Bernie Sanders just set an impossibly ambitious goal to reverse mass incarceration

[ProudToBeLiberal]

Hillary Clinton has criticized Bernie Sanders as a candidate who's making promises he can't keep — although usually this criticism is leveled at his plans to enact a single-payer health care system and free public colleges, or tear apart Wall Street banks.

But at a New Hampshire rally on Friday, Sanders added another policy area where he's promising more than he can likely deliver: mass incarceration.

He said, while talking about high youth unemployment (emphasis mine):

So here's a promise that I make to you: Number one, at the end of my first term, we will not have more people in jail than any other country. And one of the reasons for that is that instead of having high rates of youth unemployment, we are going to have education and jobs, not jails and incarceration. I want kids to be in school. I want kids to have the education they need. I want kids to have jobs, not just hang out on street corners with the potential to get into trouble.

...

But there's practically no chance Sanders could fix this all in his first term — and his claims, frankly, call into question his knowledge on the subject, despite his good intentions.

http://www.vox.com/2016/2/8/10937468/bernie-sanders-mass-incarceration

[bravenak]

1. I think impossible is correct

[TheBlackAdder]

21. What the hell is it with all of this defeatist talk? It is completely stupefying to read! nt

[bravenak]

28. People like talking.

Doing is harder. Need those 'establishment' dems to help get stuff passed. Kinda hard to see them sticking their necks out for someone who rails against them daily. Many are also not in super far left districts. Many have moderate districts. Who does he have to fight for him? Have his back? His supporters do not vote in congress nor do they decide what comes up for a vote. Paul Ryan decides what comes up for a vote. Mitch Mcconnell in the Senate.

[TheBlackAdder]

29. Go home and hide under a blanket. People like sitting on their ass watching TV too.

.


You know, 3 years from now, I'll be hearing the same bitching about how nothing changes.

And most of it will be from the people who are prolific OP writers!


.

[bravenak]

30. Umm hmm.

Funny how when the convo gets to brass tacks people get upset.

[TheBlackAdder]

32. Whatever dude. I hear Home Depot is having a sale on White Flags this election cycle. nt

[bravenak]

33. Nope! They're selling Hillary Victory Banners.

[Hortensis]

39. BlackAdder, the only way Bernie could even

approach a moral victory on this claim would be to hire tens of millions on the federal payroll. I'd love to put all those people to work rebuilding America, but that just can't happen in this era. Half of our fellow citizens see cutting government power and spending as a moral and/or religious crusade. Those Americans have votes, the same as us, and they will have some real say in what we can do.

Please note also, Congress controls the pursestrings on the federal budget.

[cali]

31. He has been crystal clear that little changes

if we don't elect liberals to congress.

Unlike your adored candidate, (who you swore never to forgive for her racist 2008 campaign) Bernie has never made a comment about bringing black kids "to heel", or threatened only to talk to white people about institutional racism.

[bravenak]

37. So what do we need him for?

[cali]

42. Love how you deflect

It's adorable.


So why did you jump wildly from saying you would never forgive Hillary to being all in for her?

As for why we need Bernie, he'll fight for us, and unlike Hillary he is not corrupt.

[bravenak]

44. The response to BLM.

It was way worse than what Hillary did in 08. Her supporters were horrible. This time I have no issue with her supporters or most surrogates. The lack of diversity in her opposition's group gives me serious doubts as to his viability.
Also? Tone deafness and self-righteousness in her opposition. I hate purity test more than loyalty oaths. The way black voters are discussed by the supporters of her opposition make me very uncomfortable and asking them to have sensitivity on black issues falls on deaf ears. I do not belong to groups that ignore my voice or try to shut it down.

[Logical]

38. Disappointed you trash bernie so much. Nt

[bravenak]

40. It's my thing

[AgingAmerican]

55. So you want the police state to continue as it is with no effort to change it

Why does that not surprise me?

[bravenak]

56. My mouth is filled with words not mine own.

[AgingAmerican]

57. Cheese is good food

[bravenak]

58. So you hate tuna then? I knew it.

[AgingAmerican]

59. I love tuna melts

With cheddar

[bravenak]

60. I guess pepper jack is just too crass for you

[AgingAmerican]

61. No

It's just not hot enough to be worth it.....if they used serranos or habaneros, then we could talk....

Unless your talking about the band, in which there is no such thing as enough!

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

2. Nope, can't be done

Thanks Vox!

[TheBlackAdder]

24. Everybody go home. Accept the Police State. Welcome to the Totalitarian regime! nt

[Warren DeMontague]

64. Every fucking year we spend about $15 Billion -that's just federally- to do the impossible

namely, stop citizens from putting chemicals in their own bodies that we've decided they shouldn't be allowed to.

[Vinca]

3. Why is this an impossible ambition? I'd say it was the easiest to accomplish.

If someone is in prison for a nonviolent misdemeanor, open the door and let them out. If it's a nonviolent felony review their case and reduce the sentence if it seems appropriate. Change sentencing guidelines. There's no need for a pot smoker to be locked up for years on end.

[hack89]

8. Most prisoners are in state systems

there is nothing Bernie or Congress can do to change state laws or state sentencing guidelines. He certainly cannot just order them free.

[Vinca]

11. He can address people in federal facilities.

And, as for states, most of them are going broke paying for people who could be dealt with out of prison and I don't think it would be a stretch to think the states could be convinced to release people. There is an exception of course: states with officials profiteering off for-profit facilities. That's probably a problem. Greed has precedence over all.

[hack89]

13. He has to first change federal law

how much support do you think he will get from the Republicans?

[Vinca]

18. There have been Republicans talking about this very issue.

What do Republicans hate most? Money going to "takers." Prisoners are "takers" in a big, big way. But, as I said before, it depends on how much profiteering is going on.

[politicaljunkie41910]

43. The problem with Repub lawmakers or governors is that there is always some candidate on your

heel, ready to proclaim his own bravado and claim that his opponent is weak on crime. Very few of them have the courage to risk their next run for office and being labeled soft on crime. The only reason they are discussing it now, is because they are in NH and the residents they are courting are demanding assistance from them while there soliciting their votes. This is too bad because suddenly NH addicts have moved the conversation to the top priority for those running for office. No one was willing to step in and try to get assistance for the parents of black and brown children suffering the same plight. They just wanted to lock them away, and use liberal 'stop and frisk' laws to make it possible.

[Alittleliberal]

53. He could pardon ALL non violent federal drug prisoners

[bravenak]

62. Would make barely an impact. Sadly.

[hack89]

65. A drop in the bucket

The vast majority of prisoners are in state prisons.

[earthside]

4. Message from Hillarians: Never aim high. n/t

[ProudToBeLiberal]

6. If you want a successful job, it's ok to aim high. We believe in the American dream. nt

[restorefreedom]

7. no we can't! 2016 nt

[hack89]

10. Message from Bernie: Ignore basic civics

Last edited Mon Feb 8, 2016, 03:35 PM - Edit history (1)

care to explain how the President will change all those state laws and sentencing guideline? He would be president, not king. He does not have power over the state judicial systems.

[politicaljunkie41910]

36. You're absolutely correct. Certainly the states with the harshest sentencing laws

will be red states and the governors, who always take a "tough on crime stance" will all be running for President or some other office probably in the next election. The easy cases won't need any outside assistance, as those cases resolve themselves. In the Blue states, those governors will be equally ambitious and each will have visions of Willie Horton ads being run against them in their sleep, since as you can see here at DU, there is no limit to how far back that opponents will go to sling mud or just embellish crap from the past.

[earthside]

46. Informative that Hillary will be purposefully impotent ...

... as President, since she understands basic civics.

Good to know that she will not attempt any big changes if there is no immediate chance for success.

Important for voters to understand that Hillary won't use the bully pulpit and the power of presidential persuasion to advocate for things she has no direct authority over.

So, vote for Hillary if you want a leader who really won't do much because it is unrealistic to ask Congress to do anything that doesn't already have a majority of votes.

Vote for Hillary for Figurehead First Woman President!

[hack89]

48. Yes, because that is exactly what I said when I questioned Bernie's grasp of political reality

Super Tuesday can't come fast enough for me.

[6chars]

5. sounds like a reasonable goal

[hack89]

12. You realize the majority of America's prisoners are in state systems?

systems Bernie can't change.

[6chars]

15. still seems like a reasonable goal

the prison industry didn't grow all by itself

[hack89]

16. But it will take decades

he is saying the end of his first term.

[6chars]

17. a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step

grasshopper

[hack89]

19. I understand that

the OP is about how unreasonable Bernie's timeline is, not whether it is a worthwhile goal at all.

[6chars]

25. darn that JFK and his lunar landing project

I think it's great that Bernie will state this understandable goal and a timeline to work toward it. it will help motivate action. of course he isn't thinking he can do it all by himself. he is leading.

[mikehiggins]

9. All good points

So what? This is wrong and must be changed. One rule might be that for every teen arrested for pot, someone from the financial industry has to be jailed at the same time.

Yeah, I know that's ridiculous but for the "land of the free and the home of the brave" to stick so many black kids into jail is just as fucked up.

[pangaia]

14. The difficult we can do now.

The impossible takes a little longer.. maybe 4 years.

[Arazi]

20. Love him! Unlike Hillary whose in bed with Big Prison

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/7/23/1405229/-Private-Prison-Corporations-Stand-With-Hillary-Clinton

Sanders actually cares about mass incarceration

[Jefferson23]

22. Yes, Bernie will not be a Hillary Clinton administration..thank goodness. n/t

[Blue_Adept]

23. So how many people will be released from jail?

I know a good number are in for ridiculous drug charges and should be out.

But if we get an outflux of what, a million people? With their records as they are because of the shit charges for drugs, it's just going to be a mess. It's almost like taking a million refugees with no safety net or plan to take care of them.

Hopefully there's some actual details to this. There's a lot to change with mass incarceration, significantly so and it needs to happen, but the ripple effect could be a tidal wave of more problems.

[TheBlackAdder]

26. Aim low, you'll probably hit the dirt. Aim high and you might just hit a knee cap or better! nt

[Cheese Sandwich]

27. You have to set big goals because that's your starting position for negotiations.

When you pre-compromise then you end up with a shitburger.

[Orsino]

34. As in total number? May be doable.

http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total?field_region_taxonomy_tid=All

If, we're talking per-capita, we already don't imprison more than any other country (thanks, Seychelles).

If we really split hairs and pretended to discuss only federal prisoners, who knows?

[firebrand80]

35. This isn't Bernie "Aiming High"

This is promising to hit a target that he can't even shoot at

[LondonReign2]

45. There's that fresh Turd Way Thinking

No We Can't (Unless Wall Street Says It's OK)

[Armstead]

41. He should run on increasing mass incarcionerastion -- Yeah, after we're the "no can do" party

[Beacool]

47. Oh, more goodies in his magic bag.

This is the U.S. in 2016, it's not France in 1789 or Russia in 1917. His ambitious, and that's saying it politely, agenda is contingent on a "political revolution". Aside form the very Left, who the hell is going to be marching to DC to demand all these changes that he keeps proposing? The young in high school or college? I wouldn't count on them. There's a dissonance between the razzle dazzle laundry list of liberal dream wishes and the reality on the ground.

[november3rd]

50. You are

and so is Hillary!

[november3rd]

49. Mark 11:23, 24

...and man was never meant to fly ...

[thereismore]

51. You know, a President has the power to pardon. Did you know that? nt

[AwakeAtLast]

52. The Prison Industrial Complex will have a problem with that.

And all that cheap labor? Gone! Can't have that!

[AgingAmerican]

54. Decriminalize marijuana federally, by executive order

Then enforce it. Problem solved.

Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't! Can't!

[Warren DeMontague]

63. What's impossible is pretending that the drug war is anything but a flat-out failure.

And yet people like Debbie Wasserman Schultz still want to put pot smokers in prison.