It’s now official, according to CNN’s most recent poll Bernie Sanders beats any Republican candidate for president. Today his margins are thinner than Clinton’s, but only about half the electorate have heard of him. His margins can only widen as his message spreads. Clinton’s margins are probably static from here on out. Everybody knows who she is and what she stands for. There will be few if any epiphanies about her.
For months we have heard argument after argument for why we must nominate Hillary Clinton and for why Bernie Sanders is a side show that will fade away with the autumn leaves. We hear: Clinton is inevitable. The Democratic Party has to win. A Democratic president must select the next Supreme Court justices. A Republican win will have unthinkable consequences.
Clinton is not inevitable. All the polling trends show that she is losing ground to Sanders in the early primary states. There are six months to go before the first primaries, and her chances for inevitability are seeping away, just like they did in 2007-8. Then, the unelectable Barack Obama did her in. Now, the unelectable Bernie Sanders is doing her in.
Not to worry, though. The Democrats will still win the general election. A Democratic president will still select the next Supreme Court justices. The unthinkable has been averted.
The question is: which Democrat will become our next president Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders?
Since we no longer have to worry about losing the election to the Republicans, let’s decide what kind of president we want. Let’s compare their policies and see which of them represents us the best. The remainder of this diary will be a comparison of policy stances. That’s what is left for us to debate in the months leading up to the primaries.
Climate change:
Bill Scher sizes up Clinton’s policy statement on climate
If you want a presidential candidate who supports a carbon tax and vociferously opposes the Keystone pipeline, you should vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
If you want a presidential candidate who has thought through how to best communicate to swing voters how a clean energy-fueled America will help, not hurt, economic growth, Hillary Clinton is probably your best bet.
Sanders says
The United States must lead the world in reversing climate change and make certain that this planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren. We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energies. Millions of homes and buildings need to be weatherized, our transportation system needs to be energy efficient and we need to greatly accelerate the progress we are already seeing in wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other forms of sustainable energy. Transforming our energy system will not only protect the environment, it will create good paying jobs.
Keystone XL:
Sanders is against Keystone XL.
Clinton pushed for it while she was Secretary of State. “Hillary Clinton on Tuesday declined to say whether she supported the Keystone XL pipeline expansion, telling a New Hampshire voter that if the matter is still undecided by the time she becomes president, she will give him an answer then.”
http://www.cnn.com/...
Fracking:
Sanders is against it.
Clinton is for it.
Trade:
Clinton favored NAFTA, which has produced NAFTA wastelands throughout the country.
Sanders opposed it because it was bad for working Americans.
Clinton pushed for TPP while Secretary of State and refuses to address it as candidate.
Sanders has been in the leadership of the fight to quash TPP for the same reasons that he fought NAFTA.
Rebuilding infrastructure:
Sanders proposes investing $1 trillion to repair roads, bridges and the like over 5 years and create 13 million jobs in the process.
I can’t find anything about this topic from Clinton. Boy, we could sure use those jobs.
Unions, workers’ rights:
Sanders says,
Union workers who are able to collectively bargain for higher wages and benefits earn substantially more than non-union workers. Today, corporate opposition to union organizing makes it extremely difficult for workers to join a union. We need legislation which makes it clear that when a majority of workers sign cards in support of a union, they can form a union.
Clinton: “An ABC News analysis of the videotapes of at least four [Walmart] stockholder meetings where Clinton appeared shows she never once rose to defend the role of American labor unions.“
https://en.wikipedia.org/...
Minimum wage $15/hour:
Sanders has introduced legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refused to endorse a nationwide $15 minimum wage in a July 16 interview with Buzzfeed, saying that “what you can do in L.A. or in New York may not work in other places.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Family leave, paid vacations etc.:
Sanders says, which includes legislation.
Clinton said in 2014 “I think, eventually, [paid family leave] should be [implemented], [But] I don’t think, politically, we could get it now.” Now she says, "You can’t go on and on about how much you love mothers and then fail to support legislation that makes life easier for them."
Pay equity for women workers:
Sanders is for it.
So is Clinton.
College costs:
Sanders has introduced legislation to make tuition free at public colleges.
Clinton has talked about making college debt free.
Citizens United:
Both candidates would make overturning Citizens United a litmus test for Supreme Court appointments. One candidate accepts donations from Super PACS.
Black Lives Matter:
Sanders said on June 6, 2015. Sanders was with Martin Luther King on August 28, 1963, 52 years ago today, when he made his “I Have a Dream” speech.
The Clinton campaign made its first outreach on the issue July 27, 2015 http://www.infowars.com/... Clinton was a Goldwater Girl in 1964.
Same-sex marriage:
Sanders has been for it since 1972.
Clinton changed her mind in 2013, while previous stating on the Senate floor in 2004
I believe marriage is not just a bond but a sacred bond between a man and a woman. I have had occasion in my life to defend marriage, to stand up for marriage, to believe in the hard work and challenge of marriage. So I take umbrage at anyone who might suggest that those of us who worry about amending the Constitution are less committed to the sanctity of marriage, or to the fundamental bedrock principle that it exists between a man and a woman, going back into the midst of history as one of the founding, foundational institutions of history and humanity and civilization, and that its primary, principal role during those millennia has been the raising and socializing of children for the society into which they are to become adults.
Authorization to Use Military Force:
Sanders voted against the bill to allow Bush to invade Iraq.
Clinton voted for it, and continued to defend her decision in her first failed run for president.
Nuclear power:
Sanders said
I do not support more nuclear power plants when we do not know how we get rid of the toxic waste from the ones that already exist.
Clinton said
I think nuclear power has to be part of our energy solution... We get about 20% of our energy from nuclear power in our country... other countries like France get much, much more, so we do have to look at it because it doesn't put greenhouse gas emissions into the air.
Gun control:
Sanders wants a nuanced policy that takes into account what guns are used for in different parts of the country.
Clinton most recently said, "We've got to rein in what has become an almost article of faith that anybody can have a gun anywhere, anytime."
http://www.ontheissues.org/...
Even though I’m a committed Sanders supporter, I have tried to state accurately where the candidates stand on these issues. If I have made any mistakes, please correct them in the comments. Clearly, there are other issues, which I leave to my fellow Kossaks to air. But let’s just stop nattering about premises that have been proven false like “Bernie can’t win” or “Hillary is inevitable”. A Democrat is going to appoint the next Supreme Court justices. Let’s just make sure it’s the right Democrat.
For my part, I’m voting for the candidate who has fought unswervingly for the working and middle classes all his political life. The other one has served the billionaire class all her political life. I can’t imagine either of them changing sides at this late date. Can you?
Now, let’s all go to a Sanders meetup Wednesday evening. There are more than 3300 to choose from, and more than 90,000 people have signed up to go. Take that, Martin O’Malley. Who?
As Senator Sanders tweeted today, “Some people say my economic ideas are radical. You should hear what the Pope is saying.”
UPDATE: As dhonig has so helpfully pointed out, I have used a disreputable source for information concerning the Clinton campaign's recent approach to #BLM. In the interest of clarity on the issue, I submit this source for the identical information: http://www.dailykos.com/...