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this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2024
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United States | News & Politics
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Bernie has been nothing but consistent. Selling out to the neolibs and supporting imperialism is nothing new for him. Don't forget how he shilled for Clinton and Biden when he "lost" the nomination to the establishment candidates. He praised the police after George Floyd's murder and praising the ghoul, Jeff Bezos, for raising the wages of Amazon and Whole Foods workers to $15/hour in 2018, only 6 years after the "Fight for $15" began (while they were investing heavily in automation, never improved their labor practices, and indications were that they had always raised wages during similar economic conditions so they could meet their seasonal employment needs, surely Bernie fostered a change in Bezos' empty heart).
Here's a disorganized list of some of Bernie's votes ranging from the early 1990s to the 2020s:
Voted in favor of H.R. Res. 64 Authorization for Use of Military Force in 2001, giving Bush Jr. carte blanche to use military force against those the US found responsible for 9/11. He continues to support "The War on Terror" by voting in favor of the authorization of additional funds for US military actions in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. In March 2003, he voted in favor of a resolution expressing unequivocal support of Bush Jr and the Armed forces for their actions regarding Operation Iraqi freedom. This is an odd choice considering he voted against the authorization of military action in Iraq in 2003, something he like to brag about when in the media spotlight. What good is voting against a war if you are going to repeatedly vote to fund it for years afterwards?
Voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998. This included economic sanctions that killed up to 500,000 children. This same resolution allowed for direct military action in Iraq (Operation Desert Fox). He had previously voted against the Invasion of Iraq in 1991.
Voted in favor of the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act in 1996. Then voted to extend these in 2001. This was meant to cripple the ability of each country to develop their own petroleum industries.
Voted in favor of bombing Kosovo in 1999. This decision led to him quite publicly losing staffers and long-time friends as well as an anti-war protest in his office. I wonder why?
Voted in favor of sending military hardware and funding to Israel in 1997, 1994, and 2004. In 2006, he voted in favor of economic sanctions against Palestine after Hamas won an elections in order to remove them from power. His support of the Israeli military also extended to their actions in Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza in 2014, but surely that was the end of his support, right?
Remember that racist, dumpster fire of a movie "Black Hawk Down" which inaccurately portrayed the events that led to the US pulling out of the conflict in Somalia? Bernie voted for that military intervention.
Supported providing $1 billion in military aid and training to Ukraine in December of 2014. I'm sure all of this was used in defense and none of it contributed to the conflicts that killed civilians from 2015 to today. I'm also sure that Bernie would never again vote to send funding to continue or escalate this war and the suffering it's caused.
Refused to end the drone program while running for president in 2016 and 2020 as he thinks it's useful and promised that he would use it responsibly if elected.
Supported military action in Libya, Lebanon, Bosnia, Yemen, Syria, Congo, Haiti, Liberia, and Sudan.
I'm tired of describing how his actions have spoken and I haven't even gotten into his economics and how far removed he is from a socialist on the front too. There's plenty to criticize even if you aren't a socialist or don't expect him to do a socialism.
The point is that any integrity Bernie Sanders had as a revolutionary or leftist was lost decades ago. His radical stances and actions are romanticized now. The only way Sanders is relevant to progressives and socialists these days is how he acted as a catalyst for driving many people in the US further left.
Despite calling Bernie out for at least some of his shit, I do think he has generally been one of the better Democrat senators in terms of progressive domestic policies. I wonder now if anyone actually can climb to that political level without being corrupted or rejected and black-listed by the system.
I used to support the Democrats and him in particular. It was demoralizing to see how he supported the DNC after his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, but I think there are lessons we can learn from his career. For me, he represents a good example of how operating in good faith within the existing US political system as a path to major reform is not a viable strategy (Jill Stein as well), but that you need to build organizations outside of this structure to seize political power and force the change that the system resists. Unions and other community organizations. The attempt at a general strike led by the UAW in 2028 for example.
I don't believe this will fundamentally change any systems within the US, nothing short of revolution would achieve this, but I think it is an opportunity to improve lives. It's a chance to show people not only that they have power, but how to build the power to fight for themselves.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm tired of putting my faith in these people when, you're right, it feels like they've given up all pretense and dropped the bar on the floor. All they've ever done is disappoint me. Working and learning from socialist and labor organizations has given me hope again that there is a path to change.
It seems that almost everyone has that certain age they just cave in to liberalism.
Maybe it's easier to to delude yourself than accept that your life's work never came to fruition.