In this clip, a caller into a C-SPAN show delivers an eloquent defense of Bernie Sanders and his vision for America, responding to Republican hyperbole about the democratic socialism that informs Sanders’ philosophy. He makes excellent comparisons to other industrialized nations to highlight the progress that we still need to make:
“First, Bernie’s socialism is relative, if you stick Bernie in Europe or Canada, hes a fairly mainstream politician, and we need to be thinking Tommy Douglas, not Chairman Mao. As far as when the money comes from, Bernie sanders has been quite clear…He proposes a Wall Street transaction tax to pay for university, public university.Switching to a single payer healthcare is cheaper, we have empirical evidence you know 50 others industrialized nations that this is a cheaper system, about half as cheaper as the system we have now, and the bulk of money is gonna come by raising the tax rate. He’s been quite honest, he hasn’t come out with a firm number yet, but based on what he infers, it’s probably going to be in the Kennedy-era neighborhood in the ’60s or something, and it’s all relative compared with the rest of the world, if you look at our tax rates they’re ridiculously low…You stick Bernie in the 1950s and he’s called a socially liberal Eisenhower Republican. His views aren’t extreme, they just are extreme in 2015 after 30 years of trickle-down economics. ”
Jason from Vancouver is absolutely right. Bernie Sanders represents common-sense policies that will go a long way towards fixing the lack of social mobility and the rampant income inequality that is strangling our middle class.
Watch it here: