Preface

Ive been involved in politics my whole life, from stuffing envelopes

to knocking on doors in all kinds of weather to working closely with
politicians. So my bullshit alarm is on a hair-trigger alert in the presence of most politiciansand it goes off with regularity, even among
those I agree with.
A couple of years ago, something different happened. Over
the course of a couple of days in 2013, I spent a number of hours
chatting with Bernie Sanders for an interview for Playboy. To be
sure, it was a pleasureunfortunately, too rare an experienceto
be with a member of Congress who actually had an informed,
complex understanding of the issues facing the people. Its a deep
understanding steeped in a worldview that seeks to represent the
regular person, not because it tests well in polls but because Bernie
believes what he says.
When I walked out of Bernie Sanders office, aside from the
energy one feels from a good policy give-and-take, I was left with an
unusually strong sense of something else: authenticity.
Authenticity is hard to manufactureand as we all know, politicians of all stripes spend many hours and millions of dollars to
painfully, and often comically, try to say to voters, Im like you;
Im real.
But authenticity is easy to explain. Its a simple sense: Here it is.
Here is what I believe from deep inside. I dont need to convene a
think-a-thon of consultants and other sycophants to tell me what I
should believe. This is me.
That is the essence of Bernie Sanders. No bullshit. Unvarnished
opinions and beliefs.
Now Bernie carries that authenticity into the national arena in
his quest to become president of the United States. As I write these
words, tens of thousands of people have already swarmed to hear him
speak the truth at mass rallies in arenas and halls across the nation.

x | The Essential Bernie Sanders

To be clear: This is an electorally successful politician, elected mayor

of Burlington, Vermont (as an independent), four times beginning
in 1981, serving as the states lone member in the US House of Representatives from 1990 to 2006, and finally, in 2006, ascending to
the US Senate.
Which elicits a question some have asked about his inspiring
campaign for the White House: Why is the longest-serving independent in Congress, who describes himself without hesitation as
a Democratic Socialist, running for president in the Democratic
Party primaries?
To be sure, some of it is practical. Unless you are a billionaire, its
virtually impossible to win a national election as an independent in
the dominant two-party system (and even, as Ross Perot proved,
being a billionaire does not make it a cinch). Some of it has to do with
branding and the corrupted nature of Super-PAC-fueled elections
in the postCitizens United world, a topic Bernie feels passionately
about, as you will read in this book.
But there is something more here. In an exchange we had back
in 2013, I asked Bernie whether he thinks people understand the
term class warfare, which is at the heart of his orations about how
the historic divide between rich and poor is ripping apart the nation.
He replied: Sometimes people come up to me and say Im courageous for saying all these things. I say, Im not courageous. Go look
at these guys who want to give more tax breaks to billionaires and
cut programs for working families. That is incredibly courageous
because the vast majority of the American people think thats crazy.
The polling says: Dont cut Social Security; dont cut Medicare;
dont cut Medicaid. Ask the wealthy and large corporations to pay
more taxes. The political question is, why have the Republicans not
been reduced to a 15 percent marginal third party? [The answer is]
most people do not perceive a heck of a lot of difference between
either party. The Democrats are too diffuse, and their message is so
unclear the American people dont see the real difference.
This is the essence of his belief that he can win: He is certain that
if he speaks boldly, clearly, honestly, and authentically, he can win
the Democratic nomination for president, and the party he leads can

Preface | xi

win everywherein all fifty statesand relegate a regressive antiworker, pro-corporate Republican Party to rump status. It would be
a party transformed, with a standard-bearer who would not hesitate
to say exactly what he believes, as this book lays out, whether he is
walking the streets of Newark, Tampa, Eugene, Detroit, or Dallas,
trekking from the Deep South to the Midwest, or traveling from sea
to shining sea.
The goal of this book is to present to the country, in a succinct
way, Bernies authenticity and his accomplishments, a vision that he
believes is a winning agenda because it exactly reflects, whatever labels
one sticks on the messenger, the desires and beliefs of a majority of
people. No one should underestimateand Bernie does notthe
challenge of winning the White House; it is a steep climb for a whole
set of logistical and organizational reasons.
But what is laid out here is a simple point: His path to victory is
possible because, in his authenticity, his views are Americas views.
Bernie Sanders carries with him a hope and vision for a twenty-first-century caring, sustainable, more just and fair United States
of America.
I aimed to be brief. Each chapter is short. Each chapter can be
read on its own, depending on a readers interest. Ive used Bernies
direct words, mostly from speeches on the floor of the Senate or
House or in statements hes made, because he usually does so with
very concrete explanations and descriptions of a problem that any
reader can follow. Each chapter has my own short introduction to
give some background and ends with specific steps Bernie has taken
to implement his views.
Its important to underscore a point from the title of the book.
This is what I think are the essential views of Bernie Sandersnot
the complete views. I wanted this book out fast, as a handy organizing
tool. It allows readers to reach conclusions about Bernies worldview
and overall philosophy, and to seek out additional positions on other
issues not covered in the chapters.
Hopefully, the words presented here will help individuals make
the argument for Bernies candidacy to a family member, neighbor,
friend, or coworker.

xii | The Essential Bernie Sanders

But ultimately, as Bernie often says, this is not about him. Its
about our chance to ignite a political revolution by exercising collective power to restore democracy and justice.
Feel the Bern.
JONATHAN TASINI