In 1991 Sanders became the first Independent elected to Congress in 40 years. He has been reelected seven times since he was first sworn in as Vermont’s at-large member in the House of Representatives and is the current junior United States Senator for Vermont. Sanders remains to be the longest serving Independent House Representative and will be one of only two Independent Senators in the new 110th Congress this year. He also serves on the Government Reform Committee and the Financial Services Committee. Sanders is respected and viewed by many as a campaigner for the working class, an environmental protector, an advocate for universal healthcare, a supporter of our nations’ veterans, and a guardian of civil liberties.
Background
Sanders was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1941, to a Jewish Polish immigrant family. His father was a paint salesman earning a steady but limited income, while his mother stayed at home with her two sons. Sanders’ older brother, Larry who is a Green Party politician, lives in England. Sanders has often attributed his understanding of the hardships of the working class family to his own family’s circumstance.
Bernie is now married to Dr. Jane O’Meara Sanders, a longtime education activist who is currently the president of Burlington College. Dr. Sanders and her husband share many political interests and have often worked together on campaigns efforts. Dr. Sanders also provided educational and political consulting as a partner in Leadership Strategies, and served as the Director of Youth Services for the City of Burlington. Bernie and Jane are the parents of four children.
Political Career
Bernard Sanders graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Chicago in 1964. He moved to Vermont after graduation and worked there as a carpenter and journalist. His political career did not begin until 1971, when he joined the anti-Vietnam War Liberty Union Party, a third-party alternative to the Democrats and the Republicans. Sanders ran for the Senate in 1972 and 1974 and for Governor of Vermont in 1972, 1976, and 1986. He was an unsuccessful candidate in each election. During each campaign Sanders focused on issues of importance to the average American.
Resigning from the Liberty Union party, Sanders went on to work as a writer and became director of the non-profit organization, American People’s Historical Society. In 1981 influenced by friend, Richard Sugarman, Bernie decided to run for Mayor of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. Running against six term Democratic incumbent, Gordon Paquette, Sanders became a popular candidate and was widely supported by the working class wards. He won the election by 12 votes. During his time as Mayor, Sanders became increasingly popular due mainly to his successful renewal of Burlington’s downtown area. In 1982, the city’s third political party was formed, called the Progressive Coalition. Seats controlled by the party, although not the majority, provided Sanders with enough veto power and political clout to implement these city reform initiatives. With the help of this Progressive party, Sanders was able to make many significant contributions to the community in his years as Mayor.
Among his many accomplishments as Mayor was the establishment of a Youth Office, which developed a day-care center, teen center, after-school program and other youth activities. Sanders was also responsible for the establishment of the Women’s Council concerned with the fight for women’s rights as well as an Arts Council. Bernie succeeded in building affordable housing, revitalizing the city’s waterfront and downtown, and was able to increase voter turnout by more than 50 percent. He was chosen by U.S. News and World Report as one of the 20 best Mayors in the country due to his efforts. Burlington was later recognized as one of the three most livable cities in America.
Sanders went on to win three more terms and in 1987, his last run for mayor, he defeated the mayoral candidate, supported by both parties. The following year Sanders ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and received 38 percent of the vote. After the loss, Sanders went on to teach at the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard and at Hamilton College for a year. In 1990, he ran again for Congress and won. Sanders soon began focusing his efforts on the work of the House Progressive Caucus, which he founded in 1991. Bernie was chairman of the group for the first 8 years. Since the establishment of the Caucus, membership has grown from 5 to 58 members. The House Progressive Caucus, comprised of the most liberal members of the House of Representatives, continues to work together on the advancement of progressive issues and causes.
Sanders recently vacated his house seat in order to run in the 2006 election for the United States Senate. With Senate seat for Vermont to be vacated by the retiring Jim Jeffords, Sanders saw his opportunity for success. Sanders won the election with 65% of the vote. He will represent Vermont in the United States Senate from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2013.
Major Issues
Bernard Sanders focuses his efforts for political transformation mainly on the national level but has worked productively to pass legislation to improve the lives of the American people as well as those around the world. Among his major issues of concern are; tax reform, corporate welfare, healthcare, education, child care, military spending, environmental health and safety, free trade and many others.
One issue that Bernie has brought to the Washington agenda is progressive tax reform. Sanders believes the current federal tax system to be unfair and continues to push for budget resolutions. He previously voted for the Clinton budget plan, raising 80% of new taxes by increasing taxes on the wealthiest 2% of the population. The plan also offered 20 million low income working families tax reduction. Sanders sees substantial corporate welfare cuts as an essential constituent in balancing the federal budget. Accordingly, Sanders has introduced legislation to ensure responsible corporate spending and tax cuts. This includes, the “Come Home Corporate American Act” and the Corporate Responsibility Act.”
Sanders also believes that, as a right of citizenship, every American should be guaranteed comprehensive medical care. He continues to fight against major pharmaceutical companies and the Administration for lower costs in Medicare. He is a longtime supporter for the single payer health care plan and cosponsored the American Health Security Act which would provide universal, comprehensive health care for all Americans at lower cost that our current system of private finance. He also introduced the “Hippocratic Oath and Patient Protection Act” relying on the basic principle of “treat the patient at all times as you would wish others to treat you.” Prescription drug pricing has been another increasingly hot issue in Congress as Americans continue to pay the highest prices for prescription drugs in the world. As an advocate for Universal healthcare, Congressman Sanders and many others continue to make progress on the issue of allowing Americans to buy safe and affordable prescription drugs from Canada and other countries at a fraction of the U.S. price. Several of the major prescription drug initiatives that have been introduced by Sanders have passed the House.
Childcare is another issue at the top of Congressman Sanders’ priorities in Congress. With the rising number of women in the workforce, the need for affordable and quality child care is at an all time high. The average cost of healthcare in most parts of the United States is higher than the cost of public college tuition and it has become increasingly difficult for families to find quality child care at an affordable price. Sanders has worked on many levels to raise Congressional and national awareness and generate support for the child care agenda.
Our planet is constantly plagued with environmental issues caused by climate change, contamination, the overuse of resources and toxic waste. In addition, millions are dying and becoming ill as a result of poor environmental conditions. Sanders constantly works to take action against global warming and strives to put our nation on the path to a clean energy future. Congressman Sanders has presented extensive energy conservation legislation in efforts to counter global warming and the nation’s increasing dependence on fossil fuels. He has been responsible for legislation passed by Congress for the elimination of corporate welfare for fossil fuels. Through his efforts, Congress has also approved legislation to increase funding for weatherization programs.
Bernie created the National Caner Registry Act to provide basic data on environmental causes of cancer through a nationwide system of cancer registries. Bernie also continues to push for research on the environmental causes of Gulf War illnesses and received the American Academy of Environmental Medicine’s Jonathan Forman Award in 1994 in recognition of his contribution to the field of environmental medicine.
When dealing with foreign affairs, Bernie is an advocate for the spread of democracy in other countries. However, a recent interview with Democracy Now, he responded to the question of “an answer for Iraq,” by saying that; “the bottom line is that the people of Iraq, when asked what they believe is the best for their country, amidst all the violence and the chaos, what they say is they think they would be better of if American troops came home. So I think we should respect the wishes of the people of Iraq. I think we should bring our troops home soon. By that I mean within the next year. I think we’ve got to continue to work with the Iraqi government to do our best to try to bring stability. But I think they would be better off, we would be better off, the region would be better off, if our troops came home.” Sanders and other Progressives believe in the adage “think globally, act locally,” The city of Burlington established a sister-cities relationship with with Puerto Cabezas in Nicaragua, Yaroslavi in Russia, Nishinomiya in Japan and other cities, in order to promote peaceful global relations.
Novemeber 7, 2006, Sanders was quoted as saying “I believe that destiny has suggested that this small state of Vermont is going to lead American in a very different direction! And the day is going to come when people all over America will say, “Thank you, Vermont.” He believes that many of our problems lie with inadequate federal spending. It is Bernie’s opinion that funding should be geared towards improving the lives of ordinary Americans. Important domestic issues such as education, childcare, workers rights, social justice, veterans’ needs, environmental protection, and affordable housing remain to be among his top priorities. He represents the economic interest of senior citizens, the disabled, veterans, women, children, and low income families and for that; he has become a champion to many.
