Who Is Bernie Sanders?

In response to news that there will be a big open-seat Senate race in Vermont in 2006, a number of blog readers have said they don't know enough about Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) career, other than how it has been caricatured by the right-wing media. Sanders has confirmed that he will, in fact, be running for the Senate, so here are a few snippets to get you acquainted with why Bernie's election is so important to progressives:

WILLINGNESS TO STAND UP TO POWERFUL INTERESTS: To get a good idea of what Sanders will be like in the Senate, take a look at some eye-opening video clips that show how willing he is to confront powerful interests in face-to-face situations - something rarely seen on Capitol Hill. In 2003, he publicly dressed down Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) for shilling for the pharmaceutical industry in front of the Senate Commerce Committee (he essentially calls Santorum a drug industry lobbyist at 3:45 in the clip, prompting admiring laughter from Sen. John McCain at the end). Also in 2003, Sanders ripped apart Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to his face, telling him to visit the real world and stop listening to the country-club types in pushing economic policy. And in 2000, he gave a stirring speech in front of the Capitol about how Congress was selling out America's interests by passing the corporate-backed China free trade deal.

"RECORD AS A VOICE FOR MIDDLE-CLASS AND WORKING CLASS": According to the Rutland Herald (Vermont's second largest, and conservative-leaning, newspaper) Sanders has built up a "record as a voice for middle-class and working-class Vermonters." In the House, "his leadership on the issue of prescription drugs and on pension abuses has shown [he is] someone willing to take flak [and] also get things done."

RECORD OF AUTHORING AND PASSING BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION: Sanders was the first lawmaker lead prescription drug bus trips to Canada, highlighting how the drug industry is ripping off American seniors. He subsequently introduced the original bipartisan legislation that would allow drug reimportation. He was also the first lawmaker to highlight how more and more companies are using unfair schemes to raid their workers' pensions, ultimately passing legislation to bar some of the most egregious practices. He was also the original author of the $300 tax rebate that ultimately passed with President Bush's unfair 2001 tax cuts (Sanders offered his rebate as a substitute for Bush's tax cuts, and the rebate ended up being, by far, the most progressive piece of that tax legislation). And, he was the leader of bipartisan efforts to repeal some of the most offensive sections of the Patriot Act.