Senator Bernie Sanders

Party: Independent
State: Vermont
What you need to know: Sanders opposed additional funding for national missile defense and efforts to cut U.N. peacekeeping funds.

Independent - Incumbent
Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Council for a Livable World

Fiercely independent; Brash; Aggressive; Progressive. These terms describe Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, an unabashed original, who is up for re-election in 2012.

Bernie, as he is universally known, has a perfect record on Council for a Livable World’s voting scorecard on key national security issues, marred only by one voting absence in four years. He opposed the authorization for war in Iraq when in the House and supported measures in both the Senate and House to withdraw troops.

On the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he says:

As one of the leaders in Congress in opposing the war in Iraq, I worry very much about the direction we appear to be going in Afghanistan. The last thing in the world we need is to get bogged down in Afghanistan in a never-ending war which causes the loss of more and more lives and more and more money. I will do my best to bring our troops home from both Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible.

He also opposed additional funding for national missile defense and efforts to cut U.N. peacekeeping funds. He enthusiastically endorsed the New START treaty and opposed all Republican attempts to cripple the agreement.

Progressives were electrified in December when Bernie Sanders launched a one-man filibuster against the Obama tax cut deal that lasted for 8 hours and 37 minutes. That’s Bernie. He speaks his mind and does not fear the political implications.

Indeed, he has consistently fought to keep the Democrats from conceding too much to Republicans eager to adopt legislation to shred the social safety net and cut back domestic spending programs.

Senator Sanders grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a Polish immigrant paint salesman. After attending the University of Chicago, Sanders moved to Vermont in 1968. In 1981, unkempt and with a heavy Brooklyn accent, he was improbably elected Mayor of Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, population 40,000. In 1988, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and lost. He ran again in 1990 against the same opponent and won.

When he ran for the Senate for the first time in 2006, he captured the seat with 65% of the vote even though he was outspent. Although Sanders is officially an Independent, he has been endorsed by the Democratic Party, caucuses with the Democrats and obtains committee assignments from them.

Senator Sanders is likely to face Vermont state Auditor Tom Salmon (R), the son of a former Governor, who has established an exploratory committee. A more formidable candidate would be popular four-term former Governor James Douglas, who has not announced his plans. After the first quarter of 2011, Sanders had one million dollars in his campaign treasury but will need a lot more.

Council for a Livable World endorses Bernie Sanders for U.S. Senate with the greatest enthusiasm. His frank, open, no-nonsense style is a breath of fresh air in the U.S. Senate. He is committed to the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, opposes preemptive wars and works hard on these issues.

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