Bernie Sanders staffers complained about the campaign's use of Amazon, a frequent Sanders target

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

Sen. Bernie Sanders frequently attacks Amazon on the campaign trail, vowing to break up the online retail giant if elected, denouncing its treatment of workers and decrying its ability to pay no federal taxes on billions in profits.

That’s why impassioned dissent erupted within the Sanders campaign earlier this year over its purchases of large amounts of supplies through Amazon, according to five people with knowledge of the situation. Carli Stevenson, then a senior Sanders campaign aide in New Hampshire, raised concerns directly with national campaign officials and suggested using a different company, three of the people said.

Another New Hampshire staffer, state political director William Bateson, also voiced opposition to using Amazon, according to two of the people with knowledge of the situation. Stevenson and Bateson declined to comment for this story.

The Sanders campaign continued using Amazon despite the concerns. Through September, it had spent more than $233,000 on Amazon purchases — much of it in office supplies, and often through Amazon’s Marketplace feature — a review of campaign finance records shows.

[NurseJackie]

1. Haaaaaa! That's funny!

Do they also complain about his books being sold on Amazon?

[thesquanderer]

2. I bet lots of us here have issues with Amazon but still use them. Google/Youtube and Facebook, too.

[NurseJackie]

3. You're right. But lots of us don't build our campaigns and reputations around demonizing them...

You're right. You're right. But lots of us don't build our campaigns and reputations around demonizing them. For many it's just a personal preference... but not the be-all/end-all purpose of their existence.

If someone is going to talk-the-talk (and especially if the talking is constant, repetitive, and loud almost to the point of shouting) then I feel it's important for them to "walk-the-walk" and have the courage and integrity to show us that they can live by their convictions.

[Scurrilous]

41. Yep.

[George II]

9. If we have problems we go to Office Depot or Staples. He's campaigning to put them out of business.

[thesquanderer]

30. He does not want to put Amazon out of business. He wants them/Bezos to pay more taxes.

Where did you get the idea that he wants to put them out of business?

[George II]

32. He wants to break them up:

Bernie Sanders says he would ‘absolutely’ try to break up Facebook, Google, Amazon

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today said that if elected president he would “absolutely” look to break up online giants Facebook, Google and Amazon, offering his strongest pledge to date to pursue antitrust enforcement against the tech industry.

Asked at a Washington Post event if his administration would try to split apart those three tech titans, Sanders said, “Absolutely.”

Sanders previously told POLITICO that he supports calls to break up Facebook and separately that “we should definitely look at” splintering Amazon, Apple and Google.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/16/bernie-sanders-facebook-google-amazon-1416786

[thesquanderer]

33. Breaking them up is *also* not the same as putting them out of business. (n/t)

[George II]

34. He wants to put them out of business as they exist today. But one way he can start...

...even before (and a big IF) he gets elected is pull ALL his books, mugs, calendars, and other tchotchke from their site and stop buying from them.

He bashes Amazon almost daily and yet he profits off Amazon almost daily. What's up with that?

[melman]

4. Sanders says Amazon should pay taxes and treat their workers fairly

and that totally means he thinks they should be boycotted and/or go out of business.


And he totally said nobody should ever shop there.

[George II]

10. They do and they do. They pay lots of taxes and they raised their minimum wage....

...to $15 an hour more than a year ago.

Sanders doesn't pay his staffers $15 an hour.

[Voltaire2]

26. lulzd

"In 2018, Amazon paid $0 in U.S. federal income tax on more than $11 billion in profits before taxes. It also received a $129 million tax rebate from the federal government."

notorious socialist disinformation website cnbc: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/03/why-amazon-paid-no-federal-income-tax.html

Snopes: Amazon paid zero dollars in federal income tax in 2018. True.

"Though Amazon’s actual U.S. tax filings are not public, a broad overview of their overall tax burden can be found in their SEC 10-K filing. In 2018, the company made over $200 billion in sales, but paid no money to the U.S. government in the form of income tax (in fact, the government actually owed the company some $129 million as noted in parentheses in the chart below):"

notorious socialist disinformation website snopes: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amazon-no-income-taxes-2018/

[George II]

27. You pretty much confirmed what I said. Thanks! Now about those underpaid Sanders staffers.

[Voltaire2]

28. You can stare a completely contradictory fact in face and claim the opposite is true.

This is an admirable quality in some circles.

[George II]

29. I said that they did pay taxes, as your Snopes article confirmed. Billions. Thanks for the assist.

[lapucelle]

31. Right you are, George!

First, a quick look at Amazon’s financial statements shows it does pay taxes. In 2017, Amazon paid close to $1 billion in income tax. In 2018, the amount jumped to $1.18 billion, accounting for local, state, and international taxes.

Amazon pays plenty in terms of payroll taxes and also state and local taxes. Nor should you forget the taxes paid by Amazon’s employees on their wages. Not only is that direct revenue to various levels of government, but the incidence of those taxes falls somewhat on Amazon, which now must pay higher wages to offset the tax burden faced by their employees," Cowen adds.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniedenning/2019/02/22/why-amazon-pays-no-corporate-taxes/#513294ae54d5

https://ir.aboutamazon.com/static-files/ce3b13a9-4bf1-4388-89a0-e4bd4abd07b8

[Cha]

37. Mahalo for that, lapucelle!

[cwydro]

5. That's pretty damn funny.

Not surprising though.

[vsrazdem]

6. Did he call for a boycott? I guess I missed it.

[George II]

11. Worse:

Bernie Sanders says he would ‘absolutely’ try to break up Facebook, Google, Amazon

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today said that if elected president he would “absolutely” look to break up online giants Facebook, Google and Amazon, offering his strongest pledge to date to pursue antitrust enforcement against the tech industry.

Asked at a Washington Post event if his administration would try to split apart those three tech titans, Sanders said, “Absolutely.”

Sanders previously told POLITICO that he supports calls to break up Facebook and separately that “we should definitely look at” splintering Amazon, Apple and Google.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/16/bernie-sanders-facebook-google-amazon-1416786

[Voltaire2]

14. That is not a call for a boycott.

And why exactly is breaking up huge monopolies wrong George?

[George II]

16. As I said, what he's calling for is worse than a boycott. BTW, Amazon isn't a monopoly, Voltaire.

[Voltaire2]

19. Lol.

[George II]

20. "Lol" all you want:

Monopoly: "The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service."

Everything Amazon sells can be purchased elsewhere.

[David__77]

24. That's a good point, and a key point.

There was no boycott or call for a boycott.

[George II]

35. But he's called for much worse than merely a boycott, even as he does business with them...

...and profits off them on a daily basis.

[David__77]

36. Ok.

...

[lapucelle]

39. Of course there's no call for a boycott. There are books to be sold,

office supplies to buy, and homes to maintain.

[Voltaire2]

40. Lulzd.

For the next lesson: take both sides of the argument without a hint of embarrassment.

[lapucelle]

42. Interesting to know that you give lessons on that, but I'll pass.

I leave that to the lulzers.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. .

[Mr.Bill]

8. Sadly, in many areas in the country

purchasing some items online is the only practical option. Online sales and nearby big-box stores have put many small locally owned retail businesses out of business. The last office supply store in my town went out of business years ago. The nearest office supply store is nearly 50 miles away with prices higher than I can find online.

I agree in principle with Bernie's stance on Amazon, but as a practical matter, it's my only conveient source for some items. The best I can do is try to avoid using them as much as I can and try my best to support local businesses.

[George II]

12. He also sells dozens of items on Amazon. Here's a sampling (there are dozens more):

T-shirts
Campaign Buttons
Books
Lawn Signs
Lapel Pins
Action Figures (!!!!!)
Crew Socks
Magnets
Beer Glasses
Paper Dolls
Hoodies
Wall Calendars
Skateboarding Figure
Coloring Books
Videos
Vinyl Stickers
Christmas Tree Ornaments
Coffee Mugs
Full-Size Masks
Bumper Stickers
Chia Pets (!!!!)
Notebooks
Candles
Hats
Mousepads
Toilet Paper

[Cha]

38. oh god.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Lol.

[George II]

17. Lots of people scoffed at his staffers' complaints about sexual violence and harassment, too.

[TidalWave46]

22. Looking down and laughing. Not a good look.

These people had to unionize to get protections in place just from workplace abuse alone and you are laughing at them.

[MineralMan]

18. It's OK for me, but not for thee...

Office supplies. Where are you going to buy them? From a corporation, of course. Nobody else makes the stuff. So, do you order them from Amazon and get them delivered directly to your campaign headquarters, or drive over to Office Max and buy them there. Either way, you're dealing with a major corporation.

So the Sanders campaign uses Amazon for such purchases. Why? Because it's convenient and fast delivery is assured. That's the reason most people use Amazon.

OK for me, but not for thee...

[David__77]

23. He didn't say it's not OK for thee.

...

[MineralMan]

25. I see...OK, then...

[TidalWave46]

21. He could shoot someone on fifth avenue in broad daylight.... NT