2016 Postmortem

UCmeNdc

(9,600 posts) Sun Oct 18, 2015, 08:15 AM Oct 2015

Bernie Sanders’ record of pushing through major reforms will surprise you

“I’m a progressive, but I’m a progressive who likes to get things done,” Hillary Clinton said at the first Democratic debate, in response to a question from moderator Anderson Cooper about whether she defines herself as a moderate or a progressive.

The implication was that progressive Bernie Sanders is too far to the left to accomplish anything—all of his ideas are pie-in-the-sky. You have to be able to find the bipartisan, “warm, purple space” as Clinton said earlier this year, to get anything done. Slate’s Jamelle Bouie was super-impressed by this rationale, saying Clinton has “skilled use of bureaucratic power.”

The problem with this narrative is that it is completely false. Not only has Sanders gotten a lot more things done than Clinton did in her own short legislative career, he’s actually one of the most effective members of Congress, passing bills, both big and small, that have reshaped American policy on key issues like poverty, the environment and health care.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/bernie-sanders-record-of-pushing-through-major-reforms-will-surprise-you/

17 replies

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Bernie Sanders’ record of pushing through major reforms will surprise you (Original Post) UCmeNdc Oct 2015 OP

K&R - great article! peacebird Oct 2015 #1

+ 1000 for Courage and Vision !!!!!!! orpupilofnature57 Oct 2015 #2

A short sample of examples ... Scuba Oct 2015 #3

got "a lot more things done than Clinton did in her own short legislative career" thesquanderer Oct 2015 #4

Hillary's list won't be very long -- bills she introduced? Are you kidding? JDPriestly Oct 2015 #7

Three sponsored bills by HRC became law caraher Oct 2015 #13

^^^this. artislife Oct 2015 #17

Great article, thanks, UCmeNdc! bvf Oct 2015 #5

K&R. Bookmarking for future reference. Great article. JDPriestly Oct 2015 #6

No surprise to me, and most of us for that matter.. mountain grammy Oct 2015 #8

Thank you! Boomer Oct 2015 #9

Bernie!! AzDar Oct 2015 #10

K & R. Important piece, Sanders' legislative efforts need to be much more widely known. appalachiablue Oct 2015 #11

Kicked and recommended! The narrative is completely false. Enthusiast Oct 2015 #12

Bernie needs to point this out at the next debate Rosa Luxemburg Oct 2015 #14

K & R! PatrickforO Oct 2015 #15

K&R. Overseas Oct 2015 #16

peacebird

(14,195 posts)

1. K&R - great article!

Reply to UCmeNdc (Original post)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 08:27 AM

Oct 2015

orpupilofnature57

(15,472 posts)

2. + 1000 for Courage and Vision !!!!!!!

Reply to UCmeNdc (Original post)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 08:42 AM

Oct 2015

That's why M$M should be sued for perjury .

Scuba

(53,475 posts)

3. A short sample of examples ...

Reply to UCmeNdc (Original post)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 09:02 AM

Oct 2015

Corporate Crime Accountability (February 1995): A Sanders amendment to the Victims Justice Act of 1995 required “offenders who are convicted of fraud and other white-collar crimes to give notice to victims and other persons in cases where there are multiple victims eligible to receive restitution.”

Saving Money, for Colleges and Taxpayers (April 1998): In an amendment to H.R. 6, the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Sanders made a change to the law that allowed the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education to make competitive grants available to colleges and universities that cooperated to reduce costs through joint purchases of goods and services.

Holding IRS Accountable, Protecting Pensions (July 2002): Sanders’ amendment to the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2003 stopped the IRS from being able to use funds that “violate current pension age discrimination laws.” Although he faced stiff GOP opposition, his amendment still succeeded along a 308 to 121 vote.

Expanding Free Health Care (November 2001): You wouldn’t think Republicans would agree to an expansion of funds for community health centers, which provide some free services. But Sanders was able to win a $100 million increase in funding with an amendment.

thesquanderer

(11,990 posts)

4. got "a lot more things done than Clinton did in her own short legislative career"

Reply to UCmeNdc (Original post)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 09:38 AM

Oct 2015

That's interesting. Apart from the list of Sanders' accomplishments. I'd like to see a list of the bills and amendements HRC introduced (that got passed) during her tenure in the Senate, for comparison.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)

7. Hillary's list won't be very long -- bills she introduced? Are you kidding?

Reply to thesquanderer (Reply #4)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 09:46 AM

Oct 2015

I think she co-sponsored something. Let's ask Hillary fans to research the bills she presented and sponsored.

I'd really like to see it.

caraher

(6,279 posts)

13. Three sponsored bills by HRC became law

Reply to thesquanderer (Reply #4)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 10:55 AM

Oct 2015

Here are the bills she sponsored, with the ones that became law listed first.

S.3145 — 110th Congress (2007-2008)
A bill to designate a portion of United States Route 20A, located in Orchard Park, New York, as the "Timothy J. Russert Highway".

S.3613 — 109th Congress (2005-2006)
A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2951 New York Highway 43 in Averill Park, New York, as the "Major George Quamo Post Office Building".

S.1241 — 108th Congress (2003-2004)
Kate Mullany National Historic Site Act

She was also cosponsor of 74 bills and resolutions that passed.

There are amendments under both lists but I didn't bother tallying those up

artislife

(9,497 posts)

17. ^^^this.

Reply to caraher (Reply #13)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 11:24 AM

Oct 2015

This!

I looked this up around a year ago.

Her career until President Obama handed her the SOS, was all smoke and mirrors, riding in on her husband's coat tails.

Sure she came and did her jobs, once in...but how she got in ...

bvf

(6,604 posts)

5. Great article, thanks, UCmeNdc!

Reply to UCmeNdc (Original post)

Sun Oct 18, 2015, 09:44 AM

Oct 2015

Nice companion to feelthebern.org, and some excellent rebuttals in there.

Excellent point near the end, too:

He has strong convictions and he stands by them, and we’re often told that makes one a gadfly—someone who is out to make a point rather than make an actual change. But with Sanders we have the fusion of strong principles and the ability to forge odd bedfellow coalitions that accomplish historic things, like the audit of the Federal Reserve or the rejuvenation of Burlington that has served as a model for cities around the country.