Fair to criticize Bernie for not practicing what he preaches?

[omega3]

Is it fair to criticize Bernie Sanders for not practicing what he preaches? The core of his message is that he wants the top 1% to share their wealth with those less fortunate.

Now, he himself belongs to the top 1%, is a millionaire (being a senator pays well even without taking bribes) and even owns 3 houses. If he so strongly believes in what he preaches, why doesn't he set an example by for example selling one of those houses and donating the profits to a charity?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Is it fair to criticize Bernie Sanders for not practicing what he preaches? The core of his message is that he wants the top 1% to share their wealth with those less fortunate.

Now, he himself belongs to the top 1%, is a millionaire (being a senator pays well even without taking bribes) and even owns 3 houses. If he so strongly believes in what he preaches, why doesn't he set an example by for example selling one of those houses and donating the profits to a charity?

Doubt he is in the top 1%. IIRC his yearly income on his return was ~$250k or so? That might be in the top 3% I believe.

Anyhow, politicians in a nut-shell are people that live above the cloud and yet they try to dictate what people below the clouds should do for the best of the population. They never know what it's like to actually execute what they put in place.

 

[sandorski]

How the hell does that mean he doesn't practice what he preaches? He would be subjected to the same Taxes, if it were true his income put him into the 1%..

 

[KB]

Where did Bernie say the 1% should Share a significant portion of their wealth with the poor?
Answer he never did. His point is the income gap between the rich and poor is too high and policies should be changed to reduce it.

https://berniesanders.com/issues/income-and-wealth-inequality/

 

[kage69]

I think someone watched a Fox segment and decided to mimic it.

Bernie is worth about $800,000 from what I've seen. He and his wife filed jointly for a little more than $200K in 2015 I think it was.

So, what was that about the 1%? Didn't we have repub business owners in Congress complaining about only making 250k/yr recently? Only being able to afford a few restaurant franchises or something like that? Poor guys, but at least they're not Bernie poor right?

 

[omega3]

According to this: http://time.com/money/4235986/bernie-sanders-millionaire-finances/ and other articles he & his wife can be considered millionaires. Also weird he puts everything on his wife's account.

 

[Sonikku]

200k a year isn't 1%. He'd need to clear about 350k annually to be in the 1%.

 

[omega3]

200k a year isn't 1%. He'd need to clear about 350k annually to be in the 1%.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/06/ber...n-last-year-and-has-joined-the-1-percent.html

According to the above and other links it's fair to say he earns around a million a year and definitely is in the top 1%. I don't see him sharing much of that wealth..

 

[FIVR]

I'm a millionaire and all i do is mostly surf and wash dishes. everybody's a millionaire these days, haven't you heard?

 

[FIVR]

If you drive an uber for like 2 weeks you're a millionaire. If you can set up a shopify account, you're a millionaire too. It's called the gig economy, get with it people.


bernie has probably been an uber driver since 2013. He's FLUSH

 

[werepossum]

According to this: http://time.com/money/4235986/bernie-sanders-millionaire-finances/ and other articles he & his wife can be considered millionaires. Also weird he puts everything on his wife's account.

lol Yeah, that's certainly strange behavior for a politician . . .

 

[omega3]

lol Yeah, that's certainly strange behavior for a politician . . .

Exactly my point.

But the 3 houses he own seem the most hypocrite to me. If he so deeply believes in what he preaches, what's holding him back from selling only 1 of those houses and donating those profits to those less fortunate?

 

[ch33zw1z]

What is it that he believes?

 

[edcoolio]

Is it fair to criticize Bernie Sanders for not practicing what he preaches? The core of his message is that he wants the top 1% to share their wealth with those less fortunate.

Now, he himself belongs to the top 1%, is a millionaire (being a senator pays well even without taking bribes) and even owns 3 houses. If he so strongly believes in what he preaches, why doesn't he set an example by for example selling one of those houses and donating the profits to a charity?

Of course Bernie Sanders is not practicing what he preaches, but for politicians of every political stripe serving in Washington D.C., this is nothing new.

I think it is fair to criticize him, but it tends to lose its impact when EVERY ONE of the politicians in the capitol could be considered serial hypocrites, current and past Presidents included.

Nothing new under the sun.

 

[Chaotic42]

Is it fair to criticize Bernie Sanders for not practicing what he preaches? The core of his message is that he wants the top 1% to share their wealth with those less fortunate.

Now, he himself belongs to the top 1%, is a millionaire (being a senator pays well even without taking bribes) and even owns 3 houses. If he so strongly believes in what he preaches, why doesn't he set an example by for example selling one of those houses and donating the profits to a charity?

How much does he donate to charity every year?

 

[imported_tajmahal]

How much does he donate to charity every year?

He's a Democrat. His idea of charity is making other people pay for what he wants.

 

[Chaotic42]

He's a Democrat. His idea of charity is making other people pay for what he wants.

That seems to describe virtually every politician and most people. Spending other people's money on yourself seems to be the status quo.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

That seems to describe virtually every politician and most people. Spending other people's money on yourself seems to be the status quo.

Granted! Good point.

 

[Victorian Gray]

He's a Democrat. His idea of charity is making other people pay for what he wants.

No, he's not.

 

[ivwshane]

Bernie should simply tell people he donates and that his donations are the biggest and talk about all the charities he gives to. It doesn't matter if its true or not... People just want to be told things that make them feel good.

If it works for trump, who is now the president, why wouldn't it work for Bernie?





The OP illustrates why we have the politicians we do, because the electorate is comprised by a bunch of idiots who are incapable of understanding even the most basic political messages let alone complex policies.

 

[JSt0rm]

Is it fair to criticize Bernie Sanders for not practicing what he preaches? The core of his message is that he wants the top 1% to share their wealth with those less fortunate.

Now, he himself belongs to the top 1%, is a millionaire (being a senator pays well even without taking bribes) and even owns 3 houses. If he so strongly believes in what he preaches, why doesn't he set an example by for example selling one of those houses and donating the profits to a charity?

^^^ this person is dumb af

 

[werepossum]

Exactly my point.

But the 3 houses he own seem the most hypocrite to me. If he so deeply believes in what he preaches, what's holding him back from selling only 1 of those houses and donating those profits to those less fortunate?

I was being sarcastic. Politicians regularly put things in spouses' names to maintain just enough plausible deniability to keep their fanboys from being uncomfortable defending them. To address your point, sure, Bernie is a hypocrite. But while I'm no socialist, he's one of the CongressCritters who least abuses his position for his personal gain. He's mostly built his wealth slowly, although at the moment he's building it quickly with book profits and speaking fees. As our politicians go, he's probably one of the least hypocritical.

 

[mect]

Playing by the current rules does not make you a hypocrite for wanting to change the rules.

 

[pauldun170]

Let me get this straight.
A working married couple in their 70's have a nest egg appropriate for a college professor and public servant so someone is trying to paint them as 1%ers?
Do people not know what retirement plans are, how they work and what they are supposed to take care of?

 

[omega3]

^^^ this person is dumb af

How so? Does a socialist need 3 houses? I think you missed my point.