Bernie Sanders
 

Thoughts on the old man?

I've pretty much felt apathetic towards politics after 2012. It just seems like everything is corrupt, at every level. We have no representation. Maybe I'm just getting older and seeing the truth - but I still like to have a little hope in my proverbial Obama gas tank.

I have really never paid much attention to Bernie Sanders but knew he was an Independent from Vermont.


Anyways - is it finally time to have a self proclaimed Socialist? Can anybody even define a socialist?

He sounds so much like 2008 campaign-mode Obama. Not sure if it's worth getting my hopes up for or not.

I'd love to see him win, but I don't think it will happen. I'm excited to see him debate Hillary. Hopefully that will make a difference.

Why would Huckabee be with the rest of that group?

I was surprised by that too. He and I agree about a number of things, apparently:

Should corporations and unions be permitted to fund advertisements backing political candidates through political action committees (Super PACS)? No.

Should there be term limits set for members of Congress? Yes.

Should internet service providers be allowed to prioritize traffic for websites that pay higher rates than their competitors? No.

Should the NSA be allowed to collect basic metadata of citizen’s phone calls such as numbers, timestamps, and call durations? No

Should the government raise the retirement age for Social Security? No

Should foreign terrorism suspects be given constitutional rights? Yes.

Should the U.S. expand offshore oil drilling? Huckabee's answer was yes. My answer was to incentivize the private sector to investigate alternate energy sources. Somehow the website thinks this is a match.

Should National Parks continue to be preserved and protected by the federal government? Yes.

Should the federal government continue to give tax credits and subsidies to the wind power industry? Yes.

Should the United States require labeling of genetically engineered foods? No

Should children of illegal immigrants be granted citizenship? Yes.

Should illegal immigrants be given access to government-subsidized healthcare? Huckabee's answer was no. My answer was yes, but they should be deported after treatment. The website thought that this was a match.

Should illegal immigrants working in the U.S. be granted temporary amnesty? No

Should law enforcement be allowed to detain illegal immigrants for minor crimes so that federal immigration authorities can take custody of them? Yes

Should the government fund space travel? Yes

Should the federal government subsidize U.S. farmers? Yes

Should the government raise the federal minimum wage? No.

Should pension plans for federal, state and local government workers be transitioned into private plans? No

Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy? Help, in theory but have recently become corrupt and should have their powers limited

Do you support the Trans-Pacific Partnership? No.

Should the federal government increase funding of health care for low income individuals (Medicaid)? Yes.

Should the government require health insurance companies to provide free birth control? Huckabee answered, "No, the government should sponsor abstinence education programs instead." I answer, "No, let the insurance companies decide instead of a government mandate." This was considered partially similar.

Should a business, based on religious beliefs, be able to deny service to a customer? Huckabee: Yes, any business should be able to deny service for any reason. Me: Yes, but only in situations where a small business owner is asked to participate in an activity that violates their religious beliefs.

Should the federal government allow states to fly the confederate flag? Yes.

Constitutionally speaking, that list is on par. Unfortunately, he could just be political-speaking out of the side of his mouth. Similar to 2008 and 2012 campaign Obama.


edit: Not that it really matters, but there is a Democratic debate tonight.

It's hard to judge what is and what isn't "political-speak," so unless there's a compelling reason not to, I usually take campaigners at face-value on their positions.

A bit odd to hear your take on Obama, though. I'd think he's followed through, or at least tried to follow through on most of his campaign promises. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say on 80% he's tried.

Just based on the bit I watched from the debate, Hillary had a lot more cool when making responses, inherently due to her 2012 campaign.
Sanders came off as an angry old man. I honestly lost interest as soon as he used the "1% is evil" to garner applause.

I like to wait until the primaries to check the political stance for each candidate. That way there's the least chance they'll change their minds.