Bernie Sanders Pledges To End No Child Left Behind, Shut Down For-Profit Prisons

[peecoolyour]

Last night, Bernie Sanders did a series of events in New Hampshire, with the largest being in Portsmouth, where he spoke to 800 people at a local church.

Much of the territory he covered was the traditional Sanders spiel: raise taxes on the wealthy who have long dodged their tax responsibilities, make education and health care free, combat rising political and economic inequality.

But during the question and answer session he divulged from his normal territory and took on a few new areas: education, the prison industrial complex, and immigration, staking out left-wing positions that are bolder than any major party nominee in recent memory.

http://www.alternet.org/bernie-sanders-pledges-end-no-child-left-behind-shut-down-profit-prisons

[Maedhros]

1. This is what is missing from Hillary's campaign.

Solid proposals.

[yeoman6987]

5. Hillary understands that she will have at least a

Republican house and knows the first hundred days are critical to get things done. The last thing a president wants is for the proposals to not happen.

[Doctor_J]

22. .

So she's going to propose nothing, so as not to suffer any setbacks?



Sounds like a brave, inspirational campaign

You actually think she can win on her gender and wall street ties alone? Actually you may be right on that.

[stevenleser]

26. Yep. You can propose anything you want. The question is what can you get passed. I want to

see Bernie's plan for getting Republicans to vote for what he is proposing.

[arcane1]

34. Maybe the best candidate is the one with the most republican-favored ideas

[stevenleser]

35. The fact that a straw man is the best you can come up with in response shows I'm right. nt

[arcane1]

36. It's not working so well with the TPP Fast Track, and it's loved by republicans

[stevenleser]

37. It's clear that you think that has something to do with my post. It doesn't. nt

[arcane1]

38. It's an example of the unwisdom of trying to appease republicans in Congress.

I'd love to hear Clinton's plan for winning them over with her progressive proposals.

[stevenleser]

40. You have to somehow get some of them to vote for some of your bills or none pass. It's that simple.

If as his platform Bernie is going to propose bills that have zero chance of a single Republican voting for them, he has no business being in the White House.

Democracy in general is a game of incrementalism. It's rare that you get the kind of parliamentary majority that allows you to engineer massive change in a short period of time.

If you don't like that, Bernie Sanders isn't the answer for you. You need a dictatorship.

[arcane1]

41. And that's assuming he won't, and others will, with no evidence.

I'm willing to wait and see, but I'm not going to let the possibility of republican disagreement sway my choices. I'm also going to do what I can to get more Dems into Congress

Just think, if Sanders were president right now, he'd be joining his own party in opposition to the TPP, not joining the republicans in opposition to his own party. That's why appeasement is a slippery slope.

We can agree to disagree; I still believe we're on the same side

[stevenleser]

44. I have plenty of evidence. The current congressional session. The last one. The one before that...

... we now have three and a half congressional sessions with Republicans voting in blocks against pretty much everything and anything remotely liberal/progressive proposed by a Democratic President. Even centrist legislation is being generally blocked out of spite.

If you are going to run for President as a Democrat on a platform that purports to make great liberal transformations, you need to show how any of it would get passed.

[arcane1]

45. Sad, but true.

But I fear that will be the case for any Dem, and won't get fixed without fixing Congress

[treestar]

69. No compromise and nothing happens

Bernie cannot just shut down for profit prisons or end NCLB. It has to be repealed by Congress. Which is what we have been saying about Obama for 6 years, is basic civics, and I now see has not gotten through some thick skulls.

[arcane1]

71. You don't need to insult my skull, especially while proving my point:

This is not unique to Sanders.

[RichVRichV]

46. You're looking at this from the wrong perspective.

It's not a question of what can get passed with a Republican congress. The real question is what can we do to retake congress from the Republicans? The answer is quit making getting elected our only mission and give people a real progressive platform to get excited behind.


The Republicans didn't get into power by chance. They have a strong message (a very very flawed message, but one they scream for). Meanwhile Democrats are too busy triangulating and focusing on how to win that next election, instead of sticking to our principles. People choose a loud terrible message over no message at all.


What we need to do is give people a truly progressive coherent platform to rally behind. Explain to them how we will make their lives better, not just talk about wanting to. That is how we win the Senate back. That is how we win the states back and fix gerrymandering in order to win the house back.


Sure we can rally for a candidate that can get compromises passed with Republicans, but we've all seen how that turns out (over and over and over). Or we can elect someone to excite the base and the country into joining the Democrats. Personally I think the laws will be much better if passed through an all Democratic congress. We just have to have the fortitude to fight for it.

[stevenleser]

47. No, I'm not. We have zero chance of taking the House back until 2022 the election after the next

redistricting. If a Democrat is elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, for three out of their four two year congressional sessions they will have to contend with Republicans in charge of the House at least.

So again, if a candidate is going to propose liberal/progressive transformative legislation as part of their platform, what is their plan for getting it passed?

[RichVRichV]

49. What's the path?

What's the path to retaking the states by 2020 if we don't energize the country to get behind us in 2016? Staying status quo hasn't been working too well for us. So how is electing a status quo president going to change that? The Democratic party has a bad case of short-term-itis.

[stevenleser]

50. You are projecting your beliefs onto the American people

If it were right to believe that Kucinich would have been elected President.

What Bernie talks about is not inspirational to 95% of Americans. Bernie is running even with Republicans in California while Hillary has a 25+ point lead in that state. That shows you who folks find inspiring.

[RichVRichV]

52. Not really.

I'm not projecting anything. What Sanders preaches was Americans beliefs for a long time before trickle down came along. And it worked. A strong middle class led by strong unions, high pay, and high taxes on the rich built the strongest economy ever from the 40s through the 70s. That's proven history, and something we need to start pushing again. And liberal social issues always win out, it just takes time. Neither are losing strategies.

All the polls currently show is who the people know. Give it time. The more people that get to know what Bernie is about the stronger he will poll. Of that I have no doubt.

[Bonobo]

48. That's called advocating for something you believe in.

Tough concept.

[Scootaloo]

51. Cynicism is the order of the day for some of these people

[KittyWampus]

61. you confuse pragmatism with cynicism. Ideologues are the closer to cynics.

Since they demand perfection and never get it all at once.

While cynics overlook any amount of progress because it invalidates their world view.

[TheKentuckian]

63. There is nothing useful or pragmatic about any agenda the Teabaggers in the House can get behind.

What "progress" are you projecting here?

[Scootaloo]

72. No, I address cynicism as cynicism.

Thank you, but i know what I'm saying, and do need you to translate me for me.

[rhett o rick]

56. So are you insinuating that HRC could get along with the Republicons? Really?

That's where you want to go. "Vote HRC and get things done to suit the Republicons." I guess she did get together with them in the past. Like sell the IWar.

[stevenleser]

57. Nope. I'm saying the pie in the sky stuff Bernie is proposing has no chance of passing a

Republican congress. And with his record of 24 years in congress during which he didn't have the leadership to get virtually anything passed, he's a particularly poor choice to make the attempt.

[rhett o rick]

68. The "pie in the sky stuff" is aimed at saving those in poverty, our infrastructure,

our middle class, etc. We have to fight for change. We can not survive as a nation if we allow the Oligarchs to continue to rip us off.

How many trains have to derail, how many bridges have to collapse, how many American children have to sink into poverty before some realize that we can not survive the status quo.

[TheKentuckian]

62. What is Clinton proposing that both they will support and is beneficial for the people?

You are talking a micro universe of policy so small as to be irrelevant so the best thing to do is put someone in place with maximum distinction, a non interventionist, someone who won't liter the executive branch with corporate hacks, and who will appoint wise judges across the spectrum of issues no matter how often or hard the usual clowns push back.

If you are saying that an administration will have to depend on executive power rather than getting almost anything through the legislature then I agree, this is why we absolutely must go with Sanders since this will stress where Clinton is weakest and worst like use of military force, toxic agreements, clandestine destabilization of governments, advancing the whims of the MIC, corporate appointments, and slimy associations and influences.

[stevenleser]

64. No, and executive power is not the way to go. It's a dangerous precedent and I have said as much

with Obama. I understand it's necessary right now and I support him, but the use of it worries me.

You are dancing around the issue. He is proposing bills that have no chance of passing and we all know that. You're doing everything but disputing it.

[TheKentuckian]

65. Again, what is she proposing that is beneficial that they will go for? Don't accuse me of dancing

when you tangoed in the night right by that, Steven.

[stevenleser]

74. She is not the one making outlandish promises. She doesn't have to answer that question.

Bernie is the one making outlandish promises. He has to explain how he intends to get it passed.

[marle35]

67. For people who graduated from the Obama school of negotiating, that may make sense

Last edited Sat May 30, 2015, 01:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Start by proposing a compromised version of your plan, and then end up with something even worse in the end, after all of the negotiating.

Or do you start by proposing what you want, and then negotiate from there?

Sanders is running his campaign on a progressive agenda. If he is elected, he will have won on a "progressive mandate" which will put pressure on Congress to enact more leftist legislation. Mandates are what the talking heads on political shows (such as yourself) like to talk about, right?

No disrespect intended, I just think there is a reason to campaign from the left, even all of it doesn't turn up in the legislation, verbatim.

[BeanMusical]

70. "the Obama school of negotating"

Lol, I like it.

[Exilednight]

39. I AGREE! Don't fellow Dems understand that if she is elected that

if she makes no promises that she owes them nothing?

The nerve of some people!

P utrage:

[TheKentuckian]

58. So what proposals beneficial to the people does she have that the TeaPubliKlans will support?

[neverforget]

73. Nary a peep as to how Clinton would get her proposals through Congress either.

But you know, Bernie's stuff is all "pie in the sky" while Clinton's proposals are?

[LWolf]

60. I hope Hillary isn't reading this.

I don't think she'd appreciate you suggesting that, since she'd have to fight for her proposals, she just won't make any in order to avoid risk.

[DhhD]

15. And Sanders is introducing Bills, that will have to be voted on. Republicans are on record then.

This is a good way to ask voters to get rid of lawmakers voting against the best interest of their constituents. Lawmakers voting to keep Citizen United and to keep testing/NCLB, will be on record. IMO, Sander will ask the American people to seat a new Congress, based on their record of supporting Wall Street, during his campaign.

[stevenleser]

27. Republicans don't care about that. They are mostly in safe districts. nt

[msongs]

2. at last ONE candidate talks about for profit prisons and shutting them down. it's a miracle nt

[arcane1]

42. Amen to that!

[daleanime]

3. K&R.....

[uponit7771]

4. "Last Night..." Come on, let this go

[smokey nj]

6. Why?

[Omaha Steve]

7. More great stuff

K&R!

[CharlotteVale]

8. K&R

[FlatBaroque]

9. I feel like I have already

received my pony.

[sabrina 1]

10. He takes questions and never hesitates to answer them. The night before he spoke about police

brutality and offered suggestions on how to deal with it. Also answered another question about racism, and again, offered ideas on how to deal with that also.

Great to know his thought on NCLB, that old Bush pos excuse for privatization of the Public School system and the awful, inhumane prison system now also on the road to privatization.

[woo me with science]

23. [phone]

Good god, it's been so long since we had an honest politicians who actually responded to the people.

What a breath of fresh air. And what a shocking reminder, through sheer contrast, of how perverse, corrupt, manipulative, and unrepresentative the system has become in corrupt corporate hands.

The contrast between Hillary's manipulative non-answers, the smear jobs by her mouthpieces, and her hiding from the press....and Bernie's honesty here....could not be more telling.

[arcane1]

28. You can tell he's not thinking "what answer do they want to hear?"

And that's pretty damned refreshing

[Doctor_J]

11. left wing positions like pulling the plug on nclb

More like undoing far right boondoggles.

I wonder where Mrs Clinton stands on these things

[KansDem]

12. Works for me!

[Go Vols]

13. Go Bernie

[Warren DeMontague]

14. That's good.

I'm glad someone is addressing for-profit prisons.

Thanks, Bernie!

[Jack Rabbit]

16. Bravo, Bernie

Private prisons should not exist, period. It is bad public policy to allow any for-profit institution that depends on social strife for its livelihood. When CCA offered to buy government run prisons provided that the government/sellers guarantee a 90% occupancy rate for 20 years, it was easy to see that in the end that was a bad deal. In order to maintain prison occupancy, the private prison industry could demand of the state to make sentencing more severe or criminalize relatively harmless behavior at a time when legalization of marijuana makes more sense.

Bernie, of course, has a better idea. Let's just create opportunity for common people and drive the crime rate down. That's a lot better than making a bargain with the devil to keep the crime rate artificially high to create opportunity for a greedy bastard in a penthouse office.

[woo me with science]

25. Good post. Attaching a profit motive to the imprisonment of human beings is not just bad policy.

It is vile. It is evil. It is wrong.

You described it perfectly:

making a bargain with the devil to keep the crime rate artificially high to create opportunity for a greedy bastard in a penthouse office.

[arcane1]

29. It's rare enough for a politician to even mention topics like this n/t

[BrotherIvan]

33. Damn right

[azurnoir]

17. yes and about time we had someone willing to speak out

[woo me with science]

18. WE NEED BERNIE SANDERS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

NO MORE CORPORATE PREDATORS.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. Judges hand out jail time like crazy because our prisons are slave labor factories.

[SoapBox]

20. Bernie keeps talking issues.

But others on both sides, seem to announce and start criticizing each other or the President.

Am I just imagining that?

[arcane1]

30. Someday soon, Sanders will win over a voter, and CNN will write a 200-word article about it.

I'm assuming they're doing that for all the candidates, right?

[catnhatnh]

21. "But during the question and answer session he divulged from his normal territory.."

Diverged dammit-English usage is important!!!

[bravenak]

32. Me too.

I feel the same way. Upsetting.

[historylovr]

54. He diverged, and then he divulged.

[woo me with science]

24. Huge K&R What a telling contrast. Again.

What a telling contrast. Again.

Bernie Sanders Pledges To End No Child Left Behind, Shut Down For-Profit Prisons
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026747534

The Clinton legacy: How “tough-on-crime” politics built the world’s largest prison system
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026747166

BERNIE SANDERS 2016

NO MORE CORPORATE PREDATORS IN DEMOCRAT SUITS.

[bravenak]

31. Divulged = diverged?

I see this error so often it drives me up the wall. I need to chill.

[liberal_at_heart]

43. An end to No Child Left Behind! If he didn't have my vote before he has it now. Of course

he already had it, but this is my issue and I am so thrilled to see someone stand up for the kids who don't all learn at the same pace and for the teachers who deserve more respect and pay.

[Turin_C3PO]

53. What a breath of fresh air Sanders is!

He's got my vote.

[Zorra]

55. As any real Democratic Presidential candidate would. nt

[LWolf]

59. Spread the word.

There are a lot of teachers, students, and parents that are going to be excited to hear this. I'm one of them.

[JEB]

66. Bernie the only candidate willingly confronting

the real issues with his inordinate common sense. Best of the lot by far.