Socialist Leads U.S. Senate Race in Vt.

[deadparrot]

BARRE, Vt. - Bernie Sanders jabs at the air, his flushed face a sharp contrast to his unruly white hair. Yet again, he pummels Washington, the Congress and the president.

"The government that we have today in the White House, the House of Representatives with Tom Delay, the Senate with Bill Frist, is the most right-wing, extremist government, perhaps in the history of the United States," he tells labor activists at a May Day celebration in the century-old Labor Hall.

"He is the front-runner. Absolutely," said Del Ali of Research 2000 of Rockville, Md., which has conducted political polls in Vermont for many years. "He has high favorability ratings, high name recognition and lots of money."

His most likely GOP challengers are Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie and Richard Tarrant, chairman of IDX, a medical software company. In early May, a poll for WCAX-TV put Sanders ahead of Dubie, 59 percent to 23 percent, and ahead of Tarrant, 62 percent to 18 percent.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050529/ap_on_el_se/bernie_for_senate_1

Looking good for Sanders early on. :)

[sarcasmo]

1. Give those Repukes Hell Bernie. He would make a great President.

[deutsey]

2. Headline in near future: Sanders Plane Crashes

No Survivors in Freak Accident

I hope not, of course. I'm a long-time admirer of Sanders.

[AndyTiedye]

35. It's a Small State

No need to fly any small airplanes ever.

[deutsey]

37. Let's hope he hitch-hikes when he goes to DC

:evilgrin:

[trogdor]

38. Subaru is the way to go.

You could run for whatever office you want in a Forester. Paint it Wellstone Green if you want.

[smoogatz]

3. Love it.

About time we had some real diversity of political thought at the federal level. Right now the spectrum is heavily weighted from center right to far right, with only a few voices like Feingold, Boxer, Conyers and Kucinich coming from anywhere near the left. Go Bernie go!

[Rainscents]

4. I love this man... he speak truth and cares very deeply for little people

[PunkPop]

5. BER-NIE, BER-NIE, BER-NIE, BER-NIE, BER-NIE!!!

Go, Bernie, Go.

[jaysunb]

6. Inflammatory headline, and very misleading !

Sanders is no socialist.

[Robbien]

7. Yep, the media attack campaign against Sanders is starting

You know the media got their GOP talking point memo which states Bernie and the word socialist must be linked in each and every article.

[Itsthetruth]

21. So What?

Everyone in Vermont knows that Bernie Sanders calls himself a socialist. What are the Republicans going to do? Expose Bernie Sanders as a "socialist"? That hasn't stopped Sanders from winning elections. At one time we had several socialists in Congress.

[Minstrel Boy]

9. But Sanders calls himself a socialist.

He always has. Don't take that from him. It's a good thing.

[deutsey]

11. I was under the impression Bernie calls himself a socialist

It's not a dirty word, at least in most of the world it isn't.

But then again, "liberal" and "peace" are dirty words in America...

[deutsey]

12. He's a "democratic socialist" (as am I)

If, when, you're elected senator are you afraid of being red-baited and marginalized by the cable networks?

Afraid of being red-baited? I'm being red-baited already. Everybody in Vermont knows that I'm a democratic socialist. It's so well known that nobody talks about it anymore. But suddenly, now all over the national media, it's socialist, socialist, socialist. Believe me, they'll be talking about the Socialist-Democratic Caucus if I'm elected. Of course the Republicans and the corporate media are going to red-bait me. The Republican Party is so bankrupt in terms of ideas that they have nothing to say on health care, the economy, education, the environment or the real issues that affect the American people. All they can do is wage smear campaigns and wars of personal destruction. Do we expect that? Of course we do.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2126/

[Minstrel Boy]

15. thanks, that's a good quote.

Bernie is a great example to the American Left: Don't deny yourself!

He meets the red-baiting bullshit head on, rather than equivocate. And that earns respect from all sides.

[deutsey]

18. Read The Long Detour

A very good book on the American left and how Soviet Communism actually helped to derail socialism in America.

www.thelongdetour.com

[NeoConsSuck]

31. You hit the nail on the head!

In america today, I feel we don't have two political parties, we have one party, the Capitalist party. And if you happen to take the view that maybe another economic system is better, you are labeled a commie, pinko bastard.

And you are correct. In most other parts of the world, different economic systems are debated and voted on. In South America, many leftist governments are now representing the people, not corporations.

Still think america is the *greatest* country? Well, that depends on how you define "greatness".

[democraticrevolution]

14. well...

If Sanders is not a socialist then how would you describe is political ideology?

[dissent1977]

23. He is a socialist, and that is not inflammatory

Bernie Sanders is a self-proclaimed socialist. Socialism is a good system, it has just been smeared so much by the right wing that no one knows what it is anymore. To make it simple socialism is the idea that all people should be treated equally, and everyone is entitled to a reasonable standard of living. There is nothing wrong with being a socialist, and I am glad Bernie wears that label with pride.

[sasquatch]

8. Is this another crack at Howard Dean thru Bernie Sanders?

:shrug:

[jaysunb]

26. yes !

and some of our friends here at DU are buying it.....

[Auntie Bush]

10. That's our Bernie!

Way to go Bernie!

[democraticrevolution]

13. Bernie Sanders is the man...

My favorite line from Sander is "when we rig a vote on this floor, shame, shame, shame!

I'm a registered Working Families Party member by the way LOL.

Not independent like Bernie though... he's in a league of his own.

[sintax]

16. Go Bernie-Nominated

While all attention is focused on Dem-Repub party affiliations how many anti-capitalist, anti-imperialists are in the Congress?

[Rainscents]

17. I went to Bernie's web and donated!!! He refuse to take coporate

money!

[DaveinMD]

19. its illegal to take corporate donations

that disclaimer is required by federal election law.

[Selatius]

20. Look, there is absolutely nothing wrong with socialism

It is an idea, and it isn't anymore harmful than the idea of racial equality, for instance.

The only reason socialism has a bad name is because of people like Stalin. They forced it at the point of a fucking gun. Bernie Sanders is a democratic socialist who appears to be quite popular with his constituency. If anyone is closer to being authoritarian, it's people like George W. Bush.

I'm more of an anarcho-socialist, but at the end of the day, I'd rather collaborate with state democratic socialists than with jack-booted murderous thugs like Bush and Co. any day of the year.

[Hawkeye-X]

22. I'm a democratic Socialist.

www.dsa.org

:)

[foo_bar]

25. with the Direct Selling Association?

here we go:
http://www.dsausa.org/

[davidinalameda]

27. LOL

sorry that was just too funny

[gorbal]

24. What a great interview

I would have liked to have been at that "Democracy For America" meeting in Vermont right after the election. Bernie Sanders, Thom Hartmann and Howard Dean were all there.

I think everyone should visit Vermont at least once. It's really a unique place.

:)

[David__77]

28. In my opinion, socialism is good, but Sanders is no socialist.

He's a social democrat, which is very different. He does not favor public ownership of the major means of production, or the fundamental reordering of basic government in this society. He's a New Deal social democrat, and there's nothing at all radical about that. There've always been social democrats in this country, but they're shy about usually.

[aneerkoinos]

40. Social democrats

Damn those vily revisionists! ;)

[Minstrel Boy]

41. I think it's significant that Sanders calls himself a socialist

and remains a popular and successful US politician.

I hear what you're saying, but it is refreshing that Sanders doesn't shy from the "S" word.

[Zynx]

29. Sanders will win that easily.

Unfortunately that only moves the Senate slightly further towards the left since Jeffords was a moderate to liberal Senator.

[LynneSin]

30. Do we have a strong democrat/independant to replace Sander's house seat

Although I'd be happy to see Sanders win the senate seat, I'm a little concern that we could lose his seat in the house (yeah, I know - he's independant but he is also on the left)

[xchrom]

32. wooo-hooo bernie!

you are awesome -- chew 'em up, bernie!

[cascadiance]

33. If Bernie gets elected...

Vermont will have the best senator representation in the nation for progressives, with both Leahy and himself there... It would be "envied". Though Boxer is great from California here, I think we certainly could use someone better to complement her.

[Hand]

34. WooHoo!

Avanti popolo, alla riscossa,
Bandiera rossa, Bandiera rossa!
Avanti popolo, alla riscossa,
Bandiera rossa trionferà!

Bandiera rossa la trionferà!
Bandiera rossa la trionferà!
Bandiera rossa la trionferà!
Evviva socialismo e libertà!


:woohoo:

[in_cog_ni_to]

36. GO BERNIE!

I love that man! :loveya:

[HockeyMom]

39. Way to go Vermont

Spent time there with daughter's hockey. Cool state, nice people.

[Az_lefty]

42. I love those poll numbers. A Socialist kicking the repugs ass!

[Placebo]

43. Darn Socialists.

I got nothin'

[The_Casual_Observer]

44. Dubie?