When corporate media decides to take a break from ignoring Vermont Senator and 2016 Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, he is typically framed as a far-left, extreme socialist whose views are not representative of anything but a small minority of voters. This couldn't be further from the truth.
Last week on The David Pakman Show, I discussed a recent CBS/NYTimes poll which confirmed that a majority of Republicans generally agree with Senator Sanders on issues related to campaign finance. While Sanders and Republicans differ on the question of money being speech, Republicans generally agree with Bernie that money has too much influence in politics, that the campaign finance system needs fundamental changes, that the amount individuals can donate to candidates should be limited, and that Super PACs should be required to disclose donors. Take a look at our coverage of this poll:
Of the candidates running for president as of today, Bernie Sanders is the candidate who has made the biggest deal of this issue. The reality is that Bernie Sanders represents the mainstream views of voters on many more issues than just campaign finance and money in politics.
Of the candidates running today, Senator Sanders is the candidate who has most loudly proclaimed that the wealth gap in the U.S. is too big, and 63 percent of Americans agree. Although so-called "wealth redistribution" is used as an ad hominem by advocates of supply-side economics, 52 percent of Americans believe that taxing the rich should be used to reduce the wealth gap. Who but Bernie Sanders has been touting this strategy?
Bernie Sander is the candidate talking about student debt and the un-affordability of higher education. 79 percent of Americans believe that education beyond high school simply isn't affordable for everyone, and 57 percent of those under 30 say student debt is a problem for youth.
I could go on, telling you about climate change, and so many other issues, as Juan Cole does in a recent blog post. Take a look at my coverage of this below. Bernie Sanders is the mainstream candidate, but corporate media has many viewers thinking the exact opposite.