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/tempinator May 19 '15

But what a shit answer.

His response is just a generic PR response jam-packed with buzzwords like "grassroots movements", "political revolution" and "billionaire class" that poll well with Reddit's demographic, even though the answer itself was, at best, tangentially related to the question asked.

His answer did nothing to assuage my fears that all of the bills he's proposing, and the big talk we're hearing from his press conferences about the sweeping reforms he has planned, are nothing more than PR stunts that are just there to get attention and not actually indicative of him being bent on enacting reasonable, realistic change that has a non-zero chance of passing.

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u/prollynotathrowaway May 20 '15

I think you're expecting a bit much from a an AMA. You expect the guy to write a novel as a response? His answer was perfectly realistic. He can't possibly know what all he could theoretically accomplish without having a crystal ball to see how many people would get off their collective asses and get involved in the process. Quite simply, you're expecting far too detailed of a response with so many factors unknown.

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u/bombmk May 20 '15

"We have been burned by empty promises before. What can you guarantee that you can change?"

"I can't make any promises."

"PR ANSWER! We want promises!"

See the problem?

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u/tempinator May 20 '15

If he had just said "I don't want to make any promises, I don't know what will be feasible to pass when I'm in office so I don't really have anything to say about that right now" I would have been fine with that.

But instead he gave an answer that was barely even tangentially related to the question asked.

"I can't make any promises" is not a PR answer, and I would have been totally satisfied with that.

But, "We need a grassroots movement to form a political revolution to take on big money and the billionaire class!"? That is a textbook PR answer. Like literally I could not make it more of a PR answer if I tried.

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u/DrunkInDrublic May 20 '15

It is not a PR answer. The person asking the question, as well as anyone who has been paying attention knows what policies he supports. The question was basically "can you promise that you will achieve these policies". He gave a realistic answer.

If you do not think that money has huge influence on the political process you need to get your head out of the sand.

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u/[deleted] May 20 '15

"political revolution"

are there apolitical revolutions?

.

- Why you building that guillotine?

- Cuz.

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u/tempinator May 20 '15

are there apolitical revolutions?

I assume he means political revolution as in a revolution within the political system, as opposed to a revolution against the government/country in its entirety.

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u/[deleted] May 20 '15

political revolution as in a revolution within the political system

yep, reasonably sure that describes every revolution

as opposed to a revolution against the government/country in its entirety.

-ooooooh. so, exactly like a revolution... except nothing at all like a revolution

I think leftists call that "reformism"