Talk:Bernie Sanders

counterpunch

is that quote from counterpunch truly necessary?

I agree the Counterpunch quote is superfluous. I myself actually subscribe to Counterpunch, and I might even agree with the quote. But the fact that someone, somewhere, criticized Sanders doesn't seem relevant to his bio... I'm sure we could find a thousand other critical comments from various sources.

That said, if someone developed a subsection along the lines of "Sanders' relationship with the American Left" or the like, that might be interesting. As the only self-described socialist in Congress, it's probably interesting to know the range of opinions socialists/leftists have about him, and how he interacts with that group. But a subsection would need more than one snippy comment. Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters 18:17, 2005 May 16 (UTC)

Recent events

Maybe someone or me should write something about the proposed Sanders Amendment to the Patriot Act. - Dan

Flagrant Vandalism

On April 6th, Pasboudin made a heavy edit to the article, erasing a number of factual examples of events in regard to Sanders' positions with the Bush Administration. Pasboudin explained with, "is this a wikipedia entry or richard tarrant's campaign site?" (see history). He gives no further explaination, and thus shows his intent is to inject POV in violation of wiki rules. The examples given are factual, have citations, and are not disputed by Pasboudin. He has erased these examples serveral times, showing further intent to vandalize the article.

The examples given are not only cited, most citations come directly from Sanders' own website, and use direct quotes from him as their basis. I cannt think of any more neutral examples of a person's beliefs and positions than their own words! My suggestion is that should Pasboudin disgaree with the examples cited, he add his own rather than erasing others' work. -- User 71.161.193.55

Still Independent?

Does anyone know if he's allowed to run for the Democratic nomination and still remain unregistered as an Independent? Or will he formally join the Democratic Party on April 30? Therequiembellishere (talk) 17:18, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

Obviously he is running for the nomination of the Democratic party. - Cwobeel (talk) 22:33, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

That is to say, if he wins the Democratic presidential candidate nomination, he will then run for president as a Democrat. However, if he is unsuccessful, it seems a little unclear whether he'll run as a Democrat or Independent in future races. Kriminy (talk) 00:07, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

We would need a source that says Sanders has become a registered Democrat before assuming he has. Vermont has open primaries so there is no need for him to register as a Democrat in order to vote in the primary. Are there any rules saying one must register as a Democrat in order to seek their nomination? In some states one may even seek the nomination of more than one party, for example Conservative and Republican in New York. TFD (talk) 00:13, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

Yes, that's exactly what I'm wondering and your comment is more helpful and appreciated than any pompous "obvious" assumption. Therequiembellishere (talk) 02:40, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

"Potential roadblock rises for Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire" - Looks like he may have to register Democratic in order to participate in the New Hampshire Primary.--JayJasper (talk) 03:10, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

The article also says it is not possible to register as a Democrat in Vermont. TFD (talk) 06:47, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

An editor continues to insert that Sanders is a Democrat.[1] There are no reliable sources that he is and therefore I will once again revert. TFD (talk) 06:52, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

Here is a current source that says Sanders is not a registered Democrat. TFD (talk) 18:15, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

According to this Wiki article he is now a card carrying Democrat. Does someone need to fix that page? __209.179.16.138 (talk) 01:42, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

Vermont does not have voter registration by party (See Question 8 in Vermont Voter Registration Frequently Asked Questions).RichardMathews (talk) 08:34, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

LS sidebar

Unneeded. The fact that Sanders is mentioned in that article does not means that we need to place that template here. We don't have such sidebars on other US politician's articles, and neither it is needed here. - Cwobeel (talk) 22:32, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

Social media links

Is there some reason why social media links should be allowed in this article ([2])? My understanding of WP:ELNO and WP:ELMINOFFICIAL is that they ought to be removed. Brianhe (talk) 03:43, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

Twitter and Facebook are common for BLPs if they have the blue confirmed checkmark, which both do. Zero Serenity ^{(talk - contributions)} 04:40, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

It's still contrary to the guide, maybe the other BLPs you mentioned are also non conforming. The latter even covers this exact situation: "For example, if the main page of the official website for an author contains a link to the author's blog and Twitter feed, then it is not appropriate to provide links to all three. Instead, provide only the main page of the official website in this situation." Brianhe (talk) 13:02, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

Some points on the article

This article needs more work as it reads as if it were written by his staff. Simply labeling him as Independent is vague and misleading (assuming he doesn't actually belong to the Independent Party). What exactly is his political orientation - there needs to be more info here. When he ran for Congress what did he identify himself as? I remember him describing himself as a socialist. Has he changed his tune or is just not wanting to admit it now? What kind of a socialist is he?

The article states that, "Sanders voted against the resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991". Shouldn't that be 1990? The Notable Quotes aren't very notable, and the "2013 U.S. government shutdown" quote should be deleted as pointless puffery. And if he only has a B.A., how did he teach at Harvard? Are they that hard up for teachers? __209.179.16.138 (talk) 01:46, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

Sanders identifies as a "democratic socialist" as described in the article's lede. And he has always ran as an independent. - Cwobeel (talk) 02:06, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

Okay, but that isn't saying much. Even the Wikipedia page for democratic socialism says, "There is no exact definition of democratic socialism." I can tell you that Reagan and Nixon were Republicans, but that doesn't tell you what specifically they stood for or how different they were. I read the NY Times article cited on his page and it noted his hero was Eugene Debs, that he admired the Sandinistas, that he made good will visits to Cuba, etc. If this is supposed to be an article with NPOV, why isn't there more stuff about this in it? Are people afraid to detail how much of a left winger he is? (Also, the other page still has him as a Democrat. Is anybody going to change it?) __209.179.16.138 (talk) 23:05, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

What is his middle name?

What is his middle name? Smitse (talk) 23:11, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

Political Viewpoints

This article needs to separate out Sanders' political stances. They're currently written down as brief mentions under his "Tenure," which is really not appropriate. He is an established politician, so if his stances are added there, it should include his involvement in various legislation and committees, etc., showing his position on those categories. But, as a presidential candidate at large, this should not include his speaking on general matters beyond his current or past work. His expressed opinions in the media or before a public body should be separated from his actual body of legislative (legal) works. And they should be representative of common issues: like income inequality, foreign policy, same-sex marriage, RFRA, climate change, health care, abortion rights, education, etc. What do " LGBT equality"; "Budget" and "National acclaim" have to do with each other? And, especially, under the section "Tenure"?! That doesn't make sense… whatsoever! And then, "Sponsored legislation" and "Committee assignments" are separate…. from Tenure? I'm so confused. In fact, the title "Tenure" appears twice!! Once its under "Elections" and then again under "U.S. Senate"?! This is a mess. Ca.papavero (talk) 09:46, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

Table of Contents as of 13 May 2015

1 Early life and education 2 Political career 2.1 Liberty Union campaigns 2.2 Mayor of Burlington 2.3 U.S. House of Representatives 2.4 Elections 2.4.1 Tenure 2.5 U.S. Senate 2.5.1 Elections 2.5.2 Tenure 2.5.2.1 Environment 2.5.2.2 Public disclosure and transparency 2.5.2.3 Media reform 2.5.2.4 Health care 2.5.2.5 LGBT equality 2.5.2.6 Budget 2.5.2.7 National acclaim 2.5.2.8 The Middle East 2.5.3 Sponsored legislation 2.5.4 Committee assignments 2.5.4.1 Senate Budget Committee 2.6 2016 Presidential Campaign 3 Personal life 4 Further reading 5 References 6 External links

I agree that it's all mixed up. I'm really not yet experienced enough to do a quick fix, but hopefully we can straighten it out soon... Gandydancer (talk) 19:10, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

Well, I took a try at rearranging the sections. Feel free to improve... Also, would there be any objection if I'd delete a good part what was added as he was deciding about whether or not to run? I'd guess that it was added as new news came out and is very long. Gandydancer (talk) 14:52, 21 May 2015 (UTC)

Finding comprehensive news citations

Sanders has had a long political life and not necessarily like that of many others. I found this comprehensive news story just recently published from the Burlington Free Press that outlines so much of his life, as well as his decision to run for President. Just a few citations like these can fill in the vital information that's needed for this Wikipedia article. Feel free to use it as another source for many areas and sections of this article on Sanders. If we can find many more like this, it would help considerably at developing the overall timeline of his biography. Ca.papavero (talk) 09:36, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

References

•Mentions Terry Bouricius and Tom Smith and the roots of the Progressive party in VT, connecting to Sanders (both now and then). Ca.papavero (talk) 10:08, 15 May 2015 (UTC)

References

"Advocates European Socialism"

I recently undid a contribution that stated he "advocates European Socialism". I know in the George Stephanopoulos interview he said that there was nothing wrong with Scandinavian style of social democracy. He further stated that there were things that we could learn from them, however, I do not consider that advocating European Socialism. Is there a source that could be provided that would make this a non-speculative inclusion? -Xcuref1endx (talk) 05:20, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

He does not actually say what the edit says he did. TFD (talk) 15:22, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Is Bernie a Democrat?

I don't think so. The DNC has bragged about no restrictions to run on their ticket. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/10/politics/bernie-sanders-democrat-or-independent/ We know Bernie has made his namesake on being the Independent, but to assume he has officially become a Democrat by running with Hillary, without any truth to his affiliation is wrong.http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2015/05/20/burn-sanders-vermont-governor-endorses-hillary-clinton/NwOYhSK0Arh4L7ZDFVoXZL/story.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by Edit semi-protected (talk • contribs) 04:10, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

Sanders made a conscious decision, after a long, successful career as an independent socialist politician. He chose to run in the Democratic Party primaries. That means he is now a Democrat, though a very fresh one. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 04:23, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

My latest confirmation of Bernie's party affiliation at Boston.com still calls him an Independent. Edit semi-protected (talk) 04:28, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

I've looked and can't find Bernie being confused as a Democrat. Bernie is the Independent Senator running on the Democratic ticket. 05:18, 22 May 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Edit semi-protected (talk • contribs)

A complication is that Bernie is a resident of Vermont, and Vermont does not have any mechanism to register as a member of a political party. You go to the primary and ask for whichever ballot you want. I believe a record is made of which one you picked for a presidential election, but for other offices no record is made of which ballot you chose. Jc3s5h (talk) 11:47, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

Pulled another article from past 24 hours. They refer to Bernie as an Independent that caucuses with Democrats. Bernie calls himself a "Democratic Socialist." I don't think we should be referring to Bernie as part of the Democratic party. http://wamc.org/post/democratic-vermont-leaders-fail-endorse-sanders-president Edit semi-protected (talk) 21:02, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

More recent links.

http://wamc.org/post/great-expectations-sanders-staff-move-new-offices

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/05/22/new-hampshire-other-democrats-fight-get-out-hillary-clinton-shadow/gQB6UWTVqYsIv9FLFPZPfO/story.html

I'm concerned about when Bernie has to register in certain states as a Democrat. They won't allow him oppose Hillary without proper documentation. At that point, in those statewide primary elections, Bernie will be a Democrat. My wish would be to have Bernie stay the Independent he's always been, but to "small text" running as a Democrat on top of caucusing with Democrats. Edit semi-protected (talk) 02:15, 24 May 2015 (UTC)

Sponsored legislation

I'm closing this section as I'm sure that he has introduced more than four pieces of legislation with the first one going back to a 2007 global warming bill. I suppose it could be added again with a less hit and miss section. I just moved it all to the positions section for now - where I'm sure it needs some additional work... Gandydancer (talk) 04:07, 23 May 2015 (UTC)

Looks to be an improvement. Cheers! Edit semi-protected (talk) 04:21, 23 May 2015 (UTC)

National acclaim section

That section was related to his "filibuster" speech rather than national acclaim. I moved it to the Budget section. Gandydancer (talk) 11:04, 23 May 2015 (UTC)