Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Thom Hartmann — Why Surprising Numbers of Republicans Have Been Voting for Bernie Sanders in Vermont

Why is Bernie Sanders, a socialist, so popular with people who should hate "socialism?"
The answer is pretty simple.
While Americans disagree on social issues like gay marriage and abortion, they're actually pretty unified on the bread and butter economic issues that Bernie has made the core of his campaign.
In fact, a recent poll by the Progressive Change Institute, shows that Americans overwhelmingly agree with Bernie on key issues like education, health care and the economy.
Like Bernie, 75 percent of Americans poll support fair trade that "protects workers, the environment and jobs."
Seventy-one percent support giving all students access to a debt-free college education.
Seventy-one percent support a massive infrastructure spending program aimed at rebuilding our broken roads and bridges, and putting people back to work.
Seventy percent support expanding Social Security.
Fifty-nine percent support raising taxes on the wealthy so that millionaires pay the same amount in taxes as they did during the Reagan administration.
Fifty-eight percent support breaking up the big banks.
Fifty-five percent support a financial transaction or Robin Hood tax.
Fifty-one percent support single payer health care, and so and so on.
Populism is popular. Who knew?

AlterNet
Why Surprising Numbers of Republicans Have Been Voting for Bernie Sanders in Vermont
Thom Hartmann

1 comment:

Ignacio said...

And a lot of those issues would be even higher if it weren't because of the brainwashing (ie. single-payer healthcare or higher progressive taxes) and constant media propaganda.

Single-payer, if well done, reduces bad incentives for the healthcare industry and costs. Higher progressive taxation, reduces inflation creation capacity from the rich (hence redistributing REAL resources more equally) and reduces inequality (which affects the political system through oligarchy).