Bernie’s student supporters explain why they’re voting for him

Last week, we interviewed students who have voted for Hillary and plan to do so in November.

As a continuation of the series, this week we asked the fans of Bernie why they have chosen to support him instead. Funny enough, not once do they mention “free college”.

There are a lot reasons why young people support Sanders besides what older generations, and even other young people may believe.

Leah Dickshinski, 18, Political Science major

What are your top three reasons for supporting Sanders?

More than anything else, I support Sanders because of his integrity. Evident in his platform and in his policies is a fundamental respect for human dignity. I feel that I can trust Sanders’ platform because his message and his voting record has [always] been consistent. In addition to his consistency, he has always displayed transparency and deference in campaigns. Of the current presidential hopefuls, he has garnered the most support from small donors – his refusal to accept funding from large corporations exemplifies his commitment to accountability. And throughout his time in public office, Sanders has never ran a smear campaign against a competitor. I feel that Sanders’ career speaks deeply to his character, and most everyone is able to respect him, no matter where they fall politically.

What is your response to criticisms he is too idealistic and is poor in foreign policy?

You would be hard-pressed to deny Clinton’s experience, especially in foreign policy. But I think what separates Clinton from Sanders is that Clinton is a strict pragmatist. But pragmatism demands decisiveness and compromise, two things that can easily lead to rash action. In this election cycle, two of the  greatest criticisms of Clinton’s record surround her support of criminal justice reform (1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement act) in the 90s and her vote to invade Iraq in 2002. These were, in retrospect, bad decisions. (leading to mass incarceration and political destabilization in Iraq) but at the time, they were pragmatic ones. These were rash and short-sighted but popular decisions. [However], Sanders tends towards the idealistic. He may be a “far-leftist” but I would not consider him to be rash. By nature, it’s a lot harder to be rash as an idealist (less support, slower action). So when it comes to foreign policy, we need policy that is far-sighted and sound, not what is needed in the moment. I’m not sure if Sanders can provide this definitively, but I think idealism is preferred to rash pragmatism.

What is one thing about his platform you would change?

While I understand why he is running as a Democrat, I wish he would run as a third party candidate to avoid diluting his message. I feel that his major policy positions – especially on money in politics and the environment – would hold greater influence in an independent run, even though it would mean him not having a viable shot at the presidency.

Michael Calvelli, 18, Computer Science major

What are your top three reasons for supporting Sanders?

Unlike many other politicians, he prioritizes the common man over corporate greed. He has continuously supported and fought for the rights of Americans that are marginalized and disadvantaged. [And], he is honest – his actions have backed up his words.

What is your response to criticisms he is too idealistic and is poor in foreign policy?

Idealism is something that is sorely needed in American politics. Politicians have played it safe for too long – pragmatism can only go for so long until stagnation occurs. This is especially apparent in our foreign policy, where the War on Terror has lost a lot of its efficacy due to its mechanical pragmatism – there needs to be balance. Bernie is radical enough to introduce this balance into our country.

What is one thing about his platform you would change?

There’s nothing much I would change? I pretty much agree with him on every issue he presents. I’ll own the title of “sheep”, I guess.

Ariell Branson, 19, English major

What are your top three reasons for supporting Sanders?

I like Sanders for a lot of reasons. His beliefs lineup with mine in a way that contemporary politicians (the ones that have a shot at winning at least) rarely do. That being said, my top three reasons for supporting Sanders are his views on criminal justice, reproductive freedom, and environmental issues. In regards to criminal justice, Sanders supports ending mass incarceration, demilitarization of the police, abolishing private prisons, and establishing more effective rehabilitation practices to reduce recidivism rates. Sanders has a lifetime pro-choice record and doesn’t believe government should be involved when it comes to a woman’s body, whereas Clinton supports late-pregnancy regulation. Lastly, I believe he has the strongest pro-environment stance of all of the candidates. He has refused the campaign donations of greenhouse gas emitters and was the congressional leader in opposing the Keystone XL pipeline. Clinton is shaky at best when it comes to environmental issues, whereas Sanders has showed dedication and a consistent desire to combat climate change.

What is your response to criticisms he is too idealistic and is poor in foreign policy?

I believe that attacking Sanders for his idealism stems from deep-seeded cynicism and disillusionment with the political system as a whole. Our country is in dire need of reform and if the worst attack against a candidate is that they dream too big – I’m all in. As far as foreign policy goes, I don’t have a glaring issue with Sanders. He opposes the continued occupation of Afghanistan, he supports the Tibetan people, he wants to reform our trade policy with China, supports Syrian refugees, and supports a coalition effort with nations in the Middle East to combat ISIS. While he definitely isn’t as “hawkish” as Clinton, I would classify that as a good thing. I find his foreign policy stances to be reasonable and I support the vast majority of them.

What is one thing about his platform you would change?

I would change Sanders stance on gun control, though he seems to be doing this on his own. He has flip-flopped in regards to the 2005 Gun Liability Bill, which he joined Republicans in voting for. He has since said that he would rethink his stance on the issue, but for the most part stands by his voting record. It’s difficult for me to look favorably upon someone who at one point had a C- rating from the NRA. I’m a staunch advocate for strict firearm regulations and my beliefs align better with Clinton on this issue.

Diego Jauregui, 21, Engineering, Mathematics, pre-Law major

What are your top three reasons for supporting Sanders?

I support Bernie Sanders because the political status quo is not just inefficient, it is unacceptable. Due to the political establishment’s obsession with currying favor with the economic elite in exchange for large donations, research now shows that a bill’s chance of passing has exactly zero correlation with public support. Rather the bill’s chance of passing is determined by the level of support from those who can afford lobbyist and max out campaign contributions.

This has had disastrous effects on our domestic and foreign policy, [and fighting the establishment is something Bernie is dedicated to fighting]. [Secondly], Bernie Sanders is an honest man surrounded by a self serving sea of corruption. Both the establishment political and media class has done all they can to dismiss him and bury him by any means necessary, such as ignoring him in the press, or schedule a tiny amount of debates at times that no one would watch which was something Former Clinton Campaign Chair and current DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz has done.

While Hillary has been allowed by the media to avoid releasing her Wall Street transcripts and Donald allowed to switch positions on insight violence, racism and sexism with impunity, Bernie has been outright ignored in the press. Only Bernie Sanders has the necessary economic and social policies that will result in stable long term economic growth and a stronger democracy accountable to the people.

[Lastly], polls prove that Hillary Clinton is by far the weakest general election candidate the Democrats have to offer, and Donald Trump is too dangerous to take the risk of nominating someone with such a high unfavorability rating, who is under criminal FBI  investigation, and who has such a low level of support from independents.

What is your response to criticisms he is too idealistic and is poor in foreign policy?

His critics generally represent everything wrong with American governance and foreign policy today, so it is of no surprise that they will criticize him [since] they are the problem. Bernie Sanders has been labeled idealistic because he represents the values of the Democratic Party as it was under FDR: strong, progressive, and consistent. Bernie’s platform is not idealistic because it has been accomplished successfully before, our government is just too cowardly and to beholden to moneyed interests to believe [what he proposes] is possible. If you call Sander’s economic plan irresponsible compared to what Republicans have done, you clearly have not paid attention. Tax cuts for the rich do not pay for themselves, financial deregulation leads to a recession, and raising the minimum wage leads to more jobs.

[Also], Bernie Sanders has the strongest record in foreign policy out of anyone still in the race. The interventionist, imperialistic policies of US Administrations for the past several decades, both Republican and Democratic, have left a legacy of destabilization, war crimes and atrocities (ex: Operation Condor); [this is what Bernie stands against]. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would continue that legacy, due to Hillary’s embrace of Henry Kissinger [and evidence seen in her time as Secretary of State], and Donald’s embrace of torture and civilian executions.

What is one thing about his platform you would change?

I would like to see Sanders explicitly endorse universal basic income. UBI would replace all other forms of welfare in the country, greatly eliminating costly bureaucratic inefficiency, ensure a basic level of sustenance and proactively counter the major effects of poverty by keeping people off the streets. UBI would ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to participate in our capitalist society, as well as cut down on economic insecurity as more and more jobs get automated.

Scott Robbins, 21, Physics major

What are your top three reasons for supporting Sanders?

He is sincere and honest when it comes to reforming our campaign finance system and tackling issues like defense spending, investing in education, and housing. He wants to unite people, not drive them apart. Politics has been so focused on making us think that we are all different, that we all are individuals that only need to worry about our own self interests. As a physics major I recognize that the ego is something our brain needs to survive, but we all came from the same place. All life on earth comes from the same place. So to me, he is the only candidate who recognizes the notion that we all share a single planet with the same resources and that governing is not a game of Risk, it is about being people together and solving problems collectively. [Moreover], I support Bernie because he has been so committed to change for decades. He’s always had his own moral compass that was not defined by what is popular or chic, but rather he espouses the goodness in humanity and the actual ideals of what America could and should be.

What is your response to criticisms he is too idealistic and is poor in foreign policy?

I think it is weak to build walls and drop bombs. True courage is defined by restraint in the face of adversity. This is not a weak foreign policy, it is one that attempts to actually end war and not perpetuate/profit from it. [As for being idealistic], first off, we have the technology to transform our energy infrastructure and this would allow enormous domestic growth and reduce dependance on fossil fuels. In terms of health care he points to European nations as a model of how this is not an ideal, it is common practice for industrialized nations. Politicians and the media label Bernie idealistic and weak because his ideas threaten an established paradigm. I’d replace the word idealistic with visionary.

What is one thing about his platform you would change?

He has not effectively articulated how America is already socialized in so many ways. People are afraid of the word, yet they pay for social security, eat corn that was subsidized by the government, fill their gas tanks with fuel that has been subsidized, buy things at places like Walmart that are essentially subsidized, and deposit money into banks that have also been essentially subsidized.

Laina Stebbins, 20, Journalism major

What are your top three reasons for supporting Sanders?

He is tuned in to the biggest, most important issues facing our generation and making sure they are at the forefront of the presidential debate. He has been fighting for consistently progressive values his whole life — values that the Democratic party seems to have forgotten along the way. [In addition] Bernie is a man of the people. He is fighting to win the White House not for himself, but for all of us. He sees the presidency as a platform to enact real, necessary change in our democratic system that would benefit people all over this country.

What is your response to criticisms he is too idealistic and is poor in foreign policy?

The narrative that Bernie is “idealistic” is completely false. It has been perpetuated by the Clinton campaign in order to invalidate Bernie’s platform, which in turn makes Hillary’s platform look like the “safe” option. In reality, his policies and values are supported by the majority of Americans. Just because his policies are progressive and liberal doesn’t mean they are somehow unachievable. As far as foreign policy goes, he’s the antithesis of Hillary Clinton’s hawkish policies. I love this about him because he’s made it clear he is driven towards peaceful, non-interventionist solutions with other countries. I’d rather not have another war on our hands that we did not need to get ourselves involved in.

What is one thing about his platform you would change?

I wish his campaign would have been more aggressive about correcting Bernie’s record from the many misrepresentations circulated by the media and general lack of knowledge about his platform. I also wish he would have been more diligent about exposing Hillary’s political failings beyond the Iraq War vote and her Wall Street ties.