Welcome to the Bernie News Roundup. The BNR is a voluntary, non-campaign associated roundup of news, media, & other information related to Bernie Sanders run for President. Visit the group page to join or find past editions.
Visit The Bernie News Roundup Website!
Sign Up, Donate, Volunteer @ Bernie's official page.
More information about Bernie & The Issues @ feelthebern.org
Bernie Backs The Pope:
As the Pope's visit grips Washington, Sen. Bernie Sanders says he finds a lot that resonates in the Pontiff's message -- and he's not surprised it's irking his Republican colleagues.
The Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont independent told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day" on Wednesday that a lot of what the Pope is espousing aligns with his own campaign ideals.
"He is saying that as a planet, as a people, we have got to do better," Sanders said in an interview on the White House lawn. "That accumulation of money, that worship of money, is not what life should be about, that we cannot turn our backs on our fellow human beings."
Sanders cited the Pope's message on social justice, extreme inequality and the "dispossessed" members of society like the elderly and the poor.
He also said he's "not surprised" there's been a fair amount of pushback against some of the Pope's messaging from conservatives, as, he said, the Catholic leader is speaking truth to people who don't want to hear it.
Harnessing Young Voters Via Social Media:
Political debates are generally an opportunity for less popular candidates to shine, which can often change the focus of the election. But Sanders managed to steal even that spotlight from the GOP – this time, on Facebook.
“The evening was really pretty sad,” Sanders wrote. “This country and our planet face enormous problems. And the Republican candidates barely touched upon them tonight. And when they did, they were dead wrong on virtually every position they took. The Republican Party cannot be allowed to lead this country. That’s why we need a political revolution.”
It was the most popular Facebook post of the night, with over 176,000 likes and 35,000 shares. Second place was a post by retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson that amassed over 128,000 likes and 8,700 shares.
By the next day, headlines appeared across the Internet stating, rather than naming a Republican winner, that Sanders came out on top.
A Letter To The Editor:
We are seeing the beginning of a political revolution in this country. With an approval rating of only 9 percent and virtual stagnation, Congress is facing an electorate clamoring to "Kick the bums out!"
Both the House and Senate are under Republican control. Yet, polls of conservative voters are favoring presidential candidates with absolutely no governmental experience (by over 50 percent). They are rejecting their own Republican politicians, who have been increasingly ignoring their constituents in favor of the billionaire donor class.
On the Democratic side, the popularity of Sen. Bernie Sanders' message has spread like wildfire. Sen. Sanders says, "The wealthiest nation in the history of the world" has been held back for decades from properly supporting its middle class and the poor. Instead, we have been channeling most of our country's wealth to the top 1 percent or even the top 0.1 percent.
He has proposed that it is time to change our tax structure in order to raise up the middle class and give those at the bottom more of a chance to succeed.
..
Yes, it's a political revolution. Americans are rejecting those in government who have been holding us back and are turning instead to those who will move us toward a better future.
Massachusetts Mulls Price Controls For Pharmaceuticals:
Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have blazed a populist path, with demagogic attacks on the prices of pharmaceuticals and drug company profits. Now state policymakers with real power are following their trail, and are considering regulations that would restrict the price of drugs. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Massachusetts legislature at “Beacon Hill is debating first-in-the-nation legislation that would require biotech and pharmaceutical makers to justify their prices.”
Backed by the state’s Democratic leadership, the emerging legislation compels drug makers to disclose after-tax R&D spending on a every drug; as well as its profit margin; the cost of production and marketing; and the sales price even in foreign countries.
A state drug pricing board can “set the maximum allowable price that the manufacturer can charge for that prescription drug that is sold for use in the commonwealth.”
Supporters Rally In Burlington:
“Bern” down for what...
That's what they're calling the block party in the South End, all to support Burlington’s former mayor and presidential candidate, Bernie sanders.
“Everyone that's working it, and no one's being paid the bands aren't' being paid, the vendors aren't being paid, or paying us to use the space, it's all a matter of everybody came out to support Bernie,” said organizer Rob Liu.
Local musicians, vendors and supporters rallied at Arts Riot to raise money for Sander's campaign.
Organizers say they expected more than 2,000 supporters Wednesday night.
Trevor Sullivan of Pingala Café donated 100 percent of the money made at the event to a movement he believes in.
On The Fight Against For Profit Prisons:
At a Thursday morning press conference last week presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders revealed an ambitious plan to scale back the private prison industry. Sanders’ bill, the Justice is Not for Sale Act, would give federal, state and local governments two years to exit their contracts with private prison companies.
“We have got to end the private prison racket in America,” said Sanders.
..
Sanders’ bill would also do away with the controversial “bed-quota,” which requires that Immigration and Customs Enforcement keep 34,000 detention beds available at all times — and pay for those beds.
“Bed minimums have been a travesty to justice and to the immigrant population,” said Brent Wilkes, the League of United Latin American Citizens National Executive Director. Activists worry that since the government is paying for the beds, there’s an incentive to keep them occupied.
Will Ferrells Bernie Endorsement Seems To Upset OReilly...:
“Does he know what Bernie stands for? Does he know what Bernie wants? And I submit to you, he doesn’t,” O’Reilly says
Bill O’Reilly wants to debate Will Ferrell over the actor’s Bernie Sanders endorsement.
The Fox News personality asserted earlier this week on “Fox and Friends” that the comedic star is among the celebrities praising the Democratic presidential candidate without knowing “anything” about him.
“I will debate you any time, you pinhead, you come on in here for 15 minutes, me and you, okay?” O’Reilly had said. “About Bernie or politics in general, or about your films? I’m ready to go.”
Bernie Readies For The Debate:
Jim Rader remembers the first time Bernie Sanders hit the airwaves as a political candidate. It was 1971 and Sanders, the Liberty Union Party nominee for U.S. Senate, gave a radio interview. Afterward, Rader told Sanders that he'd done well but also asked him about an odd background sound — "a constant rumbling" — that could be heard throughout.
"He said, 'I was so nervous, I was pounding the table,'" Rader recalled. In his book, Outsider in the House, Sanders clarified that the sound was his knees knocking against the table.
Sanders, who got just 2 percent of the vote in that election, has had a lot of practice since. "I do think he's become much more skilled at expressing his views," said Rader, who has known Sanders since the 1960s and drove him to his first debate, at Lyndon State College, in the same year as the radio debut. "He has come a long, long way."
On October 13, the independent senator will test his oratory skills at the highest level against Hillary Clinton — former first lady, senator and secretary of state — in the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2016 campaign. During the Las Vegas event, hosted by CNN, his goal will be nothing less than to convince the American people that he should be the next leader of the free world.
Sanders Is Withing Striking Distance of 1 Million Campaign Contributors:
In coming days, Bernie Sanders is hoping to achieve a political milestone by showing the political world, from America’s grassroots to party bosses and pundits in Washington, that he has more than 1 million donations to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Sanders sent out the word Wednesday morning in an e-mail blast saying he was within striking distance of the symbolic threshold of 1 million campaign contributors—who typically have given well under $100—and urging supporters to lift him across that line.
In coming days, Bernie Sanders is hoping to achieve a political milestone by showing the political world, from America’s grassroots to party bosses and pundits in Washington, that he has more than 1 million donations to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Sanders sent out the word Wednesday morning in an e-mail blast saying he was within striking distance of the symbolic threshold of 1 million campaign contributors—who typically have given well under $100—and urging supporters to lift him across that line.
Bernie Is Scheduled To Speak To Hispanics @ CHCI Candidates Session:
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is confirmed to participate in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's (CHCI) Presidential Candidates Session in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, October 7, 2015.
The Presidential Candidates Session, which takes place during CHCI's Hispanic Heritage Month Public Policy Conference, provides a timely opportunity for presidential candidates to discuss their vision for the future of the country and address issues that directly impact the Latino community.
"We are excited that Senator Sanders will join us to discuss the issues that are most important to Latinos as the community carefully weighs who they will support in the upcoming presidential elections," said Esther Aguilera, CHCI President and CEO. "We look forward to learning about his ideas and solutions to the most pressing issues affecting Latinos and the country as a whole."
When: Wednesday, October 7, 2015
3:00 – 5:00 pm
More Liberty U Student Reaction To Sanders
While a number of Liberty University students said Sanders’ speech had not swayed them politically, many gave the senator credit for bringing his message to a new audience.
“He forced us to think,” said Kristen Smith, vice treasurer of the Liberty SGA, in an email. “He gave us the opportunity to hear opposing views, and Liberty students listened.”
Another Liberty student, Jacob Munden, said that while he was undecided as a voter, Sanders was not on the shortlist. But he echoed other students in their appreciation of hearing a different political perspective in Sanders.
“When the convocation schedule came out we were all very surprised,” said Munden, who serves as the communications director for the SGA. “For the most part, we were all extremely grateful to get a point of view we don’t get a lot.”
Smith said most students she talked with after the speech said they were not going to vote for Sanders, and she said she prayed that most students would understand that some of Sanders views “do not line up with the Christian faith.”
But Smith said she thought that “the student came out [after the speech] stronger in faith and better rounded in their political views.”
Bernies Seriousness Also Makes Him Funny:
The senator has been described in a New York Times magazine piece as a "humorless aging hippie peacenik Socialist from Brooklyn."
But in recent days, Sanders seems to be altering his tack ever so slightly -- as in, actually allowing jokes that don't mention income inequality or student loan debt to be made at his expense. And whether he means to or not, he's actually kind of funny in a very special Sanders way.
On Stephen Colbert's new "Late Show," Sanders willingly participated in a lightning-round Q&A on the issues, like Africa (he's for it) and kissing on a first date (sometimes). The skit was hilarious thanks to Sanders's dry delivery and stern face.
..
Sanders also wasn't above using "on fleek" in a sentence (even though he pronounced it "un fleek")
"Larry Wilmore says," Sanders deadpanned, turning to look directly at the camera, "I should tell you that my plans for criminal justice reform are 'un fleek.'"
Those skits maybe wouldn't have been as funny if, say Rand Paul -- who's known to crack a joke or two -- did them. They were funny precisely because Sanders isn't known for his humor, so almost anything he does that's comedic is viewed within the prism of an old guy who has no patience for this sort of thing. That's a good shtick.