Why I’m Voting for Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton

The issues that come up most often when talking with Hillary supporters go something like: “I like Bernie and his proposals, but they’re idealistic, and it’ll never pass. It’s not going to work. Hillary can get stuff done and win the general election”

Yes, I get it. Many of his plans and ideas are fantasy land when you consider the current political climate of the United States. But they shouldn’t be when you take a look at many other developed nations. Why is it so difficult for the United States to pass legislation that many other countries have successfully passed? (Universal health care being one) Because the values of congress do not match the values of the american people.

Everyone knows this. It’s not a surprise. People even say “How will Bernie pass anything? The Republicans won’t let anything through”. Bernie himself has said that he alone can not do this. He’s not trying to cast himself as a savior that will make all of our troubles go away on day one.

When Bernie keeps demanding a ‘political revolution’ he is simply requesting that instead of having pathetically low voter turnouts where only 40% of the population votes, that we have millions of people get involved with the political process. That means knowing the issues we face today, knowing your congressmen, knowing your senators, and giving a damn about the future of our country and the world. Politics should not be seen as a “hobby” that you’re “not really into”.

When we can get millions of people involved, and achieve a high voter turn out, the United States will be able to implement all of Bernie’s proposals. Yes, that means that Bernie’s political revolution is not just about getting him elected, it is about electing a new congress that represents the American people. It means reforming campaign finance so that congressmen do not have to rely on big money interests in order to stay elected.

I doubt half of the republicans actually deny climate change when the scientific community is so clear about the reality; however, if they publicly come out and vote against what their campaign donors want, they will lose that money, face attack ads, and no longer be able to serve in congress.

This is why Bernie has said that campaign finance is the most important issue right now. If we can create a political process that does not rely on big money, we can create a government that works for everyone and not just a handful of people.

In order to make any of this happen, you need a candidate that will generate enthusiasm. You need a candidate that will make people care again. You need a candidate that will make people realize that it’s not just about “the lesser of two evils” and that we can actually change the way things run. Bernie Sanders is that candidate.

Bernie Sanders has been able to get an entire generation interested in the political process. He has been able to receive over 3.5 million individual campaign contributions, the most in history. This is what enthusiasm looks like.

Do not get me wrong, I’m not anti-Hillary, and I will of course vote for her in the general election if I have to, but I think we should also ask how does she plan on getting her plans passed? How does she plan to negotiate with republicans when the republicans are almost entirely all bought and paid for? Robert Reich, who served as the Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton summarized it best

“I’ve known Hillary Clinton since she was 19 years old, and have nothing but respect for her. In my view, she’s the most qualified candidate for president of the political system we now have,” “But Bernie Sanders is the most qualified candidate to create the political system we should have, because he’s leading a political movement for change.”

Now of course, Bernie has openly stated that he’s a democratic socialist and people are afraid of how he can win a general election with a socialist label. I’m from a small and relatively conservative area of Upstate New York, so I completely understand of how the word socialist puts people off. This is not something to be too scared over. It’s a matter of ignorance. People do not understand what Bernie is proposing. They think he’s going to be taking all of their money, taxing them at 90%, and giving it all away to these “lazy people” who live off of their own hard work and money. It’s not true. Is Bernie going to raise taxes? Yes, his own healthcare plan outlines it in detail. However, most Americans would actually save money under this plan. A family of four up to $28,800 would not pay any additional taxes, and a family of four making $50,000 a year would pay $466 while simultaneously no longer having to pay any health insurance premiums. A huge savings for most. Contrary to the 90% believe, the top tax bracket he is proposing is 52% for all income over $10 million. Now, since there seems to be a lot of confusion around how tax brackets work in the United States (even though you should be filling them every year) I will explain how this works. No, if you make $10 million that does not mean the government takes 52% of your paycheck, it means that every dollar after $10 million is taxed at 52%.

On the surface, it seems like robbery to consider the government would be taking almost half of your hard earned money! But then you have to realize that someone in this tax bracket would still be making over $5 million a year. That is plenty of money to live an incredibly nice life, in a beautiful home, and stability for your children and grandchildren. If having an extra 0 in your bank account is worth 1,000 people starving, please reconsider the value of your greed. Have some compassion, and realize we are all in this together.

I understand that there is some risk involved with Bernie; most of his proposals comes down to re-electing a congress that will actually work with him — a pretty daunting tasking. However, I would much rather give him a shot and actually try to fix the current political process, rather than continue on with the ‘status quo’.

Feel the Bern.