Bernie Sanders: Why Progressives Keep Winning Democratic Primaries
In an opinion piece, the senator argues progressive candidates are beating better-funded establishment Democrats because they address issues like inequality, healthcare and campaign finance.
Progressive candidates keep defeating establishment Democrats in primaries despite being outspent, and the reason is not complicated, Senator Bernie Sanders writes in an opinion piece: progressives are addressing the real issues facing working families while establishment Democrats are not.
Sanders points to polling showing widespread belief that the economic system is rigged. He notes that 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck even as "the billionaire class has never ever had it so good," and that the top 1% now own more wealth than the bottom 93% of Americans, with Elon Musk alone holding more wealth than the bottom 50% of U.S. households combined.
He outlines the core of the progressive agenda he says voters are responding to. On campaign finance, he calls for overturning the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, banning super PACs and moving to public funding of elections, criticizing the ability of a single donor like Musk to spend $290 million to help elect Donald Trump.
On healthcare, Sanders argues the U.S. system is "broken, dysfunctional and wildly expensive," noting the country spends roughly twice as much per capita as other wealthy nations while 85 million Americans remain uninsured or underinsured. He cites polling that 64% of Americans support a Medicare for All single-payer system.
On wages, he calls the $7.25 federal minimum wage "disgraceful" and pushes for a $20 living wage, along with passage of the PRO Act to strengthen workers' right to unionize. On taxes, he argues billionaires often pay lower effective tax rates than truck drivers or nurses and says the wealthy and large corporations must pay more.
Sanders also calls for government regulation of artificial intelligence to prevent job displacement, privacy erosion and harm to children's mental health, and reiterates that climate change is not a "hoax," citing the past 11 years as the hottest on record.
Establishment politicians and media, Sanders writes, have labeled this agenda "radical" or "extremist," but he argues it reflects what a strong majority of Americans actually want.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
