Bernie Sanders

Childhood and studies

Bernie Sanders, wire of a Jewish Immigrant - Polish, was born in Brooklyn in 1941.

It is graduate in science of the university of Chicago in 1964, year when it settles in Vermont where it works like Charpentier but also like Journaliste.

Political career

In 1971, Sanders joined the party of freedom against the Guerre of Vietnam and tries, without success, to be made elect with the senate like independent candidate in 1972 and 1974 but also at the post of governor of this state (in 1972, 1976 and 1986), then still considered as a republican bastion.

Started from a score of 2% of the votes at the time of its first countryside, it gradually gains voices with each election.

In 1977, Sanders resigns of the party of freedom and works as writer and director of the company of history of the American people.

In 1981, Sanders tries to be made elect mayor of the university town of Burlington and with the general surprise, within the framework of triangular, is elected with 10 votes of majority against the outgoing democratic mayor, six times elected, Gordon Paquette.

Sanders quickly becomes a popular mayor by revitalizing the downtown area of Burlington and is re-elected twice. In 1987, it is even elected against a candidate having received the nomination at the same time democratic party mias also of the Republican party.

During its first mandate, its partisans gathered in a coalition progressist which became thereafter the Parti progressist Vermont. This party will however have never more than 6 elected officials at the municipal council made up of 13 members but they will prevent any vote of distrust against Sanders.

In 1986, Sanders tried to be made elect governor. It obtained 14,5% of the votes preventing the outgoing governor Madeleine Kunin from obtaining an absolute majority of the voices.

In 1988, it was presented to the elections to try to take again the seat of deputy of the republican James Jeffords, candidate with the Senate. Sanders was then beaten by the republican Peter Smith.

In 1990, Sanders took its revenge while being elected against Smith with 56% of the voices. He then became the first independent candidate elected with the Congrès of the United States since 1950.

Of 1991 with 2007, Sanders will be re-elected with 6 recoveries with the room like independent candidate. Only once, in 1994, it accepted the democratic nomination (it will be the only time where it will be elected with less than 55% of the voices). In 2004, it was re-elected with 69% of the votes against the republican Greg Park (24%) and the democrat Larry Drown (7%).

During its mandates with the Congress, Sanders voted for the amendment restricting the criminal prosecutions against the manufacturers of firearms, for the prohibition of the Human cloning, against the Guerre in Iraq that it is in 1991 for the release of the Kuwait or in 2003 to reverse Saddam Hussein, for the support for the American troops in Iraq, for a system of universal Social security and for all the laws aiming at protecting the American workers against the Délocalisation S or the social consequences from the Libre-échange as regards trade. He was also frontally opposed to the liberal economic policy of Alan Greenspan, then president of the American federal fund.

Since 1992, Sanders also gave its support for each democratic candidate to the presidential election. It also chaired during 8 years the caucus democrats progressists gathering the 65 representatives on the left of the room of the representatives.

In 2006, Sanders announced its decision to contribute to the election at the post of senator of Vermont after the withdrawal of his/her friend, the senator Jim Jeffords (who had left the Republican party in 2001).

The senator Charles Schumer, president of the democratic commission of nomination, gave his support for Sanders immediately, in spite of many reserves within the democratic party. He also accepted the support of the senator Harry Reid, the president of the democratic national committee, Howard Dean, and of the senator Barack Obama who personally came in Vermont to make countryside for Sanders.

Nevertheless, Sanders declined the democratic nomination while agreeing to receive their official support. Without democratic competitor, also constant by the Socialist democrats of America, Sanders is elected senator of the Vermont, the November 7th 2006, with 65% of the voices vis-a-vis the republican business man Richard Tarrant which obtains 32%. Certain democrats hoped that it exchanges some would make pressure on his friends of the Parti progressist Vermont (6 seats out of 150 with the Room of the representatives of Vermont) so that this one does not introduce candidates to certain stations for these elections in order not to take voice with the democratic candidates. The Party progressist of Vermont announced that he refused this market, but in the final analysis the candidate progressist announced with the head office of federal deputy, David Zuckerman, withdrew at the beginning of 2006 and the democrat Peter Welch gained this election.

Personal life

Larry Sanders, the brother of Bernie, is a politician of the party of the greens in the county of Oxfordshire in England. Its nephew is city council man ecologist of the town of Oxford.

Bernie Sanders has a son and is married, in second wedding, in Jane O' Meara, president of the college of Burlington.

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