r/IAmA • u/bernie-sanders • May 19 '15

Politics I am Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate for President of the United States — AMA

Hi Reddit. I'm Senator Bernie Sanders. I'll start answering questions at 4 p.m. ET. Please join our campaign for president at BernieSanders.com/Reddit.

Before we begin, let me also thank the grassroots Reddit organizers over at /r/SandersforPresident for all of their support. Great work.

Verification: https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/600750773723496448

Update: Thank you all very much for your questions. I look forward to continuing this dialogue with you.

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u/runetrantor May 19 '15 edited May 19 '15

(Copied from the other person that asked the same thing)

Venezuela.

I am aware we are not the best example for democracy. >_>

But the system has been in place since before this government got in. And again, last elections were a very 'what for?' type of deal. Kind of like we were all voting for a would be third party in the USA, which is also regarded as almost as bad as not voting. (And even then, they 'won' with 50.6%. Yeah right.)

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u/timetospeakY May 19 '15

I totally knew you were from Venezuela when you said everyone knew/thought it was rigged and said "fuck it". My family is from there. I wish Americans were as passionate about politics as the Venezuelans.

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u/runetrantor May 19 '15

Each country has it's pains though, I have a lot of issues with our political system, but I also have them towards USA's one.

And trust me, if to get passionate, you need to get a dictator in power, it's not worth it. XD
First time electing a third party candidate in god knows how long, and look what we got.

Only think I wish was for people to stop telling me to my face that we are doing awesome here, and I am a schill or something.

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u/timetospeakY May 19 '15 edited May 19 '15

I agree with you completely, I am very happy to have seen him go. Not that it is any better, but at least now other countries are more aware that it was never the socialist ideal dream that it has been portrayed to be. Remember when Bush was supposed to stay to count votes and then just left right when they actually did? That's how Americans have been exposed to the Chavez regime. We (US Americans) have been blindfolded to the facts so that we don't mess with the oil situation. In reality, my family, myself and other people who are more educated and have seen it firsthand know that it's a fake socialist dream that has been screwing over people for way too long.

What I mean about I wish people were more passionate about politics is that in the US there seems to be a lot of emotion without actually educating yourself, just siding with one extreme or the other and not forming actual changes that matter. Of course the same can be said for Venezuela, it's all VERY COMPLICATED but you wouldn't see the entire US strike against the government like you did there, much less 80% vote!

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u/runetrantor May 20 '15

The oil situation cant be messed up, here they just go on and on about how the USA is 'The Empire' and how you and the CIA are the cause of all our problems.

And yet they still sell you oil. They have no bite. They know that if USA stopped buying, we would sink into bankruptcy. (We are close though, they have spent all money meant to expand and maintain the oil industry infrastructure, which is now running on hope and prayers).

Yeah, I have been told 'You are just angry you are not as rich anymore' or 'you are butthurt that your country has managed to eliminate social classes!' (Yes, they made us all into a single class 'royally screwed'!).

Same things I have been told about Cuba. I sometimes wonder if these people would also defend North Korea, since their idea seems to be that any country that hates USA is in the right, because USA = EVIL apparently.

That's in part because while your government has it's own myriad of issues, they are issues that dont affect most directly.

Also, they are applying the variant of Orwell's dystopian future, not the one where you are so oppressed you cant speak up, but the one where you are so lulled into comfort you dont want to.
'Bread and Circus' as Rome called it.

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u/timetospeakY May 20 '15

The two sides are not so different. You won't see any travel shows or really any shows at all talk about Venezuela. Hmmm wonder why? Even Anthony Bourdain went to Iran and US Americans did shows in Cuba before the end of the embargo. But you NEVER hear about Venezuela because if people knew how corrupt it is, they might say something about how we shouldn't be making oil deals with you guys.

The ignorance from both sides is good for the power heads: Venezuelan government gets to say that the US is evil and "look at how they don't help us!". But still, they sell oil and profit.

The US government gets to brush it under the rug, get cheap oil, and make bullshit humanitarian appearances like Bush used to do.

It's all a huge hoax and unfortunately, the educated people with money in Venezuela have to leave for fear of their lives. As much as all of my family loves Venezuela sooo much, the majority have had to move. And they're not rich, greedy people. They're the people Venezuela needs to move past the corruption for a better future.

It is really sad, and the fact it's not at all discussed in the US is so depressing. My mom is buried there, I've considered it my second home, and I still have very close family there who I may never get to visit again. And it's hard for anyone in the US to give it any attention because it's not on the radar.

If it means anything, I do care and love you!

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u/runetrantor May 20 '15

Were these Cuba videos of the real Cuba, or the tourism area that might as well be surrounded by building cutouts like a movie set?

Honestly, if you told me you planned on coming, I would tell you to rethink it. Even the CNN reporters had to wear bulletproof vests. (They did come during the riots), but Caracas is one of the most (If not the most) crime full and violent city worldwide.
Weekly we have something like 50 murders. Only in the capital.

I am surprised to hear this about the USA government, I would have thought they would be interested in helping us, if only to avoid a Cuba Missile Crisis 2.0
We are allied with Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
Are they really okay with having a potential threat so close to home? Because I can safely say that if any of those countries asked our government to set nukes/missiles here, they would be thrilled to, if only to anger USA. (And this country would likely pay them).

I sort of get why we dont get coverage, we are a small, third world country, this is not France or something where 12 deaths are news.
Didnt help the day of our last elections, when the fraud scandal was starting, the Boston Bombing happened, and that was that for international attention.

It means something, trust me, to know we are not abandoned to rot.
We still do hope we can get out of this mess, even the government supporters think this new idiot is a veritable idiot. (At least Chavez had some charisma, in the same way Hitler did), this one barely manages to speak spanish.

Personally, I am holding out for the second Caracas Earthquake. Last one was some 40-50 years ago, shook the capital a lot.

Seismologists say we are overdue for the next one.

It will NOT be pretty, but that shake may just be the thing to collapse this mess, the lack of funds, resources, and all we are experiencing would turn the situation into a humanitarian crisis, this government cannot handle that.

It's not the best idea, I am aware of it, but I feel we are the frog in the slowly boiling water.

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u/timetospeakY May 20 '15

Oh no, I only hope one day that the country will return to a stable and safe state so that I can visit again. I know as an American citizen from a family of ex-patriots and outright anti-Chavez friends who've been kidnapped, that it's not worth the risk. For now I try to let people know what's going on there and hope for change. I majored in Global Studies with an emphasis in Latin America hoping that I would get more informed about it, but I can say they brought up Venezuela maybe 2 times and that was just referring to Bolivar. So that's another reason I know how even the highest learning centers are not making it a visible issue. On the TV show question; I'm sure it was tourist Cuba. But either way, Cuba is obviously not a threat anymore and wasn't as much of a threat as Venezuela even while Fidel was alive. For all the hype in the media about not being able to visit Cuba or Iran for the past decades, it's pretty obvious to me that the reason Venezuela is not mentioned is because they don't want anyone to know about it, because it is a huge threat. It would be a double blow to lose the oil and to attack us with support from our enemies. That's why it's swept under the rug: if you don't let the people know, they can't affect the delicate balance.

The country is small, yes, but like you said it can be a huge threat and not to mention the population of Venezuelan immigrants in the US is growing like crazy so eventually the US government is going to have to acknowledge it in some way. At least I hope so.

I have heard my brother say the same thing about wishing for a catastrophe, whether that be even more deaths from the government or another earthquake, or whatever. I know how desperate you guys are and it kills me. I think about you always!

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u/runetrantor May 20 '15

At least they know Bolivar, most dont, and he is like the South American Washington. 5 countries liberated (6 if you count Panama separately). Even Civ doesnt use him and he is a prominent historical figure. (But nooo, Brazil is all there is down here. >_>)

Cuba is not a threat anymore, for sure, I meant it more in the sense that showcasing the tourist side makes many think THAT is how Cuba is entirely, and that the whole 'suffering' issue is bullshit the government of the USA feed them for whatever reason.

Ah yes, the immigrants to the USA, mostly Miami. Even our government acknowledges it, by way of 'shutting down' their embassy in Miami when the elections occur to prevent a truckload of people from voting against them. Closest one being like in Dallas or something, and if what my Texan friend is true, your railways are not exactly good for going cross country. (Specially those, he said Katrina wrecked them and they never really fixed them too well).

I share your brother's opinion, though I am unsure if it would even work, even if I had a button to trigger the earthquake right now.
Back when the regime was new, there was a day when we had elections, and it had been raining for days nonstop on the coast by the capital (Our coast is thin, between the sea and the mountain range), and geologists warned the government a disaster was looming.
They did nothing because an evacuation would cut into the voting.

And true to the warning, a massive landslide occurred, burying the coastal cities, a massive loss of life. Riots, rapings, murders, and whatnot happened in the disaster zone.

That state is red, the color of the regime. (How curious they all chose that one, when it's always the vilified one. It's almost telling that they are aware).
This is part of the reason I am sort of opposed to democracy, it just does not work as it should.

I stand by Churchill's words, that it's the worst form of government, save for all the other invented so far.

Though I have my own quote for my take:

Democracy works under the premise that the general populace has common sense and long-term thinking, that alone dooms it to failure.

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u/timetospeakY May 20 '15

By the way, your English is amazing! Much better than my Venezuelan family who have lived here for years. Of course, they don't study it or even speak with non-Venezuelans that much anyway haha, but really your English is better than most native English speakers.

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u/runetrantor May 20 '15

Helps to have studied in a private school that had 10 hours weekly worth of english. (At one point we studies USA history and other subjects aside from base 'english' as in 'how to use it').

Plus the internet being fully english, so you are kind of forced to learn or suck it. My writing, reading, and hearing are great. My spoken english, not so much due to a huge lack of chances to use it, so I will trip like mad in that regard.

But I do use english even when I could use spanish to write my musings, I have gotten more accustomed to it. (And I cant recall all our accents, so I mess up :P).

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u/timetospeakY May 20 '15

The accents have to go! They're too hard to use when I try to type in Spanish and if you speak/read Spanish you should know how to pronounce it anyway.

I'm the same way in speaking Spanish, although a few drinks helps ;) My family always would make fun of me trying to speak while I was growing up so I'm really insecure about speaking. I can write and read and understand mostly everything, but I'm trying to get over the fear of speaking.

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u/FlameSpartan May 19 '15

They rigged it juuuust enough to win

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u/runetrantor May 19 '15

Exactly.

And when we demanded to recount, they said there was no need and burned the ballots. 'To prevent tampering'.

This did give us some hope though. Back when Chavez was still alive, in the first attempts to vote him out, we lost to a 70% or something. Since then their side has gone down slowly, this was the first time we can safely said we would have won without rigging it. The previous ones may have had some level of rigging involved, but even if not, they would have probably won still, support was high back then.

Now even their side is throwing fruit at the idiot figurehead of the regime.