“Berned” by Bernie Sanders

[riversedge]

One person's story. I enjoyed it. found it on twitter



Tweet:
“Berned” by Bernie Sanders #BernieLostMe https://shiksappeal.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/berned-by-bernie-sanders/ … Powerful story #p2 #UniteBlue


“Berned” by Bernie Sanders

Last fall, a fellow disability activist and close friend of mine introduced me to Bernie Sanders. From the moment I first heard his platform, I was hooked. After living abroad several years in a country with socialized medicine and heavily subsidized education, I was thrilled an American politician was proposing these policies here. Due to my own disabilities, the cost of healthcare has become exorbitant and becoming chronically ill forced me to leave my career in public service litigation to collect meager social security benefits. So, Bernie’s message resonated strongly with my own personal experience of being in the 99%.


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I was so moved by his message that I began volunteering for the campaign, be it through phonebanking, texting or simply bringing his message to everyone I knew. I believed so strongly in the change he could effect that I even donated more money than I could otherwise afford to help his campaign succeed. And I quickly became part of the Bernie or Bust movement, believing his campaign’s message that Clinton didn’t care about anyone other than her special interest donors.

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But I often struggled with his rhetoric on and lack of inclusion for people with disabilities in his stump speeches, acceptance speeches, debate performances, advertisements and campaign literature. Despite discussing issues that affect our daily lives like healthcare, income inequality, social security and criminal justice, he almost never mentioned the disabled population, which makes up 20% of the American electorate. He harped daily on how the Donald Trumps of the world try to divide us up based on our minority status but never even included disability as one of those dividing factors.

Meanwhile, I became more frustrated because Hillary Clinton was including us in every speech, ad campaign, debate performance and even intersectionality graphics of disabled people of color in her literature. She issued press releases supporting the Disability Integration Act, which requires Obamacare plans to cover long-term care for people with disabilities, and talked about sub-minimum wage, a construct by which employers can legally pay the disabled less than minimum wage. Bernie either never did this or lagged behind, as if he was only doing it because Hillary was. I sincerely felt as though Hillary was just paying lip service to us and that Bernie was simply uninformed.


So I began contacting the campaign as early as the fall to advise them on their disability outreach failures, as well as to communicate grave concerns the community was having with some on his policies. I tried every possible method of communication from emailing the campaign through the website and contacting them through social media, to direct emails and text messages to top political directors, including Jeff Weaver, BEGGING them to respond. I also discovered that I was not the only disability activist experiencing this very frustration with the campaign................

[eastwestdem]

1. Amazing how many of these stories are out there now. One of my longtime Facebook friends

just wrote something similar. Nice to see people waking up.

[SunSeeker]

2. K & R

[Squinch]

3. This is exactly the same trajectory that BS had with people of color. They TOLD him that

he had a problem with POC. Then they told him again, and again and again. And then they told him exactly what that problem was and how he could solve it.

He ignored it, and the bros told the people of color who were giving them valuable information that those POC were wrong, and the bros knew much better what POC needed than the POC themselves.

An exclusive club, that BS Campaign.

Hubris and stubborn ignorance. Their loss is their own damn fault.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Since you brought that up... Where is Killer Mike?

All they seem to have now is Nina Turner. Did KM become disillusioned?

[Squinch]

17. Hmmmmm....it's a mystery!

[TwilightZone]

4. The flood gates are open. It's like everyone was afraid to say anything until the first couple did.

Now, they're everywhere.

[stopbush]

5. "I sincerely felt as though Hillary was just paying lip service to us and that Bernie was simply

uninformed."

Isn't that typical? One candidate speaks directly and often about an issue, but they get written off as being insincere, while a person who ignores the issue gets an easy excuse. It's not their fault! They're simply misinformed!

How often have we heard the media say that Sanders' appeal is that he has a couple of issues that he sticks to and hammers them home, while Hillary doesn't have a catchy "feel the bern" phrase, or that anyone knows where she stands on the issues? When you point out the MANY issues that Hillary has taken an in-depth position on, well, they're ignored, or dismissed as being pandering, or switching however the wind is blowing. It's "paying lip service."

Really shameful stuff.

[LisaM]

6. This is very moving.

I was struck by the comment that his official position on opioid use including telling people to use yoga and meditation. This reminds me of how he thought people (men) could get cancer from the stress of having "old bitches" of teachers in that essay he wrote back in the late 70s, early 80s.

[Her Sister]

7. Oh wow! Very powerful story! Such a difference the way she was treated!

So glad people are seeing - really seeing!

BS could not even fake his lack of interest!

Reminds me of the AIDS/HIV activists that had their meeting cancelled and their phone calls and emails ignored!

Thanks for posting!

[Hekate]

8. Read the whole thing at the link. It's a devastating critique of Sanders himself.

I give her credit for her courage and honesty in this essay -– she's travelled a hard road to get there.

[ismnotwasm]

9. Heartbreaking

I am glad she got an appropriate response from Hillary's campaign!

[Cha]

10. Thank you for this, rivers..

[Haveadream]

11. Thank you for this, riversedge

This is truly meaningful and very much appreciated by many Hillary supporters. Nearly every family is affected and nary a word about it from Sanders. Thank you for sharing about an incredibly important issue and thank you Hillary for making it a priority.

[Starry Messenger]

12. Stark constrast between two different approaches.

This is how you do and do not build coalitions.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

13. Great post. Thanks. nt

[shadowandblossom]

15. Great article.

My conversation with the Clinton campaign regained my hopefulness but also made me incensed that Bernie is maliciously lying to democrats about Clinton’s uncaring regard for the 99%, while destroying the party from within. Bernie is adamant that Hillary only cares about corporate interests and not the typical marginalized American. But, in fact, the opposite is true. If he cared about his supporters’ interests, his campaign would respond to these communities, listen to their issues and modify his platform accordingly.

His speeches never change for a reason. It isn’t because, as his supporters allege, he’s authentic and always on the right side of things. It’s because he doesn’t care to adapt, to research issues other than income inequality and the environment, follow up on his lofty ideas with solid policy initiatives or to make any compromises to achieve his goals. Rather, he just plays the blame game, pointing out everything that’s wrong with this country and proposing no specific plans to achieve his goals. He prides himself on being so honest and trustworthy while lying to the electorate about his concern for our well being and Hillary’s lack thereof. In reality, I see now that he doesn’t care about anyone’s well being but his own ability to rise to power.

What’s worse is that he is riling up his base to believe that the system is rigged, corrupt and rife with election fraud, based on theories grounded in conspiracy rather than fact. He’s excusing their violence and death threats on constituents’ frustration, rather than explicitly denouncing such vile behavior. The super delegates are voting for Hillary, and some are starting to shift support from Bernie to Hillary, which I suspect will continue to occur, because they are experienced policy makers who recognize that Bernie has proposed no actual comprehensive policies to achieve his goals. They realize that, in the year he’s been running for President, he hasn’t created one single concrete plan. Super delegates are in place to prevent dangerous politicians, like Trump, from achieving power when they don’t have the capabilities to effectively use that power and, thus, make things much worse in the end.

Coming to terms with these realizations was very difficult for me. I literally grieved and cried when I discovered that I had been so maliciously misled by someone I believed to possess such a high moral compass. I recognize that his supporters are frustrated and angry over income inequality, because I am too. But I plea with his supporters to wake up to HIS fraud and ask yourselves why he answers every question on every topic, from ISIL to our broken public school systems, with concepts of income inequality. It’s not because that issue is the root of all things wrong with our country but because he doesn’t care to research and be advised on any other issues, despite having the time and resources to do so.

[Koinos]

16. K & R

[DemonGoddess]

18. K&R!