I'm feeling the Bern, have donated, and plan to support him throughout the primary season. It isn't so much what I dislike about Hillary as that Bernie Sanders speaks to my values in a straightforward, powerful, and honest way that I've not seen from a presidential candidate before.
I think having a spirited primary will be good for Democrats and help push the candidates to be responsive to Democratic values (rather than sliding more toward GOP values in hopes of attracting the "independent" voter, who many Dems assume looks a lot like a conservative). But I have been dismayed by the growing negativity from supporters of both toward the other (along the lines of - Hillary is a corporate sellout, or I'd rather vote Green; Bernie is the candidate of white folks, or his supporters are radicals). However the primary turns out, we need to end up with a united and strong Democratic party to stand against the GOP and their billions of Koch/Adelson/etc. money that will flow into this election.
We saw what voters thinking there was "no difference" meant when George W. Bush was elected. In Colorado, I saw what alienating labor during the primary cost gubernatorial candidate Gail Schoettler when Democratic turnout in labor-heavy Adams and Pueblo county came in surprisingly light - and she lost to Republican Bill Owens by 8000 votes. To win in 2016, we need the Democratic coalition to hold together. Our differences in the primaries can't blind us to the need to work together to win in the general election.
I had held the assumption that these candidates, despite their differences and the passions they inspire (good and bad!), have far more in common than different - and both would be vastly better than their GOP counterparts. To check that assumption, I've pulled information from both candidates on a few key issues to compare (certanliy not an exhaustive comparison).
The bottom line: there are definite differences (in priorities, as well as in substance) but also quite a number of similar positions including basically identical views on campaign finance. For my part, I continue to prefer Bernie and his stances on economic inequality, trade, and healthcare - but I will gladly cast my vote for either in favor of whomever comes out of the GOP Clown Car.
You can read what I found, and vote in a poll, below the fold.
Economic inequality:
Summary: Bernie has made economic inequality a central campaign theme and pulls no punches in critiquing those for whom the deck is currently stacked and calling for increased taxation and regulation of the 1% in order to bolster opportunity for the 99%. His proposals include free tuition for college, increased infrastructure investment, increased minimum wage, breaking up the big banks, and increasing taxes on the wealthy to pay for it. Hillary has stepped up her rhetoric on the campaign trail, highlighting income inequality in her stump speeches. Her "basic bargain" shares some pieces of Bernie's proposals - infrastructure investment, raising minimum wage - but overall her solutions seem to focus on bolstering opportunity for those on the wrong end of inequality, avoiding proposals that go after those on the top (breaking up the big banks, raising taxes on the wealthy).
SANDERS: As the rich become much richer, the level of income and wealth inequality has reached obscene and astronomical levels. In the United States, we have one of the most unequal wealth and income distributions of any major country on earth. Our inequality is worse now than at any other time in American history since the 1920s...
At a time when millions of American workers have seen declines in their incomes and are working longer hours for lower wages, the wealth of the billionaire class is soaring in a way that few can imagine. If you can believe it, between 2013 and 2015, the 14 wealthiest individuals in the country saw their net worth increase by over $157 billion dollars. We live in one of the wealthiest countries on earth, yet children go hungry, veterans sleep out on the streets and senior citizens cannot afford their prescription drugs. This is what a rigged economic system looks like. Source: berniesanders.com
CLINTON: Americans have come back from the financial crisis. Our economy and our country are stronger because families saved and sacrificed to make it work. Today, more people are getting by, but they are still not getting ahead. At the same time, the top 25 hedge fund managers make more than all the kindergarten teachers in the country combined, and the top CEOs earn 300 times more than a typical American worker. It’s time for everyday Americans to share in growth and prosperity.
We will make the necessary investments in infrastructure, research, and education to put people to work today and grow our economy for tomorrow. Increased investment will lead to economic growth, that in turn will increase wages and boost bottom lines for both families and American businesses...We will provide tax relief to help those families keep up with the rising costs of child care, education, and health care...
As we work to raise the federal minimum wage, we will also support workers, states, and cities in their efforts to go above the federal floor when it makes sense to do so... We will ensure workers have the collective bargaining power they need to fight for the fair wages and benefits they have earned. Source: hillaryclinton.com
Racism & police misconduct:
Summary: Both candidates speak to the problems and support body cameras to record police interactions. Hillary highlights the need for demilitarization of policing, while Bernie works to make the linkage of economic justice with racial justice a more central part of his message.
SANDERS: Bernie voices support for a shift to community policing where officers are part of the communities where they work, for body cameras, and for police to be held accountable for their misconduct. He also makes the linkage to economic justice and the need for greater economic opportunities for people and particular young people. Source: CNN interview.
CLINTON: "The recent tragedies in Ferguson, Baltimore, and North Charleston demonstrate the need to reform our criminal justice system and restore balance to our communities... Our communities need change that can be felt in our streets. We will ensure that federal funds for state and local law enforcement are used to bolster best practices, rather than to buy weapons of war that have no place on our streets. And we will make sure every police department in the country has body cameras to record interactions on patrol." Source: Hillaryclinton.com
Campaign Finance:
Summary: Both candidates oppose Citizens United and support a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision that allows unlimited corporate donations to buy elections. Both also say they would appoint Supreme Court justices that would reverse the decision.
CLINTON: “I will do everything I can to appoint Supreme Court justices who protect the right to vote and do not protect the right of billionaires to buy elections,” Mrs. Clinton said while on Day 1 of a two-day swing through Iowa. Source: NY Times
SANDERS: “If elected president, I will have a litmus test in terms of my nominee to be a Supreme Court justice and that nominee will say that they are going to overturn this disastrous Supreme Court decision,” the Vermont independent said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Source: Politico
Trade Policy:
Summary: Sanders has been a vocal and forceful opponent of trade deals (including TPP) that he says put the interest of multi-national corporations ahead of the interests of American workers. Clinton has a mixed record supporting some trade deals in the past and opposing others (like CAFTA), and on TPP has said she would vote "no" on Fast Track but indicated she could support it if Trade Adjustment Assistance was assured.
CLINTON: [Response to question on whether she would vote for fast track if still in Senate:] "At this point, probably not because it's a process vote and I don't want to say it's the same as TPP," Clinton said. "Right now, I'm focused on making sure we get trade adjustment assistance and I certainly would not vote for it unless I were absolutely confident we would get trade adjustment assistance." Source: CNN
SANDERS: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy... The TPP follows in the footsteps of other unfettered free trade agreements ... These treaties have forced American workers to compete against desperate and low-wage labor around the world. The result has been massive job losses in the United States and the shutting down of tens of thousands of factories. These corporately backed trade agreements have significantly contributed to the race to the bottom, the collapse of the American middle class and increased wealth and income inequality. Source: sanders.senate.gov.
Voting Rights:
Summary: Both candidates oppose GOP-led voter suppression efforts and support legislation to restore the Voting Rights Act. Hillary has placed more emphasis on the issue, making "Revitalizing our democracy" one of the "Four Fights" on which she is focusing her candidacy, including a call for expanded early voting and for universal registration.
SANDERS: “The Supreme Court has turned back the clock on equality in America by striking down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The landmark civil rights law that Congress passed almost five decades ago, and reauthorized with overwhelming bipartisan support only seven years ago, has been an important tool to protect voters in places with a history of discrimination. The law is as necessary today as it was in the era of Jim Crow laws. We must act immediately to rewrite this vital law.” Source: sanders.senate.gov
CLINTON: Speaking at Texas Southern University in Houston, Clinton called for every American to be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18 unless they choose not to be. She backed a nationwide standard of at least 20 days of early voting. She urged Congress to pass legislation strengthening the Voting Rights Act, which was gravely weakened by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling. And she slammed restrictive voting laws imposed by the GOP in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin, which she said affect minorities and students in particular. “We have a responsibility to say clearly and directly what’s really going on in our country,” Clinton said, “because what is happening is a sweeping effort to dis-empower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people from one end of our country to the other.” Source: MSNBC
Climate Change:
Summary: Both candidates (in marked contrast to GOPers) cite climate change as a vital issue, indeed seem to recognize its historic significance as a defining issue for our time, and support a shift to cleaner energy sources. However, Sanders opposes the Keystone pipeline, while Clinton has not taking a stand (though she did in 2010 suggest a State Department inclination toward greenlighting the project).
CLINTON: Climate change is not just a moral and economic issue, it is a defining national security challenge of our time. Safeguarding our country from rising sea levels and increasingly frequent and devastating storms and droughts requires domestic action and intensive global engagement. We will lead this effort, not back away from a threat to our security or an opportunity for our economy... America must lead the world in developing and deploying new clean energy sources that will power our economy, protect the health of our families, and address the global threat of climate change Source: Hillaryclinton.com
SANDERS: The United States must lead the world in tackling climate change to make certain that this planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren. We must transform our energy system away from polluting fossil fuels and towards energy efficiency and sustainability. Millions of homes and buildings need to be weatherized and we need to greatly accelerate technological progress in wind and solar power generation. Unless we take bold action to address climate change, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to look back on this period in history and ask a very simple question: Where were they? Why didn’t the United States of America, the most powerful nation on earth, lead the international community in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and preventing the devastating damage that the scientific community was sure would come? Source: Berniesanders.com
Health Care:
Summary: While Hillary spearheaded efforts at major health care reform early in her husband's presidency, she now is focused on defending and making appropriate incremental improvements to the Affordable Care Act. Bernie supports a shift to a single-payer system. Both stand in contrast to GOPers who have an almost pathological hatred of "Obamacare".
SANDERS: I start my approach to healthcare from a very basic premise: healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Unfortunately, uniquely among major nations, that statement is not true for the United States, where access to healthcare depends on how much money you have and what your employer is willing to provide. It is simply unconscionable that the most advanced nation in the world has so many people who lack health insurance. It makes no sense that millions more are one diagnosis or car accident away from financial disaster. And, despite the trillions of dollars we spend on healthcare, the disparity in the quality of care between the rich and everyone else grows wider... If our goal is to provide high-quality healthcare in a cost-effective way, what should we be doing? Clearly, we must move toward a single-payer system.
Source: sanders.senate.gov(originally in The Hill)
CLINTON: She expressed support for President Obama’s signature health care law – saying “I am committed to building on what works in the Affordable Care Act” – but also acknowledged concerns that attendees had about providing health care for their employees and themselves. Asked about the idea of insurance companies competing across state lines, Clinton said, “I think it’s something we should look at.”... Clinton also expressed concern about the high cost of prescription drugs, especially for those with rare medical conditions. “We need to drive a harder bargain negotiating with drug companies about the costs of drugs,” she said, noting the “height of ironies” that medications developed in the United States are often sold more cheaply overseas. Source: MSNBC
Gun Control:
Summary: Both candidates try to walk a fine line, supporting some gun control measures (background checks, for example) while emphasizing their appreciation for law-abiding, responsible gun owners. Sanders rhetoric puts more emphasis on legitimate gun ownership particularly in rural America (including Vermont) and while no NRA darling he has made some pro-gun votes, as noted in O'Malley's PAC attack ad on Sanders on this issue).
CLINTON: "I lived in Arkansas and I represented upstate New York. I know that gun ownership is part of the fabric of a lot of law abiding communities," Clinton said. "I also know that we can have common sense gun reforms that keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and the violently unstable while respecting responsible gun owners."
"The stakes are too high, the costs are too dear, and I am not and will not be afraid to keep fighting for common sense reforms and along with you, achieve those on behalf of all who have been lost because of this senseless gun violence in this country," she said. Source: CNN
SANDERS: “I can understand if some Democrats or Republicans represent an urban area where people don’t hunt, don’t do target practice, they’re not into guns. But in my state, people go hunting and people do target practice,” he said. “Talking about cultural divides in this country — it is important for people in urban America to understand that families go out together and kids go out with their parents and they hunt and enjoy the outdoors and that is a lifestyle that should not be condemned.”
“I have been very strong and voted for a ban on assault weapons, for background checks, to make sure that guns do not fall into the hands of people who should not have them,” Mr. Sanders said on MSNBC. Source: Washington Times