Bernie Sanders: Creating a Progressive America

Bernie Sanders: Creating a Progressive America

Bernie Sanders: Creating a Progressive America

 Why is poverty invisible in the US?

The Nation and On The Earth Productions
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2010, 46.2 million Americans lived below the poverty line, which means that nearly one in six Americans lived in poverty. As poverty in the US has skyrocketed—it is now the highest it has been in fifty-two years—the issue continues to be rarely talked about in public. Why is poverty invisible in the US?

In this video, recorded at the 10th Annual Fighting Bob Fest in Madison, Wisconsin, Senator Bernie Sanders attributes this detrimental invisibility of poverty to the lack of leadership at all levels from the grassroots to the White House and the deliberate media blackout on this issue.

This segment is part of a new video series produced by Video Nation in collaboration with On the Earth Productions featuring progressive thinkers and leaders such as Cornel West, Jim Hightower, and Thom Hartmann. Check back each Wednesday for a new video in the series, and go here to watch the series introduction.

—Jin Zhao

Hold the powerful to account by supporting The Nation

The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.

Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.

At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.

In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.

We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.

This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.

In solidarity,

The Editors

The Nation

The Nation Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of political and cultural life, from the debut of the telegraph to the rise of Twitter, serving as a critical, independent, and progressive voice in American journalism.


On The Earth ProductionsOn the Earth Productions (OTE) is a media production company that is dedicated to informing the public about important educational, environmental and political issues that affect our everyday lives. Our Educational Video Series is available from any library in the world through WorldCat.org. The series is housed at UW-Madison. The team at OTE is led by owner, Karen Rybold Chin.


Ad Policy
x

Latest from the nation

Today 11:52 am

Governor Hochul, Are You F’ing Kidding?

Joan Walsh
Today 10:48 am

Cory Booker

Gia Ruiz
Today 9:16 am

Real Estate Is the Key to Trump’s Worldview

Kate Wagner
Today 9:00 am
Elections

Justice Democrats Launches Its First Primary Challenge in 4 Years

Elsie Carson-Holt
Today 5:30 am

Did You Know Consumer Debt Has Reached an All-Time High?

Katrina vanden Heuvel

editor's picks

VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. Here’s Why.

The Nation

Historical Amnesia About Slavery Is a Tool of White Supremacy

Mychal Denzel Smith