.
"We need public programs that support the public good: decent jobs, housing, health care, education, and clean air and water for everyone. Bernie is the only candidate that leaves no one behind. And public programs that support the public good will mean better sex for all of us."
In a country of growing inequality--a nation in which 4 out of 10 Americans cannot cover a $400 emergency--financial disaster and crises lurk around every corner. Too many of us are just one illness, or accident away from bankruptcy. In a situation where one insurance co-pay or rent hike; one hurricane or flood; one car or home repair; one cutback in hours or loss of a job; one kid who needs daycare, much less a college education--could send us off a cliff. Juggling these bills and the precarity of our daily lives can make a good night's sleep, much less good sex impossible for many Americans.
With Bernie we are taking on the status quo pundits and politicians who tell us that all we need is a return to "normalcy." But it was normalcy that brought us these sleepless nights. Instead of accepting what corporate elites agree to give us, we are saying enough already. Nothing short of political revolution will do. It will take a strong sense of solidarity and purpose to win the kind of victories that will allow more of us to enjoy better sex and the good night's sleep that follows.
Bernie's campaign offers us a rare opportunity to seize our collective destiny. We deserve something better. We deserve a better politics that promotes the public good. We deserve a better world. We deserve better sex. And here--for starters--are ten good reasons why sex will be better when there's a President Bernie Sanders in the White House.
1. Sex should be risque, not risky.
Imagine how much better sex would be if we had a health care system where people, not profits, came first. A system that provided free contraception; allowed women to terminate their pregnancy; and supported those who chose to bring their pregnancies to term. A system that prevented and treated STDs, provided trans services, and allowed us all to stay limber into our twilight years. For the best sex, we need Medicare for All.
2. Sex is better when you can focus on the (ahem) job at hand.
Great sex happens when we have enough time to connect, when we're not exhausted from working three jobs, caring for kids and aging parents, and doing the laundry. A living wage, paid family leave, shorter workweeks, reasonable work schedules, and secure retirement are all essential ingredients for a long and fulfilling love life. Better work means better sex.
3. For a great time in bed you need some privacy.
While there's something to be said for hooking up behind the bleachers or in front of an audience, most of us require a bit of privacy for satisfying sex. An affordable home--without 10 roommates, predatory loan sharks menacing you, or absentee landlords--will do wonders for your sex life. For intimate sex, we need affordable housing.
4. Of course, part of privacy includes not having toddlers in your bedroom.
Unless you're trying to get a laugh in a sitcom, having kids walk in on their parents usually kills the mood. That's just one of the many reasons we need universal childcare that provides our kids with safe and affordable places to play. Childcare gives us the time and space we need to be better parents, friends, and lovers--not to mention just happier people ourselves.
5. We all need to understand what sex is!
Well-paid teachers lead to well-laid adults. To have good sex we need to understand how to get it on safely and pleasurably. Unless we want the next generation to learn how to have sex on this swamp--the Internet, that is--we need schools that are safe, well funded, and staffed with knowledgeable sex-ed teachers. For hotter (but very safe) sex, we need great public schools.
6. Okay, maybe Cosmo did get something right: amazing sex takes confidence!
But $50 cologne and $100 panties are not the key to confidence. Working in a country where your body and choices are respected--that's good for confidence! Strong unions, strong laws against harassment and discrimination, and strong leaders who defend our sexual freedom rather than threaten, bully, and shame us--all this will do more to put us in the mood than a trip to Venice or Vegas. In a society where all people are treated with dignity and respect, sex is better.
7. Sex is especially hot when neither bars nor borders nor endless war separate us from our partners.
Mass incarceration locks up our loved ones and destroys healthy relationships. Endless wars tear people apart for years at a time and militarized borders separate too many of us from the people most dear to us. If we spent less money propagating violence at home and abroad, and more resources on rehabilitation and restorative justice, we could all spend more time holding the people we love.
"Other politicians will promise you the moon. Only President Sanders can improve your sex life. Everybody in. Nobody Out."
8. Sex is better when the environment isn't toxic and the planet isn't burning.
We want our lovers to have trouble catching their breath because of butterflies, not because they have pollution-induced asthma. We want our partners to feel the heat of our passion, not the heat of climate change-fueled wildfires. Polluted water and dirty air kill the mood. Sane industrial regulation and a rapid renewable energy transition--these are the aphrodisiacs we need.
9. Economic independence is a HUGE turn on!
People who can choose their partners based on mutual attraction and free from economic dependency are guaranteed a better time in bed. When your student debt has been forgiven, when your education is free, and when you have no medical bills waiting to be paid off, you'll always be able to do it for love, not money. Economic security is the cornerstone of sexual health and happiness.
10. Sex would be better with Bernie Sanders.
We need public programs that support the public good: decent jobs, housing, health care, education, and clean air and water for everyone. Bernie is the only candidate that leaves no one behind. And public programs that support the public good will mean better sex for all of us.
Other politicians will promise you the moon. Only President Sanders can improve your sex life. Everybody in. Nobody Out.
Because when everyone is doing better... that's sexy as hell.
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Mary Summers
Mary Summers is a lecturer in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She has published articles in The Nation, Urban Affairs Quarterly, Political Science and Politics, Agricultural History and several edited volumes. She also worked for many years in health care as a Physician Assistant and in politics as a speech writer for Jesse Jackson, Harriett Woods, Dennis Kucinich, and John Daniels.
Hadass Silver
Hadass Silver is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation examines how mainstream ideology informs grassroots organizing in the United States today.
bernie sandersdemocratic partyeducationelection 2020green new dealhousingimmigrationlgbtqmedicare for allsocial securitywar on terrorwomen
This is probably not the first time you've gotten "Tips for Better Sex." So far you've been told that sex is all about chemistry and spontaneity. But we're here to tell you that sex isn't just about the right lingerie or the right position. What does it really take to have mind-blowing sex? Here are ten tips--firmly planted in the demand for universal programs and public benefits--guaranteed to provide the conditions for hotter, better sex for all of us.
While public benefits programs help guarantee our basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders has given us a platform for fighting back against decades of elites' self-serving claims that markets--making profits for a few at the expense of the many--are the only way to meet our needs and solve our problems.
Instead of the joy-reducing and stressful reality of the status quo, we argue for well-run government programs that can and should improve our personal lives, our families' lives, our work lives, our lives as citizens, and--yes--our sex lives too.
"We need public programs that support the public good: decent jobs, housing, health care, education, and clean air and water for everyone. Bernie is the only candidate that leaves no one behind. And public programs that support the public good will mean better sex for all of us."
In a country of growing inequality--a nation in which 4 out of 10 Americans cannot cover a $400 emergency--financial disaster and crises lurk around every corner. Too many of us are just one illness, or accident away from bankruptcy. In a situation where one insurance co-pay or rent hike; one hurricane or flood; one car or home repair; one cutback in hours or loss of a job; one kid who needs daycare, much less a college education--could send us off a cliff. Juggling these bills and the precarity of our daily lives can make a good night's sleep, much less good sex impossible for many Americans.
With Bernie we are taking on the status quo pundits and politicians who tell us that all we need is a return to "normalcy." But it was normalcy that brought us these sleepless nights. Instead of accepting what corporate elites agree to give us, we are saying enough already. Nothing short of political revolution will do. It will take a strong sense of solidarity and purpose to win the kind of victories that will allow more of us to enjoy better sex and the good night's sleep that follows.
Bernie's campaign offers us a rare opportunity to seize our collective destiny. We deserve something better. We deserve a better politics that promotes the public good. We deserve a better world. We deserve better sex. And here--for starters--are ten good reasons why sex will be better when there's a President Bernie Sanders in the White House.
1. Sex should be risque, not risky.
Imagine how much better sex would be if we had a health care system where people, not profits, came first. A system that provided free contraception; allowed women to terminate their pregnancy; and supported those who chose to bring their pregnancies to term. A system that prevented and treated STDs, provided trans services, and allowed us all to stay limber into our twilight years. For the best sex, we need Medicare for All.
2. Sex is better when you can focus on the (ahem) job at hand.
Great sex happens when we have enough time to connect, when we're not exhausted from working three jobs, caring for kids and aging parents, and doing the laundry. A living wage, paid family leave, shorter workweeks, reasonable work schedules, and secure retirement are all essential ingredients for a long and fulfilling love life. Better work means better sex.
3. For a great time in bed you need some privacy.
While there's something to be said for hooking up behind the bleachers or in front of an audience, most of us require a bit of privacy for satisfying sex. An affordable home--without 10 roommates, predatory loan sharks menacing you, or absentee landlords--will do wonders for your sex life. For intimate sex, we need affordable housing.
4. Of course, part of privacy includes not having toddlers in your bedroom.
Unless you're trying to get a laugh in a sitcom, having kids walk in on their parents usually kills the mood. That's just one of the many reasons we need universal childcare that provides our kids with safe and affordable places to play. Childcare gives us the time and space we need to be better parents, friends, and lovers--not to mention just happier people ourselves.
5. We all need to understand what sex is!
Well-paid teachers lead to well-laid adults. To have good sex we need to understand how to get it on safely and pleasurably. Unless we want the next generation to learn how to have sex on this swamp--the Internet, that is--we need schools that are safe, well funded, and staffed with knowledgeable sex-ed teachers. For hotter (but very safe) sex, we need great public schools.
6. Okay, maybe Cosmo did get something right: amazing sex takes confidence!
But $50 cologne and $100 panties are not the key to confidence. Working in a country where your body and choices are respected--that's good for confidence! Strong unions, strong laws against harassment and discrimination, and strong leaders who defend our sexual freedom rather than threaten, bully, and shame us--all this will do more to put us in the mood than a trip to Venice or Vegas. In a society where all people are treated with dignity and respect, sex is better.
7. Sex is especially hot when neither bars nor borders nor endless war separate us from our partners.
Mass incarceration locks up our loved ones and destroys healthy relationships. Endless wars tear people apart for years at a time and militarized borders separate too many of us from the people most dear to us. If we spent less money propagating violence at home and abroad, and more resources on rehabilitation and restorative justice, we could all spend more time holding the people we love.
"Other politicians will promise you the moon. Only President Sanders can improve your sex life. Everybody in. Nobody Out."
8. Sex is better when the environment isn't toxic and the planet isn't burning.
We want our lovers to have trouble catching their breath because of butterflies, not because they have pollution-induced asthma. We want our partners to feel the heat of our passion, not the heat of climate change-fueled wildfires. Polluted water and dirty air kill the mood. Sane industrial regulation and a rapid renewable energy transition--these are the aphrodisiacs we need.
9. Economic independence is a HUGE turn on!
People who can choose their partners based on mutual attraction and free from economic dependency are guaranteed a better time in bed. When your student debt has been forgiven, when your education is free, and when you have no medical bills waiting to be paid off, you'll always be able to do it for love, not money. Economic security is the cornerstone of sexual health and happiness.
10. Sex would be better with Bernie Sanders.
We need public programs that support the public good: decent jobs, housing, health care, education, and clean air and water for everyone. Bernie is the only candidate that leaves no one behind. And public programs that support the public good will mean better sex for all of us.
Other politicians will promise you the moon. Only President Sanders can improve your sex life. Everybody in. Nobody Out.
Because when everyone is doing better... that's sexy as hell.
Mary Summers
Mary Summers is a lecturer in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She has published articles in The Nation, Urban Affairs Quarterly, Political Science and Politics, Agricultural History and several edited volumes. She also worked for many years in health care as a Physician Assistant and in politics as a speech writer for Jesse Jackson, Harriett Woods, Dennis Kucinich, and John Daniels.
Hadass Silver
Hadass Silver is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation examines how mainstream ideology informs grassroots organizing in the United States today.
This is probably not the first time you've gotten "Tips for Better Sex." So far you've been told that sex is all about chemistry and spontaneity. But we're here to tell you that sex isn't just about the right lingerie or the right position. What does it really take to have mind-blowing sex? Here are ten tips--firmly planted in the demand for universal programs and public benefits--guaranteed to provide the conditions for hotter, better sex for all of us.
While public benefits programs help guarantee our basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders has given us a platform for fighting back against decades of elites' self-serving claims that markets--making profits for a few at the expense of the many--are the only way to meet our needs and solve our problems.
Instead of the joy-reducing and stressful reality of the status quo, we argue for well-run government programs that can and should improve our personal lives, our families' lives, our work lives, our lives as citizens, and--yes--our sex lives too.
"We need public programs that support the public good: decent jobs, housing, health care, education, and clean air and water for everyone. Bernie is the only candidate that leaves no one behind. And public programs that support the public good will mean better sex for all of us."
In a country of growing inequality--a nation in which 4 out of 10 Americans cannot cover a $400 emergency--financial disaster and crises lurk around every corner. Too many of us are just one illness, or accident away from bankruptcy. In a situation where one insurance co-pay or rent hike; one hurricane or flood; one car or home repair; one cutback in hours or loss of a job; one kid who needs daycare, much less a college education--could send us off a cliff. Juggling these bills and the precarity of our daily lives can make a good night's sleep, much less good sex impossible for many Americans.
With Bernie we are taking on the status quo pundits and politicians who tell us that all we need is a return to "normalcy." But it was normalcy that brought us these sleepless nights. Instead of accepting what corporate elites agree to give us, we are saying enough already. Nothing short of political revolution will do. It will take a strong sense of solidarity and purpose to win the kind of victories that will allow more of us to enjoy better sex and the good night's sleep that follows.
Bernie's campaign offers us a rare opportunity to seize our collective destiny. We deserve something better. We deserve a better politics that promotes the public good. We deserve a better world. We deserve better sex. And here--for starters--are ten good reasons why sex will be better when there's a President Bernie Sanders in the White House.
1. Sex should be risque, not risky.
Imagine how much better sex would be if we had a health care system where people, not profits, came first. A system that provided free contraception; allowed women to terminate their pregnancy; and supported those who chose to bring their pregnancies to term. A system that prevented and treated STDs, provided trans services, and allowed us all to stay limber into our twilight years. For the best sex, we need Medicare for All.
2. Sex is better when you can focus on the (ahem) job at hand.
Great sex happens when we have enough time to connect, when we're not exhausted from working three jobs, caring for kids and aging parents, and doing the laundry. A living wage, paid family leave, shorter workweeks, reasonable work schedules, and secure retirement are all essential ingredients for a long and fulfilling love life. Better work means better sex.
3. For a great time in bed you need some privacy.
While there's something to be said for hooking up behind the bleachers or in front of an audience, most of us require a bit of privacy for satisfying sex. An affordable home--without 10 roommates, predatory loan sharks menacing you, or absentee landlords--will do wonders for your sex life. For intimate sex, we need affordable housing.
4. Of course, part of privacy includes not having toddlers in your bedroom.
Unless you're trying to get a laugh in a sitcom, having kids walk in on their parents usually kills the mood. That's just one of the many reasons we need universal childcare that provides our kids with safe and affordable places to play. Childcare gives us the time and space we need to be better parents, friends, and lovers--not to mention just happier people ourselves.
5. We all need to understand what sex is!
Well-paid teachers lead to well-laid adults. To have good sex we need to understand how to get it on safely and pleasurably. Unless we want the next generation to learn how to have sex on this swamp--the Internet, that is--we need schools that are safe, well funded, and staffed with knowledgeable sex-ed teachers. For hotter (but very safe) sex, we need great public schools.
6. Okay, maybe Cosmo did get something right: amazing sex takes confidence!
But $50 cologne and $100 panties are not the key to confidence. Working in a country where your body and choices are respected--that's good for confidence! Strong unions, strong laws against harassment and discrimination, and strong leaders who defend our sexual freedom rather than threaten, bully, and shame us--all this will do more to put us in the mood than a trip to Venice or Vegas. In a society where all people are treated with dignity and respect, sex is better.
7. Sex is especially hot when neither bars nor borders nor endless war separate us from our partners.
Mass incarceration locks up our loved ones and destroys healthy relationships. Endless wars tear people apart for years at a time and militarized borders separate too many of us from the people most dear to us. If we spent less money propagating violence at home and abroad, and more resources on rehabilitation and restorative justice, we could all spend more time holding the people we love.
"Other politicians will promise you the moon. Only President Sanders can improve your sex life. Everybody in. Nobody Out."
8. Sex is better when the environment isn't toxic and the planet isn't burning.
We want our lovers to have trouble catching their breath because of butterflies, not because they have pollution-induced asthma. We want our partners to feel the heat of our passion, not the heat of climate change-fueled wildfires. Polluted water and dirty air kill the mood. Sane industrial regulation and a rapid renewable energy transition--these are the aphrodisiacs we need.
9. Economic independence is a HUGE turn on!
People who can choose their partners based on mutual attraction and free from economic dependency are guaranteed a better time in bed. When your student debt has been forgiven, when your education is free, and when you have no medical bills waiting to be paid off, you'll always be able to do it for love, not money. Economic security is the cornerstone of sexual health and happiness.
10. Sex would be better with Bernie Sanders.
We need public programs that support the public good: decent jobs, housing, health care, education, and clean air and water for everyone. Bernie is the only candidate that leaves no one behind. And public programs that support the public good will mean better sex for all of us.
Other politicians will promise you the moon. Only President Sanders can improve your sex life. Everybody in. Nobody Out.
Because when everyone is doing better... that's sexy as hell.
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