Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
In These Times: How Bernie Sanders Put Socialism to Work in Burlington: A Profile from 1983
Sanders sailed to reelection as mayor of Burlington after transforming supposedly conservative issues into left victories, and helping democratize city government. In this 1983 profile, Sanders delves into why he believes “the word ‘socialism’ has value” and “politics is not dissimilar to art.”
BY David Moberg
Written in March of 1983 by In These Times veteran reporter David Moberg—soon after Sanders’ first reelection as mayor of Burlington, Vermont—this never-before-published-online article offers a detailed look at the current Democratic presidential candidate's first mayoral term, and how, with the help a broad coalition, he was able to overcome fierce opposition from the city's political establishment to implement a progressive agenda. With Sanders currently tied or leading in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, this profile offers perspective on what a democratic socialist-led government could look like, and how his political success in Burlington—from outsider to contender—mirrors his rise nationally.
BURLINGTON—A frenzy of enthusiasm was building among the overflow crowd of several hundred in Minerva’s restaurant as Mayor Bernard Sanders arrived to celebrate his re-election. There was reason for his supporters to be joyous: the 10-vote victory two years earlier by the socialist mayor who had run several quixotic campaign for state office had been dismissed by the old guard as a fluke. But on March 1, with a voter turnout that jumped more than 50 percent above usual municipal elections, Sanders swamped his Democratic and Republican rivals with 52 percent of the vote.
“Bernie, Bernie, Bernie,” the ecstatic campaign workers chanted. It was almost too much for 41-year-old Sanders. “It’s not me, Bernie, who won,” he insisted. “It’s you, and thousands of other people in the city.”
That may sound like the usual mock humility of the politician, but for Sanders and his supporters there is a difficult political issue involved. As a socialist, Sanders wants to put power into the hands of working people in Burlington, an old but still largely healthy city of 38,000 at the heart of a booming urban region more than triple that size. Yet so far much of his victory has been personal—a testament to his hard work and “down-to-earth” style as much as to his policy ideas and the arrogant indifference of the once-powerful Democrats who had long controlled the city.
“The individual—despite [George] Plekhanov’s book on The Role of the Individual in History—unfortunately plays a great role, greater than we would like think,” Sanders said a few days later in his mayoral office. “People don’t just close their eyes and say what’s your view on this issue or that issue.”
Voters in Burlington clearly demonstrated their approval of Sanders, but they have not been as willing to vote for City Council members he wants or even to back all of his proposals. They have not voted for socialism, but neither have they been afraid to vote for a candidate who unabashedly calls himself a socialist. Although Sanders ran as an independent rather than a socialist, he has made no secret of his beliefs.
With a hostile Council and many of the city’s powers in the hands of numerous commissioners appointed by the Council and still loyal to the old guard, Sanders has frequently been frustrated in his plans for change. He has repeatedly taken his case to the people of Burlington, however. Through persistence, direct challenges and end-runs around obstructionist authorities, he and the “Sanderistas” in city government have managed to weaken significantly the establishment hold and bring important reforms to Burlington government.
Ironically, Sanders has transformed supposedly conservative issues—such as the tax revolt and the demand for efficiency in government—into left issues and left victories. He has also moved to democratize city government and involve many more people—especially poor and working people—in city decision-making.
He has worked for a more active public role in local economic development, neighborhood preservation and renewal, a broader range of social services, improvement of public facilities such as roads and parks, statewide and city tax reform, higher pay and an organized voice in setting personnel policy for city employees. He has also initiated a variety of municipal and voluntary programs for youth, women, the elderly, the homeless and others that have made Burlington not only a more humane but also a more exciting place to live.
BY David Moberg
Written in March of 1983 by In These Times veteran reporter David Moberg—soon after Sanders’ first reelection as mayor of Burlington, Vermont—this never-before-published-online article offers a detailed look at the current Democratic presidential candidate's first mayoral term, and how, with the help a broad coalition, he was able to overcome fierce opposition from the city's political establishment to implement a progressive agenda. With Sanders currently tied or leading in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, this profile offers perspective on what a democratic socialist-led government could look like, and how his political success in Burlington—from outsider to contender—mirrors his rise nationally.
BURLINGTON—A frenzy of enthusiasm was building among the overflow crowd of several hundred in Minerva’s restaurant as Mayor Bernard Sanders arrived to celebrate his re-election. There was reason for his supporters to be joyous: the 10-vote victory two years earlier by the socialist mayor who had run several quixotic campaign for state office had been dismissed by the old guard as a fluke. But on March 1, with a voter turnout that jumped more than 50 percent above usual municipal elections, Sanders swamped his Democratic and Republican rivals with 52 percent of the vote.
“Bernie, Bernie, Bernie,” the ecstatic campaign workers chanted. It was almost too much for 41-year-old Sanders. “It’s not me, Bernie, who won,” he insisted. “It’s you, and thousands of other people in the city.”
That may sound like the usual mock humility of the politician, but for Sanders and his supporters there is a difficult political issue involved. As a socialist, Sanders wants to put power into the hands of working people in Burlington, an old but still largely healthy city of 38,000 at the heart of a booming urban region more than triple that size. Yet so far much of his victory has been personal—a testament to his hard work and “down-to-earth” style as much as to his policy ideas and the arrogant indifference of the once-powerful Democrats who had long controlled the city.
“The individual—despite [George] Plekhanov’s book on The Role of the Individual in History—unfortunately plays a great role, greater than we would like think,” Sanders said a few days later in his mayoral office. “People don’t just close their eyes and say what’s your view on this issue or that issue.”
Voters in Burlington clearly demonstrated their approval of Sanders, but they have not been as willing to vote for City Council members he wants or even to back all of his proposals. They have not voted for socialism, but neither have they been afraid to vote for a candidate who unabashedly calls himself a socialist. Although Sanders ran as an independent rather than a socialist, he has made no secret of his beliefs.
With a hostile Council and many of the city’s powers in the hands of numerous commissioners appointed by the Council and still loyal to the old guard, Sanders has frequently been frustrated in his plans for change. He has repeatedly taken his case to the people of Burlington, however. Through persistence, direct challenges and end-runs around obstructionist authorities, he and the “Sanderistas” in city government have managed to weaken significantly the establishment hold and bring important reforms to Burlington government.
Ironically, Sanders has transformed supposedly conservative issues—such as the tax revolt and the demand for efficiency in government—into left issues and left victories. He has also moved to democratize city government and involve many more people—especially poor and working people—in city decision-making.
He has worked for a more active public role in local economic development, neighborhood preservation and renewal, a broader range of social services, improvement of public facilities such as roads and parks, statewide and city tax reform, higher pay and an organized voice in setting personnel policy for city employees. He has also initiated a variety of municipal and voluntary programs for youth, women, the elderly, the homeless and others that have made Burlington not only a more humane but also a more exciting place to live.
The whole article is quite long, but definitely worth the read:
http://inthesetimes.com/article/18806/this-1983-profile-of-bernie-sanders-shows-how-his-success-in-burlington-mir
