1w ago

Bernie Sanders says defeating oligarchy now most urgent issue

www.commondreams.org Bernie Sanders Says Defeating Oligarchy Now Most Urgent Issue | Common Dreams

"My friends, you don’t have to be a PhD in political science to understand that this is not democracy. This is not one person, one vote. This is not all of us coming together to decide our future. This is oligarchy."

Summary

Senator Bernie Sanders is intensifying his fight against U.S. oligarchy, targeting wealthy individuals like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.

Sanders argues that these billionaires manipulate the global economy, influence elections, and control the government, hindering democracy and exacerbating global inequality.

He believes this issue is crucial, impacting various aspects of society, including climate change, healthcare, worker protections, and poverty.

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As someone not from the US (but who has lived/worked/studied in the US), Sanders seems like the only member of the US upper house that is willing to speak honestly and engage in haram speech that goes against local provincial orthodoxy.
I was particularly intrigued by an article that claimed that Sanders was the only "outsider" in the US upper house and that all other senators were more or less on friendly terms (with the implication being that their polemics are a ruse). Unfortunately I can't find the article.
- Sanders seems like the only member of the US upper house that is willing to speak honestly and engage in haram speech that goes against local provincial orthodoxy.
  He is, and he's loved by millions of Americans for it, and also hated by essentially the entire political establishment for it.
- As someone not from the US (but who has lived/worked/studied in the US), Sanders seems like the only member of the US upper house that is willing to speak honestly and engage in haram speech that goes against local provincial orthodoxy.
  As someone from the US, Sanders seems exactly like this to me, also.
  Apologies if you already know this, but Sanders is not a Democrat. He caucuses with them and runs as a Democrat, but he's not a member of the Democratic Party. Depending on the article they may have been referring to that. (IMO this is one of many reasons the DNC ensured he couldn't get the nomination in 2016 and 2020.)
  
  It's honestly too bad he is not in his 40s. At the risk of being overly presumptuous, I will speculate that he would be a good leader for the US and the "free world".
  
  Apologies if you already know this, but Sanders is not a Democrat.
  Yeah, that's still a sore spot since it was one of the justifications given by centrists for how they were fine with him getting ratfucked in 2016.
- all other senators were more or less on friendly terms
  This is true for the parties as a whole. They are far too comfortable trading positions of power between themselves because they're all interested in keeping themselves in the ranks of the privileged. Neither party is willing to make any serious changes that would risk upsetting the balance for the greater good. They don't want change. Not actual meaningful change.
  They have their elections and one party rules for a while before switching to the other, but the poor remain poor and the powerless remain powerless. Meanwhile they keep (or expand) their wealth and influence.
  They may oppose each other in some ideologies, but make no mistake that they're on the same side when it comes to their own privilege.
  Bernie is on the outside of this, which is why they will keep him down at all costs. He's a threat to their power structure.
- all other senators were more or less on friendly terms
  Except for Ted Cruz. Everyone hates Ted Cruz.
  
  Al Franken likes Ted Cruz more than most people, and he hates Ted Cruz.
- Have you ever examined your own biases, or the biases of the American social media that you're exposed to?
  
  I try to. I will admit, it can be difficult.
  Anything specific you are referring to?

I love Bernie, but it's hard not to just feel utterly hopeless when you see how Elon basically bought the government and we see the other oligarchs flying down to mar-a-swampo to kiss donvict's ring.
Putin's oligarchy is here.
- It is amazing how quickly the elite is closing ranks around the Trump government this time around. This includes essentially all major media, billionaires and even some Democrats. Completely different from the first term when we immediately saw a major resistance movement.
  Realistically he will end the Ukraine war (since Ukraine has to cede land without US support), and it’s likely that investment will skyrocket (as tariffs make it too costly to import). The same will happen to inflation and inequality (but we won’t see that in the media). Let’s not even think about minorities and women. My worst fear of competently-looking facism may well be on the way.
  
  Tariffs will not significantly increase domestic investment. The US is at its maximum employment and that’s without deporting people. Who will even work in those factories?
  Not to mention American labor means that products made here are at least double the price. So no it’s smarter to just raise your prices 20-30% than build a factory that will also have raw material costs 20-30% higher anyways.
  
  Ukraine has to cede land without US support
  Seems like that's going to be the best-case scenario for Ukraine. Worst case is the US starts supporting Putin instead.
- Guess we know what to do now. Shoot his jet down
  
  KS Robinson has the anonymous resistance send drones into plane engines shortly after takeoff, 6 private jets in one day. Things change in the novel quickly after that.
  
  Much easier just to shoot the individual than the plane I think. Maybe I'm wrong. I imagine a 50 cal sniper would fuck up a plane. But planes can glide. Hypothetically speaking.

It seems to me he should continue to work with labor and student unions to organize a general strike for explicit, specific goals by a given deadline. The best tool the working class has to take power back from oligarchs is to coordinate stop working at the same time until demands are met, and it requires politicians and labor leaders like Sanders and Sean Fain to build and coordinate alliances across the workforce.
- Yes this! I’ve been watching Bernie speak up about this. So far though, it’s just talk. Ranting. I’m looking forward to see what his plan of action is. I think gearing up towards a general strike, or threat thereof, is the only really tool we have given the incoming admin.

Yeah, Bernie just said Depose.
- Looks like it's up to us to Defend
  
  I can’t Deny that. but, how do we get within 50 yards?

You don't defeat oligarchs by protesting alone. You also don't break their power hold by forcing them into concessions. The position of oligarch must be eliminated entirely, and anyone with links to the position they held is either removed from the planet, or imprisoned where they never have human contact to try and manipulate their way out.

Jon Stewart & Bernie Sanders on Rebuilding Trust & Efficacy in the Government | The Weekly Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4vtiiIo_Bc

He's correct
- “Awesome. What’s on tv tonight?” -America

Sometimes Bernie is wrong (rarely) but he's always honest.
- Can you name one example?
  
  I'm a two-time Bernie for President alum and believe without hesitation that he would have been a transformative president for America and the world.
  Honestly I can only name two things on which Bernie and I disagree, and it's unsurprising because they are two things on which a lot of people disagree and highly nuanced, and it's heavy policy wonk differences on gun safety and certain middle east policy. I don't want to go into them in detail here. They're both issues on which our views have changed over time.
  
  Him supporting FOSTA/SESTA (if I remember correctly).
  
  His expectation that most would understand what he meant by, "I'll never tell you who to vote for. And, if I do, don't listen to me."
  
  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-rfk-health-human-services/
  
  I like Bernie as much as the next person but idolizing people and believing they can do no wrong is not helpful

If we ever take control of government again, we need to do a "Defensive Democracy" approach. Rich people need to be banned from politics.

- It started off with rich, white cultists who took over disease ridden, Native American ghost towns. Close enough, though.

Right again.

In the sense that it's part of how we handle climate change, and part of how we handle covid + other diseases + future pandemics properly, yes.
Yes it's very important to get your leg unstuck but yes your house is still on fire even if you do.
- Idk I think it makes perfect sense. Think of the oligarchs as someone actively firebombing the house in your analogy. It's not just about getting the leg unstuck but stopping the ones causing the biggest issue

Sorry my misunderstanding. I would say if you are able to do what you need within 100 yards then you don't need to get to within 50 yards.

Narrator: They didn't.

You can’t continue to monetize every single aspect of existence with Oligarchs extracting vast sums of wealth out of the economy, without hurting quality of life for the average person and, eventually - the nation as a whole. Allowing these shit heads to exist hurts everyone.

Too bad Bernie is a democrat. He will never be president.
- There's nothing he can be to become president. Democrat was the only shot he ever had.
  And the democrats failed all of us. Reason, and the appearance of hope has failed. All that's left is reality, and the further rapid erosion of our systems under increasingly corrupt leadership that no longer feels that they should hide their indescretions.
- Bernie isn't a Democrat, he's a registered independent who caucuses with the Democrats. That's why the DNC hates him.
  
  I keep seeing people call him a Democrat. It's so annoying. Like this guy managed to get elected as an independent to the US Senate, a major accomplishment, because of his hard work and uncompromising values. Calling him a Democrat is insulting.
  
  No, the DNC hates him because he's to their left.
- He is independent. Literally not a democrat.
- He'd make a pretty weird libertarian.
  
  American "Libertarians" have ruined the word. He'd make a swell libertarian socialist.

Oh now it is.
Thanks Bernie.

I mean yes. Is it me or does Bernie like to state the obvious sometimes?
- He does, but people don’t want to hear the obvious, that it’s class warfare, and we’re losing BIGLY.
- Is it me or do centrists hate hearing about their success in blocking any attempts to address the problems Sanders keeps mentioning?
- Oh you think everyone agrees with that? If it's obvious to you then the message isn't for you
  
  It's obvious to anyone who''d listen to Bernie and/or reads Common Dreams.

The same oligarchy he calls his good friends? Where was this version of Bernie the last 4 years? Sheepdog gonna sheepdog

he literally IS the oligarchy. smh.
- I do not think that word means what you think it means

Clearly defeating oligarchy isnt his most urgant issue considering he could have made a workers party in 2016, 2020, and 2024 yet every time he backed the Democrat candidate. He willingly gave up the fight and deserves no pity or attention.
- oh yeah. losing elections would have changed things greatly. no third party is going to pull enough from the two current parties,
  
  The Dems lost anyway... If Bernie had started a party that did okay this time, it would do even better next time... Until it's the Dems who are the "3rd party" and can either fall inline or get fucked
  
  Considering Trump co-oped his rhetoric im pretty sure Bernie could have won without corporate support. He would have at least pushed the democrats to the left by threatening their left wing voter base. Or perhaps he would have convinced more people to vote who normally wouldnt have because the two options suck. Its easy for Bernie to say "wow I wish there was a workers party" but he literally could have made it and he has no excuse.
  
  Not with that attitude.
- He needs to organize taking over the DNC and replacing the shills with real people. 3rd party can't work unless the system is changed first.
  
  He tried and failed, now hes begging people to forgive him

Can this fossil just retire already?
- Fight for age limits for your politicians.
  
  And term limits!

128 comments