From a moral and religious perspective, Bernie Sanders’ priorities best support the poor and marginalized – those who lack health insurance, refugees of global violence, and our neglected veterans.
But if you aren’t already convinced Sanders will make the best POTUS, it’s probably because A) “democratic socialism” is a scary term, or B) you think he is too “idealistic” to win the Democratic Party nomination. I will clarify why I believe unfettered capitalism hurts democracy, and why Hillary Clinton is both no more effective, and less trustworthy a politician, than Bernie Sanders.
First, Democratic Socialism is not at odds with capitalism – just unchecked capitalism that takes power away from the citizen. Corporations can afford to lobby far more than private citizens, and if not restrained, large corporations will have disproportionate political power. When the private profit interests of a few are able to buy elections, that is not true democracy. The democratic socialist believes that companies are ideally worker-owned, while market mechanisms still determine prices – a centrally planned economy is not part of the picture. No one expects Sanders’ to overturn the structure of the US economy- but at least he’s not playing into Wall Street’s hands.
This is why Sanders’ decision to fund his campaign without large-donor contributions is so significant. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Clinton’s top campaign contributors for her career have been (in order) Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs, DLA Piper, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley (Lehman Brothers is further down the list). In stark contrast, 9 of Sanders’ top 10 career campaign donors have been labor unions.
Think Sanders is too “idealist” to be nominated by the DNC? Sanders is experienced in the political system, having served as senator for the past nine years. As chair of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, Sanders reached across the aisle to John McCain to pass legislation to give $500 million to the VA to hire more doctors and nurses for veterans. Senator McCain said of Sanders, “We were able to come together and come and pass legislation that was nearly unanimous in both House and Senate. So he does have a record of advocacy for our veterans.”
National security is the first prerogative of the U.S. government and president, which is why I believe Sanders is more qualified than Clinton.
Clinton has proudly defended her support of the invasion of Libya as Secretary of State, and was a vocal supporter of the invasion of Iraq, whereas in October 2002, (then representative) Sanders said before the House, “War must be the last recourse in international relations, not the first…I am deeply concerned about the precedent that a unilateral invasion of Iraq could establish in terms of international law.” Sanders advocated for a UN-led search for Weapons of Mass Destruction, supported by U.S. force if needed for compliance. Sanders supports military intervention where it is absolutely necessary, evidenced by his support of bombing Kosovo in 1999.
Sander’s campaign has reignited the debate over American national healthcare, he goes a step beyond Obamacare, advocating for a Single Payer Health System in the US. That in itself is a complex, controversial topic; however, one cannot argue that Americans have a life expectancy (at birth) of 78.8 years, as opposed to the median 82.1 years in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. U.S. per capita healthcare expenditure was $9,086 in 2013, nearly twice Canada’s $4,569. Despite many opinions on what our health insurance system should become, the inefficiencies of our current privatized system are embarrassing and demand a better solution.
According to Physician’s for a National Health Program, “In Canada, the three major auto manufacturers (Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrysler) have all publicly endorsed Canada’s single-payer health system from a business and financial standpoint. In the United States, Ford pays more for its workers health insurance than it does for the steel to make its cars.” A single-payer healthcare system means one buyer negotiates for many health-care services, increasing the bargaining power of the patient. The Affordable Care Act was a step in the right direction, as a future doctor I hope we can continue as a nation toward a more efficient system.
As Syracuse law professor puts it, David Cay Johnston: “For people to remain free and governments to remain sovereign, corporations must remain subject to state control, not the other way around.”
By his voting record, and refusing to be bought by corporate contributions, Bernie Sanders has shown himself the best candidate for the poor, and democracy.