Americans today face a huge challenge which is halting their economic and social development. It does not come in the form of mass immigration or terrorism both at home and abroad as many in the mainstream media would have us believe, but it comes from corporate America. Something Bernie Sanders has been saying for decades.

The living standards of ordinary working and middle-class American citizens has been declining steadily for the past 30 years whilst American corporate giants have mushroomed into ‘too big to fail’ entities. America is at a tipping point, finally it appears a presidential candidate is talking about real issues and solutions to endemic problems caused by Wall Street and American corporate greed.

The United States of America is in a social, political and economic quandary which needs resolute leadership to resolve. Believe it or not, that may come in the form of Bernie Sanders as the next President of the United States. Which, only until the past month, has become a real and distinct possibility.

When Bernie Sanders initially announced his candidacy it was treated as a joke entry. Hillary Clinton was so far ahead in the Democratic polls that many felt it was a forgone conclusion. She has been here before, 8 years ago I might add. Bernie Sanders entered the race with 3% poll ratings. As of today (01/31/16) he is polling 37%. Why is Bernie Sanders gaining traction? How can a self-proclaimed ‘democratic-socialist’ start appealing to working-class Republicans? How is this man attracting huge crowds like that in the Boston Convention Center (3rd October 2015) where 26,000 people attended to hear him speak? He’s consistent, an independent and does not rely on corporate America for funding. He is, and always has been a grass-roots campaigner and is not afraid to challenge America’s establishment.

“This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders… it’s about putting together a grass-roots movement of millions of people to make sure the government works for all of us and not a handful of wealthy campaign contributors.” –Bernie Sanders

Already Bernie Sanders in engaging with a new cohort of voter, one particularly different from that of Obama. Obama swept to the Democratic nomination on anti-war, racial-progress and ‘Hope & Change’ themes. Bernie Sanders talks common-sense (some would say ‘populist’) economics, where “economic justice” and “income inequality” are used a battering rams against the mantra of corporate America and Wall Street. He also addresses many other issues that other candidates are afraid to touch.

Income Inequality & Working Conditions

This is a huge issue. Sanders hasn’t just tapped into this issue, he has been talking about it for years! See below:

Recently Sanders has argued that:

85% of men work more than 40 hours per week

66% of women work more than 40 hours per week

What Sanders is referring to here is the erosion of the gains made by the union movement in 1930’s America. Where 8 hours work, recreation and rest became the norm. He speaks of Americans working longer hours than any other industrialised country for less pay and how ordinary Americans are earning less than they were a decade ago. Regarding the minimum wage he states:

“The starvation wage must be raised to a living wage of $15 per hour” – Bernie Sanders

Sanders has also proposed:

Income equality for women

Mandatory annual paid vacation time

Collective bargaining rights if over 50% of the workforce vote to form a union

A federal jobs programme to repair America’s dilapidated infrastructure, creating 13 million jobs (solving the unemployment crisis)

Rejecting the TPP trade deal, which like NAFTA and CAFTA before it Sanders vehemently opposed

A ‘Robin Hood Tax’ on financial transactions in Wall Street which raises significant tax revenue

All of these proposals strike a chord with ordinary middle-class America. Who can argue against wage equality for women? Mandatory paid vacation time? Rejecting the secret TPP deal after the disastrous NAFTA and CAFTA trade deals have seen millions of American jobs shipped overseas? You will be a brave candidate to go against Sanders here.

Here is a video from 1999 where he berates Alan Greenspan on globalization and income inequality.

But he does not stop there.

Wall Street

Sanders has called for the break-up of the biggest financial institutions in the United States. He stated:

“If they’re too big to fail, they’re too big to exist” – Bernie Sanders

Nearly a decade after the global economic crisis the economies of all G20 countries lay in a precarious position. Nevertheless, despite causing the economic crash and being bailed out by taxpayers, Wall Street and its global affiliates are now making more money than ever whilst the living standards of ordinary citizens have been compromised.

How can any candidate who is in receivership of substantial donations from these institutions argue with Sanders on this point? One notable person here is Hillary Clinton.

Here he is in 2003. Again, confronting Alan Greenspan this time on the struggles of America’s middle-class:

“Family Values”

Recently, Sanders has spoken about the vitriol coming out from Republican candidates who have noticed his impending rise.

They have referred to Sanders as an ‘extremist’. “Extreme” Sanders has argued vehemently against:

Denying women the right to contraceptives

Denying women the right to an abortion

Opposing gay marriage

One of his huge policy announcements has been the introduction of paid medical/maternity leave. Coming from Europe I was astounded to find out that in a country where ‘Family Values’ is such a core mantra of any election campaign, in the United States a mother is expected to return to work days after having a baby. This is unethical, immoral and in essence, anti-family.

In Sanders’ case this is a common-sense policy announcement and undoubtedly a vote winner.

Healthcare

Many of Bernie Sanders’ ideas stem from Europe, none more so than healthcare. Despite the introduction of ‘Obamacare’ millions of Americans are without health insurance or remain ‘under-insured’. His solution to this is the creation of a ‘single payer’ health system model. Similar to the UK where you pay a ‘National Insurance’ contribution with every pay-check. Healthcare therefore becomes a right like in the UK, where healthcare is completely free at the point of delivery.

That’s right. On entering an NHS hospital your details are taken (name and address). You leave without one financial transaction taking place.

Bernie Sanders also has the big pharmaceutical companies in his sights. He spoke of how, during his time as Mayor of Burlington, he took a bus load of breast cancer patients to Canada. Here, they were able to buy the same medication at 10% of the price they would pay in the United States. He argues that ‘big pharma’ is a cartel that needs to be reigned in. Another vote winner here, despite Hillary Clinton saying it’s ‘undeliverable’.

Education

The price of going to college in the United States is a disgrace. Fees are so high in America right now, according to Bernie Sanders, ‘kids’ from poor backgrounds no longer aspire to go to college due to its sheer expense. It’s seen as out of reach, a wealthy aspiration. This is wrong. Student debt has surpassed $1 trillion in the United States.

Average student debt is approaching $30,000

Medical school students are graduating with debts of over $200,000

Bernie Sanders is proposing free college education and the renegotiation of student debt from those who have already graduated. The American government is profiteering from student debt by charging fees ranging from 6-9% per annum. This will no doubt galvanise the younger vote.

Campaign Finance Reform

Those of us from Europe are stunned at the sheer scale of political donations in American politics. Money buys influence, influence buys policy. This is what Sanders wants to change. He has stipulated:

Before swearing in a Supreme Court Judge will ensure that they intend to reverse the Citizens United case, which, since its judgement, has allowed unlimited spending by corporations and trade unions in the political process giving birth to the ‘Super PAC’s’.

Public funding for elections which will, as a result, completely remove money and undue influence from politics.

Sanders regularly references the Koch brothers who intend to spend somewhere near $1 billion during this election cycle. This according to Sanders is more money than the Democratic and Republican parties will spend in total. This is ‘something you would read about in a ‘banana republic’… we’ve gone from a democracy to an oligarchy’.

You can see his point.

This is another popular idea and it will be difficult for Hillary Clinton to argue against him in this regard as she has benefitted to the tune of tens of millions of dollars during her political career.

The Environment

Bernie Sanders speaks of America’s addiction to fossil fuels and how there is an opportunity for America to take the lead in the world in promoting green technology. There is ample opportunity for economic growth and jobs growth in this field.

Can Bernie Sanders Win The Nomination?

The Bernie Sanders campaign is certainly heating up and gaining notoriety. In January 2016 alone he has raised $20 million from donations averaging $27. He has, as of 01/31/16 received 3.25 million individual donations. Remarkable.

“Sanders’ campaign has now surpassed the huge funds raised by Barack Obama’s campaign in the first quarter of 2008, before he defeated Hillary Clinton in the primary election.” Alan Yuhas (Guardian)

Throughout his political career, this man has been able to canvass and campaign on a shoestring budget. Just how he will be able to compete with the juggernaut that is the Clinton fundraising machine nobody knows, but he has a knack of getting out the working-class vote, politicising those who have little if any interest in politics and getting a high voter turnout. Can this transfer nationally?

Well, as of January 31st 2016 Bernie Sanders is beginning to eat away at Hillary Clinton’s vast lead in the polls.

(Poll of Polls – Real Clear Politics)

New Hampshire -April 30th 2015

Clinton 51.5%

Sanders 11.3%

New Hampshire – July 1st 2015

Clinton 46%

Sanders 30.5%

New Hampshire Jan 31st 2016

Clinton 39.4%

Sanders 53.7%

Iowa – April 30th 2015

Clinton 60.3%

Sanders 6.6%

Iowa – July 2nd 2015

Clinton 54.4%

Sanders 20%

Iowa – January 31st 2016

Clinton 45.3%

Sanders 42%

National Presidential Polls – April 30th 2015

Clinton – 62.2

Sanders – 5.6

National Presidential Polls – January 31st 2016

Clinton – 51.6

Sanders – 37.2

Clinton is seen by many as the established candidate, backed to the hilt by the top brass in the DNC. She has the name recognition, the husband and the political experience. Unfortunately, outside her own bubble, she lives in a completely different world from middle-class America. She hasn’t even driven her own car in nearly 25 years. Between 1999-2014 she has been in receipt of substantial donations from corporations that Sanders vociferously opposes. It is estimated that herself and Bill Clinton have earned over $100 million from speaking fees since the Clinton’s last occupied the White House.

Hillary seems to be part of the problem, not the solution to the reform of Wall Street.

She is also extremely divisive and is reviled by Republicans. Issues relating to Benghazi are never far away which haunt Clinton along with the scandal over her emails and her general ‘trustworthiness’ amongst the floating voter.

On the current trajectory, victory may well be possible.

Peering across the Atlantic, witnessing the battering of the establishment candidates is fascinating. But I do get the feeling that something extraordinary is happening…

Perhaps Bernie Sanders may well awaken America’s middle-class, which would not only be extraordinary… it is necessary.

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