2023-10-14 03:31:05
He challenged Hillary Clinton, then Joe Biden, during the Democratic primaries in the American presidential elections. Today, the emblematic figure of the left wing of the Democrats continues to irrigate the debate of ideas within the progressive camp. On tour in Europe, Bernie Sanders discusses with us the conflict in the Middle East and his joy at witnessing the revival of union dynamics in the United States.
Tuesday evening, Bernie Sanders spoke at the Bozar in Brussels, which was sold out for the occasion, in front of a young and international audience, won over in advance, who came to listen to his well-rehearsed tirade on inequality in his country of origin and the power of “oligarchic society”. His proposed law on the establishment of a 32-hour work week was particularly applauded.
It is these left-wing themes that allowed Bernie Sanders to be on par for a long time with Hillary Clinton (in 2016) and Joe Biden (in 2000) during the Democratic primaries in the last two presidential elections. From, its popularity on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean has never waned.
The next morning, we accompanied the independent senator on the Eurostar which took him to the Netherlands for the rest of his European tour. “I think this is my first interview on a train,” he told us in a quiet corner of first class. Wouldn’t this social democrat, a supporter of affordable health care and a supporter of this underdeveloped mode of transportation in America, really have preferred to be European? “My father was born in Poland, and he left there for very good reasons to come to the United States. So no, I am a proud American.”
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Avoiding too much suffering for the Palestinians
Bernie Sanders (82), senator from the state of Vermont (northeast) since 1991, lived for several months on a kibbutz in northern Israel in his younger years. We ask him how he views, as a Jew and a senator from Israel’s main ally, the terrifying actions of Hamas and the prospects of all-out war in the region.
“The Hamas terrorist attack is a terrible blow to attempts at peace and reconciliation in the region.”
“Hamas terrorist attack atrocious and tragic. It will result in the loss of thousands of lives, including innocent women and children. That alone is horrible enough,” he despairs. “But what is just as important in the long term is the terrible blow to attempts at peace and reconciliation in the region. This plays into the hands of extremists on both sides. But it is also a setback for those who draw attention to the appalling living conditions of the Palestinian people. “I therefore fear that Israel will overreact and punish the innocent people of Gaza by denying them access to the food and electricity they need.”
How does he think the United States should respond? “We must provide Israel with the necessary military support to prevent a new attack. But it is equally important to put pressure on his government so that the inhabitants of Gaza are not exposed to great suffering.” And Bernie Sanders clarified in passing that he does not fear that the military support provided to Israel will reduce the aid, however fragile, from the United States to Ukraine.
This capitalism which gives disproportionate power to the ultra-rich
Bernie Sanders tours Europe to present his new book “It’s ok to be angry with capitalism” (“It’s normal to be angry at capitalism”), a work which is both a memoir and a political manifesto.
“In the past, kings and queens ruled by divine right. Today, billionaires invoke this right, armed with their insane wealth.”
How angry is he? “That’s not the question,” he retorts. “What matters is the injustice of massive inequalities. The world is moving towards an oligarchy. In the past, kings and queens ruled by divine right. Today, billionaires invoke this right, armed with their insane wealth. Never before have so few people owned so much property. This translates into enormous economic and political power for those at the top.”
Does he see a better system in Europe? “I am not an expert in European politics, but your campaign financing system is very different from the corrupt system that prevails here, where billionaires can buy elections and then naturally obtain laws in their favor. The government then does more for the ultra-rich than for the middle class. 60% of Americans have difficulty making ends meet. Since the pandemic, two-thirds of the world’s accumulated wealth has gone to 1% of the population. Two-thirds! And hundreds of millions of people have dropped out. We need to fix it.”
A clear revival of union dynamics
But how can we do this in a country like the United States, which is already so politically polarized? “The problem is not polarization, but ‘big money’ in politics and the media. To remedy this, we must organize at the grassroots. Change will come from below. Look what American unions are getting today.”
“The Democratic Party has not done a good job of standing up for the working class in recent years.”
This dynamic delights him. He mentions the (victorious) strike of screenwriters in Hollywood and the (ongoing) strike of workers from the three major automobile manufacturers who are demanding better wages. But the Democrats are no longer the party of the working class. The Republicans stole this electorate from them. “It’s true,” regrets Sanders, who is not a member of the Democratic Party, but who participated in its primaries. “And that says a lot regarding the failure of the Democratic Party. It has not stood up for the working class well. Workers’ wages, adjusted for inflation, are lower than they were 50 years ago. Health care is a disaster. We pay the highest prices for medicines. Higher education is unaffordable. Did the Democrats fight hard enough for them? The answer is no.”
His two presidential campaigns in the media spotlight have awakened the progressive camp in the United States. Millions of Americans were in unison with “The Bern.” “We took on the establishment and won in many states. And we showed that tens of millions of Americans want fundamental change in our political and economic system. We must continue to build on this foundation.”
“Never before has the progressive group in Congress been so strong.”
After Biden’s inauguration in 2020, he had a say in the future president’s agenda. “My ideas are not in the majority within the party, but we managed to elect a large number of young, strong progressives. Never before has the progressive group in Congress been so strong.”
Le bon bilan de Biden
In the next presidential elections, Bernie Sanders will fully support Joe Biden. He is pleased that he was the first president to go to a strike site, that of workers in the automobile industry. He also gives him good points for his first term. He quotes the recovery plan during the covid crisison which he worked, and the hundreds of billions of dollars infrastructure program. “Biden has every reason to be proud of this. This is important in these difficult times. On the other hand, when it comes to climate change, this is still not enough.“
“Trump is doing everything he can to undermine democracy, and that’s one of the reasons he shouldn’t win.”
The primary circus will resume in January, but it already seems certain that we will be entitled to a repeat in November 2024 of the confrontation between Biden and Donald Trump, still more popular despite four indictments. “Many Americans no longer believe in the institutions of American society. So if you don’t believe in the justice system and someone is indicted, that only confirms your belief. The same goes for the media or the political process. Many of the economically disenfranchised are losing faith in democracy. And make no mistake: Trump is doing everything he can to undermine democracy, and that’s one of the reasons he won’t shouldn’t win.”
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