Inuyasha
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2005
- Messages
- 1,510
- Reaction score
- 58
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
After 16 years as arguably the House's most prominent left-wing member, independent Bernard Sanders will be taking his brand of "Democratic socialism" to the Senate.
Rumpled in appearance and informal in manner, Sanders doesn't much fit the traditional image of a U.S. senator. He is known for his passionate activism and the firmness of his political convictions.
In the House, Sanders voted the Democratic line more than 95 percent of the time, a pattern that probably will continue in the Senate.
Sanders often rails against "corporate greed," with particular attention to the pharmaceutical industry. He has led constituents across the Canadian border to buy prescription drugs at lower prices than they can find in the United States. He wants to pass legislation lowering drug costs and strengthening Medicare benefits for seniors. He has also been a longtime proponent of universal health care.
A vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, Sanders seeks the withdrawal of U.S. troops "as soon as feasible." He says he wants a seat on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, where his predecessor, James M. Jeffords, another independent, has served.
In the House, Sanders has been a vocal proponent of civil liberties. He says the government can fight terrorism without "undermining the basic constitutional rights" of individuals. He sought to repeal a part of the Patriot Act that gave federal investigators access to the shopping and reading habits of bookstore and library patrons.
Sanders has been a high-ranking Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, using that perch to frame economic issues in terms of how they affect workers.
He says major international trade agreements, including normalized trade relations with China, have been detrimental to the U.S. economy, causing corporations to send thousands of manufacturing jobs overseas. "I think Congress has got to tell these guys, who've received billions of dollars in corporate welfare from the American taxpayer, enough is enough," he said on CNN in 2005.
Sanders, who receives high marks from environmentalists, says the nation must completely overhaul its energy policy, with an emphasis on conservation and developing renewable sources. He also supports increased government subsidies to help low-income people heat their homes in the winter.
© 2006 Congressional Quarterly
http://tinyurl.com/ucj7c
Rumpled in appearance and informal in manner, Sanders doesn't much fit the traditional image of a U.S. senator. He is known for his passionate activism and the firmness of his political convictions.
In the House, Sanders voted the Democratic line more than 95 percent of the time, a pattern that probably will continue in the Senate.
Sanders often rails against "corporate greed," with particular attention to the pharmaceutical industry. He has led constituents across the Canadian border to buy prescription drugs at lower prices than they can find in the United States. He wants to pass legislation lowering drug costs and strengthening Medicare benefits for seniors. He has also been a longtime proponent of universal health care.
A vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, Sanders seeks the withdrawal of U.S. troops "as soon as feasible." He says he wants a seat on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, where his predecessor, James M. Jeffords, another independent, has served.
In the House, Sanders has been a vocal proponent of civil liberties. He says the government can fight terrorism without "undermining the basic constitutional rights" of individuals. He sought to repeal a part of the Patriot Act that gave federal investigators access to the shopping and reading habits of bookstore and library patrons.
Sanders has been a high-ranking Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, using that perch to frame economic issues in terms of how they affect workers.
He says major international trade agreements, including normalized trade relations with China, have been detrimental to the U.S. economy, causing corporations to send thousands of manufacturing jobs overseas. "I think Congress has got to tell these guys, who've received billions of dollars in corporate welfare from the American taxpayer, enough is enough," he said on CNN in 2005.
Sanders, who receives high marks from environmentalists, says the nation must completely overhaul its energy policy, with an emphasis on conservation and developing renewable sources. He also supports increased government subsidies to help low-income people heat their homes in the winter.
© 2006 Congressional Quarterly
http://tinyurl.com/ucj7c
