Yahoo... Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is considering a run for president — as a Democrat.
"I am thinking about running for president," Sanders, a self-proclaimed "Democratic socialist," said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "Running as a Democrat — that’s something that I’m looking at right now."
The 73-year-old, who has served in Congress — both in the House and Senate — for more than two decades, is in Iowa this weekend to test the waters for 2016.
"I am the longest-serving independent in the history of the United States Congress — that's how I've always won in the state of Vermont," Sanders said. "One of the reasons I'm going to Iowa is to get a sense of how people feel about it. The truth is, [there is] profound anger at both political parties, more and more people are becoming Independent."
The Brooklyn-born Sanders said he may run as a Democrat because setting up "a 50-state infrastructure as an Independent" could be too difficult.
Hillary Clinton, widely considered the favorite among possible 2016 Democratic candidates, is also in Iowa, headlining the Harkin Steak Fry put on by Iowa Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin in Des Moines on Sunday. But Sanders said his trip to Iowa, and his consideration of a run for president, has nothing to do with the former secretary of state.
"A) I don't know if Hillary Clinton is running, and b) I don't know what she is running on," Sanders said. "But this is what I do know: I know the middle class in this country is collapsing, I know the gap between the very, very rich and everybody else is growing wider. I know there is profound anger at the greed on Wall Street, anger at corporate America, anger at the policitical establishment — and anger, by the way, at the media establishment. The American people want real change, and I've been taking on the big money interests and special interests all of my political life.
[Related: Hillary Clinton returns to Iowa as talk of 2016 picks up]
"The issue," Sanders added, "is not Hillary Clinton."
"We need a political revolution in this country," he told voters in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, during a three-city tour of the Hawkeye State. "Politics is terribly important, and what happens in Washington and state capitals is also enormously important."
On "Meet the Press," Sanders criticized President Barack Obama for not being in tune with the people who voted for him.
"The bottom line is he has not tapped the anger and frustration the American people feel on many, many issues," Sanders said. "The only way we bring about change is when the American people are mobilzied."
Sanders also bashed the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, whose donor network was responsible for spending an estimated $407 million during 2012 election cycle to further their conservative agenda.
"You know what their agenda is? You know what they believe in? I'll tell you what they believe in," Sanders said. "This is what they told us: They want to end Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. More tax breaks for the rich and large corporations. Nobody in America wants that except the billionaire class. And yet they are now able to put hundreds of millions of dollars into the political process. This is a real danger to American democracy."
Another danger, Sanders said, is anointing Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee before she even announces her candidacy.
"I don't think anybody believes that anointment is a good idea, that anybody is 'entitled to a nomination' or any other position," Sanders told CNN earlier this week. "I think what people in Iowa and through the country want to hear is a vigorous debate about the most important issues which impact their lives. It is not to say to somebody, 'Oh, thank you, you are going to be anointed as our candidate.'"
Poster Comment:
From 3800 comments (but multiple repeats)
Gary Kohl's And The Rest Of The Retailers Are In Deep Trouble When you see the headlines touting strong retail sales, you need to consider what you are actually seeing in the real world. RadioShack will be filing for bankruptcy within months. Wet Seal will follow. Sears is about two years from a bankruptcy filing. JC Penney’s turnaround is a sham. They continue to lose hundreds of millions every quarter and will be filing for bankruptcy within the next couple years. Target and Wal-Mart continue to post awful sales results and have stopped expanding. And as you drive around in your leased BMW, you see more Space Available signs than operating outlets in every strip center in America.16-3
[Jeff] Socialists are the only people on earth who think the money you earn is theirs.4
[Bluedanube55] We need to reassert the 1940 Nationality Act...put a stop to dual citizenship being allowed....The 'judge' appointed by a liberal LBJ ..reversed the LAW that all courts upheld in denying citizenship to a person who votes in another election in another country...THEY LOSE THEIR CITIZENSHIP HERE...and certainly can't serve in any political realm.... this is now abused...massively....and you watch Obama try to use THIS like a modern day LBJ to grant citizenship to illegal aliens en masse and make the border non existent... this must be why JFK died...for this garbage of LBJ's to push forward...By Dan Eden.... The 1940 Nationality Act Section 401 (e) of the 1940 Nationality Act provides that a U.S. citizen, whether by birth or naturalization, "shall lose his [U.S.] nationality by...voting in a political election in a foreign state." This law was tested many times. In 1958, for instance, an American citizen named Perez voted in a Mexican election. The case went to the Supreme Court, where the majority opinion held that Perez must lose his American nationality. The court said Congress could provide for expatriation as a reasonable way of preventing embarrassment to the United States in its foreign relations. But then something very odd happened. In 1967 an American Jew, Beys Afroyim received an exemption that set a precedent exclusively for American Jews. Afroyim, born in Poland in 1895, emigrated to America in 1912, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1926. In 1950, aged 55, he emigrated to Israel and became an Israeli citizen. In 1951 Afroyim voted in an Israeli Knesset election and in five political elections that followed. So, by all standards he lost his American citizenship -- right? Wrong. After living in Israel for a decade, Afroyim wished to return to New York. In 1960, he asked the U.S. Consulate in Haifa for an American passport. The Department of State refused the application, invoking section 401 (e) of the Nationality Act -- the same ruling that had stripped the American citizen named Perez of his U.S. citizenship. Attorneys acting for Afroyim took his case to a Washington, DC District Court, which upheld the law. Then his attorneys appealed to the Court of Appeals. This court also upheld the law. The attorneys for Afroyim then moved the case on to the Supreme Court. Here, with Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas, Lyndon Johnson's former attorney and one of the most powerful Jewish Americans, casting the swing vote, the court voted five to four in favor of Afroyim. The court held that the U.S. government had no right to "rob" Afroyim of his American citizenship 6-3
Matthew...I would like to see the 28th Amendment bar any dual-national such as Sanders from holding any public office. They simply cannot be trusted. That would also include Ted Cruz.
Michael The Liberal Paradise of Bernie Sanders would be a place where everybody has guaranteed employment, free comprehensive healthcare, free education, free food, free housing, free clothing and free utilities, while only Law Enforcement has guns. Believe it or not, such a place exists … It's called prison.
Leon The only thing that will sort our government out is term limits for the House and Senate. Say maybe 3, 2 year terms if you are lucky enough to be reelected. Once you have served your country, you go back to a regular job. That way one does not get bought out over time by special interest groups, as happens now. The people should be pushing for a referendum vote on term limits, as you could not have Congress voting on this.55-8