Positives and negatives of democratic candidate Bernie Sanders’ campaign
Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system that is corrupt, that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy.
Bernie Sanders is currently one of the most popular democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential election. He’s been in the political landscape since 1981, and previously ran for primary democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election. Sanders is known for his progressive ideals and refers to himself as a “democratic socialist.” Some of his more famous policies include Medicare for All, wealth taxes and income equality.
In the primary polls, Sanders is currently ahead of every candidate in the democratic party besides Joe Biden. This is not wholly representative of the final results, but as shown in the Trump election, primary polls can have a sizable impact.
As with all politicians in a heavily-divided country, there are positives and negatives to Sanders’ campaign. Let’s explore the complexities of his politics.
Compared to the other candidates, Bernie Sanders has the most experience in politics, and this is evident in how he discusses his goals and responds to questions about them during democratic debates. Since his election campaign in 2016, he’s continued to build his political stance in order to keep up with this quickly-evolving country.
Sanders became the mayor of Burlinton, Vermont in 1981 before winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 1990. He won election to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and was reelected in 2012. He ran for president in the 2016 election, ultimately ceding to Hillary Clinton, but was still a popular candidate, winning 43% of the Democratic primary vote.
According to Sanders’ former campaign manager Jeff Weaver, “people will have confidence that in fact he will follow through on the policy agenda that he has articulated for decades and decades.” His experience makes him reliable, as he has consistently been progressive.
His opinions are firm, and he refuses to take the middle ground regarding controversial issues. Healthcare for everybody. Few limits on abortion. Universal background checks for gun control. Although his strong opinions aren’t accepted by everyone, his unwavering campaign appeals to strong progressives and grass-root activists.
It’s only natural that voters gravitate towards candidates with experience and decisive policies. In daily life, experience likely means that somebody knows what they’re doing and can be trusted, and making strong decisions is a sign of confidence and knowledge. These qualities are helping Sanders, as shown in the primary polls.
The fact that Sanders has already campaigned for president in 2016 also gives him an advantage over the other candidates, as he is able to learn from the troubles he experienced then. As an outsider in 2016, he had no idea how quickly the campaign would grow from how much support he gained.
However, as observed by Weaver, Sanders’ campaign grew stagnant because it was unable to receive support from black voters, as he failed to address racial injustice at the beginning of his campaign, only appealing more to their cause towards the end.
Now, he’s improved his policies and outreach methods. As one of the frontrunners in the democratic party, Sanders has much more widespread connections and initial support. In just the first quarter of 2019 fundraising, he was able to raise $18.2 million — more than any other candidate in the Democratic party at the time.
Sanders has made up for his lack of addressing social justice issues in 2016 by deliberately going the extra mile in this year’s campaign. In his 2016 election, he had a campaign staff of about 40, with the majority of them being from the northern states. This year, his campaign staff consists of around 400 personnel, many of them being black leaders from the Southern states. Clearly, Sanders has learned to adapt from his previous errors and is actively trying to promote diversity in this upcoming election.
Soon, many of us will be allowed to vote in the 2020 election, and those of us who are unable to should still follow each candidate closely. Though policies and values are likely the main factor in voting, the adaptability and growth of a politician are arguably just as important. Of course, we want to elect candidates that represent our opinions, but we also want candidates who are quick on their feet and willing to change based on the nation’s needs.
Ultimately, Sanders is a popular yet controversial politician. He speaks his mind which appeals to the people, and his previous experiences as a candidate show them that he is capable of change for the better, as well as prepared for unprecedented changes.
Despite Sanders’s experience in the political landscape, the majority of his goals revolving finances are too far-reaching, and not enough detail is provided on their implementation.
According to Business Insider, 27.5 million people in the U.S weren’t provided health insurance in 2018 — around 8.5% of the American population. In the U.S., health care costs 25% more than in Switzerland and 108% more than in our neighboring country Canada. With many individuals’ experiencing financial difficulty from medical bills, it would seem critical for presidential candidates to address this problem.
Sanders’ approach to solving this problem is his Medicare For All policy, which would guarantee healthcare for every American citizen. This seems ideal, but there’s one big question: how will he get the money?
Sanders’ answer to this question is the payroll tax, as well as a tax on the wealthy. Currently, half the burden of these taxes falls on the employers and half falls on the employees. Sanders hopes to raise employer payroll by 7.5%, allowing him to accumulate around $3.9 trillion over 10 years. According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a proposal like Medicare for All would cost between $28 to $32 trillion.
His tax on the wealthy would increase taxes for the most wealthy citizens (such as billionaires) and also place a 4% tax on any Americans earning over $29,000.
While it sounds ideal to put heavier taxes on the wealthy to help pay for these goals, as they have a surplus of resources, Sanders’ approach would strictly conflict with America’s capitalist foundation and ultimately challenge meritocracy and the idea that hard work brings success. Furthermore, suddenly placing more taxes on the hard-earned money of citizens would not be accepted submissively. The vast majority of families in the Bay Area earn more than $29,000 a year. How would our parents, siblings and teachers react?
Even if it is for the good of the country as a whole, it’s extremely difficult to extend such altruism when our society has encouraged us to think differently.
Medicare for All would take decades to fund, and it’s just not realistic to have such a large goal in mind for a country that’s barely provided insurance for those who truly can’t afford it. Along with Medicare for All, Sanders is pushing for a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, free college education, no student debt, boosting teacher pay, paying farmers for climate-friendly practices and free meals for schools.
To have all of these happen would be a dream come true, but there’s no way to obtain enough money to accomplish all of these goals while simultaneously allowing people to keep the money that they’ve earned for hard work.
As students, even though most of us don’t have to independently manage our own finances yet, it’s important for us to face the reality that we all have to eventually — and it’ll be sooner than we think. For our future selves’ sakes, our present selves should consider the financial policies of these candidates.
The bottom line is that America is built on capitalism and self-reliance, and though Sanders has clear-cut goals, his presented methods of achieving them directly contradict American values and just aren’t realistic for the country at the moment.