Who is Bernie Sanders? Could he beat Obama?

by Tomi Johnson...Cornel West recently stated in a Democracy Now! interview that he could endorse a "Bernie Sanders-like" candidate for president to run against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, but doubted whether Sanders would run.

Who is Bernie Sanders? Bernard "Bernie" Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, is a Jewish, democratic socialist who ran as an Independent. According to his website, "He is the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history." Sanders was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 after serving 16 years in the House of Representatives.

On August 2, Sanders voted NAY on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 365, an act to provide for budget control.

Last Thursday, Sanders and eight other senators called upon the president to safeguard the health of families by standing strong against efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act. "We are disturbed by media reports that a number of industry groups are urging the administration to set a weak ozone standard, or to avoid setting a new standard at all," the senators wrote. "Polluters are ignoring 40 years of data demonstrating that clean air investments are good for public health and the economy."

On February 15, 2010, "Bernie Sanders: The Most Disappointing Senator" was posted on the Bullshit Philosophy website. In it, Kevin stated, "He (Sanders) seems more concerned with maintaining cordial relations with the Democratic Party than with supporting progressive policies. Like most progressives in Congress, he talks a good game but doesn’t really follow through on it."

To learn more about Sen. Sanders, go to: http://sanders.senate.gov/.

©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.