Nation Topics - Bernie Sanders | The Nation

When it finally became clear that George W. Bush would be the 43rd President of the United States, a worried U.S. Representative Bernie Sanders asked the Congressional Research Service for a list of all the legislation that outgoing President Bill Clinton had vetoed in his second term. Sanders theorized that the list, which ran from a sweeping cut in estate taxes to legislation banning late-term abortions, would form the basis of the new President's legislative agenda in 2001. In the U.S. House, where the partisan divide runs deeper, minority leader Dick Gephardt knows the importance of developing a coherent plan of attack.

In the early eighties, actually-there was a progressive coalition in Vermont designed to become a third force in politics. One of its prime spokesmen was Bernie Sanders, who became mayor of Vermont's largest city, Burlington. In 1988 the coalition backed Sanders for Vermont's single seat in Congress. The progressive coalition had a long-term strategy. It knew Sanders would not win on that first outing. The essential victory was to persuade progressives to vote, finally, for their beliefs, to stop deluding themselves that the Democratic Party would fulfill even a sliver of their expectations.

The article presents information about various events taking place in the month of January 1997. An extraordinary gathering on strengthening democracy in media will take place on January 31 and February 1, 1997 at the Learning Alliance in New York City. The 52-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, chaired by Representative Bernie Sanders, will bring together progressive activists, thinkers and advocacy groups at a daylong Capitol Hill forum on January 9, 1997. Topics of this forum are: "Lessons From the Past for a New Progressive Agenda," "The Current Political Moment and the Progressive Challenge," and "Growing Economic Insecurity and the Battle for Economic Rights."

The article presents a list of events related to politics in the U.S. The 52-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, chaired by Representative Bernie Sanders, will bring together progressive activists, thinkers and advocacy groups at a daylong Capitol Hill forum on January 9, 1997. Study Spanish in Manhattan Small, friendly nonprofit school, 12-week program begins on January 27, 1997.

The article focuses on a socialist, Bernie Sanders. He proclaims to be an independent, but begs his way into the House Democratic Caucus; he proclaims to be an avid environmentalist, but votes to repeal the gas tax and he talks about the need for an alternative to the two-party system. This long-term strategy of building a Progressive Coalition to challenge business as usual was what got many people behind Sanders back when he was getting elected as mayor of Burlington. Meanwhile, back in Vermont the Progressive Coalition, which has a couple of state reps, plus the council and mayor of Burlington under its colors, was recently eyeing a fine chance to expand its power by launching a bid for the governor's office.

Presents several letters to the editor. Information on the political decisions taken by Bernie Sanders; Information on Alexander Cockburn's criticism of Bernie Sander's political views; Implications of having an independent socialist in the Congress.

The article focuses on various political and social ongoings in the world. A leading newspaper said that during the first mayoral campaign of socialist congressman Bernie Sanders over a decade ago, he should be stopped by any means. The hope that Sanders might be a spokesman for the national left vanished after he supported the U.S. mission to Somalia, U.S. President Bill Clinton's bombardment of Baghdad, Clinton's budget and then the crime bill. A report commissioned in June by Imperial Tobacco in Canada says tobacco-related deaths are an economic advantage because smokers die before they become a burden to the health care system.

Presents several letters to the editor related to article published in the previous issues of the journal. Importance of the vote of Bernie Sanders, the U.S. socialist Congressman from Vermont in electing George Bush as the U.S. President; Reasons behind the dissolution of the Cairo-based Arab Women's Solidarity Association last year; Appreciation of the journal for printing the article "Past Present" by Gwyneth Cravens about the fairy tale titled "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen.

The article focuses on political and social issues of the U.S. As soon as he returned to Washington from his visit to Los Angeles, California and results of his urban policy, U.S. President George Bush showed how committed to change he is by vetoing the campaign finance reform bill. The legislation would have partially cleaned up politics by providing federal subsidies to the U.S. Congressional candidates who agree to limit their spending. It would curtail the flow of large donations to campaigns. It seems that Bernie Sanders, lone independent member of the U.S. Congress, could end up substantially influencing the choice of the next President of the U.S. If Democrats in the U.S. lose control of only six delegations out of the current fifteen in which they now have only a one or two member advantage, they will have to go hunting for another state's vote.

U.S. politician Bernie Sanders is way out in left field. In Congress, where it's wrong to be independent, bad form to struggle over issues and worse than gauche to perform ahead of the curve, Vermont's lone Representative is almost out of his league. That should be reason for pride rather than regret, for his league is, in large measure, composed of a lazy, self-serving, retrograde and even corrupt bunch of team players. Still, Sanders, who was elected only six months ago after a tumultuous campaign, in an extraordinary victory for progressive, grassroots political organizing, is committed to the game.