[January 21, 2020] U.S. General George Patton was once heard to say, “Lead me, follow me, or get [the hell] out of my way.” In a nutshell, that sums up Bernie Sanders. Some see him as a bull in a china shop; as a crazy radical out to destroy America. But whatever you think of him, he is authentic. He believes deeply in what he says and never apologizes for it.
For the second time, the politically Independent Bernie Sanders is encroaching upon the Democratic nomination as he pushes aside both radical and centrists in the party. He’s a serious candidate and continues to make unexpected gains as monetary contributions pour into his political war chest. Experts predict that he can never win the presidential race in the U.S., a republic built on capitalism and rugged individualism. They could be wrong.
Bernie Sanders possesses several leadership traits, not that different from famous leaders I’ve profiled before on my leadership website:
- Authentic and Unapologetic
- Non-conforming
- Intelligent
- Strong-willed and Resolute
- Focused and Confident
- Appeals to the heart
- Inspires and motivates
- Seeks to help the poor and oppressed
“No one candidate is capable of taking on Donald Trump and the billionaire class alone. There is only one way we win – and that is together.” – Bernie Sanders, U.S. Presidential candidate1
No one ever said Bernie Sanders was diplomatic and predictably he is described as “cantankerous.”2 His message is an old one – the rich have made their money on the backs of the workers by unfairly exploiting them. Corporations, he says, typically pay no taxes but through higher taxes on corporations, Wall Street, and the rich, and through reducing military spending, we could use that money to pull the poor up and treat them as human beings.
Bernie Sanders has his flaws, and there are many. His socialist values are not aligned with how America has operated throughout its history. People don’t like higher taxes, big government, or big brother. Bernie promises all this in the name of fairness. He does promise to listen to the people and do what he thinks is best for them. Most say he cannot win the Democratic nomination or the presidency,3 but they said the same thing about Donald Trump.
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The old, creepy communist is doing great! He’s stomping on Biden (a problem of his own making).
‘Oh my God, Sanders can win’: Democrats grapple with Bernie surge in Iowa
Bernie is a crazy old man but at least he’s authentic. Even wacko Michael Moore said as much about him. And Bernie has the AOC nutjob campaigning for him.
Please pass the popcorn. The DNC party is at each others necks. However, that does not mean they will self-destruct even when that is possible. More likely, it will make their top candidate stronger in the end.
Bernie Sanders and his followers know for a fact that the Democratic Party will not allow an Independent to win their nomination. They have enlisted the aide of the media to start hitting on Bernie. I would like to see him win just to watch the sparks fly when he actually has to face Donald Trump.
“Authentic and unapologetic”. I have to say I disagree completely. He tries to hide his Marxist thinking by wrapping it in the flag of compassion for the poor. He’s just like the other wannabes trying to get elected and will say just about anything. His philosophy is communism. His face is free stuff for everybody.
Bernie Sanders is a danger to any nation that wants to be great. He will drag down anything he touches. As a US President he would reside over the decline of our nation like Jimmy Carter did. Remember him?
Good comment, Jelly.
The democrat socialist is on a roll. He’s into people-power and raises lots of cash. This is what it takes to get elected and I think he has a chance of getting the Democrat nomination (if they don’t pull the rug out from under him again like last time). He can win against Trump.
Jonnie. I like Bernie because what you see is what you get. He has not changed since he honeymooned in the USSR decades ago. He is a devoted Marxist and Communist and unapologetic about it. That is commendable regardless of whether you like him or not.
Geez, what a great website.
We like it here. Gen. Satterfield continues to put up relevant, useful, entertaining, and credible info on leadership. He also dissects leadership into understandable terms. Glad to see you here Barry.
James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas has been conducting an undercover investigation of the Bernie Sanders campaign. One of Sanders’ “top tier organizers” in Iowa (aka a Bernie Bro) expressed admiration for the Soviet Gulags, billionaires should be sentenced to breaking rocks, and suggested that anyone who opposes Sanders’ revolutionary policies would be shot. Interesting development.
Yes, and more will be coming out about this. Looks like there is more than one of Bernie’s Bros that speak to their love of communist Russia.
Great Hillary Clinton quote from The Hollywood Reporter (I’m sure it’s on your reading pile, ha ha ha ha).
“Nobody likes [Bernie Sanders], nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. It’s all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it.”
Harsh interview. But the question remains, “Will Hillary run again?”
I hope Hillary jumps into the race. I wish it, not for the obvious reason that it would split the liberal vote but because it would be very entertaining to watch it all unfold. Another head-to-head H Clinton vs D. Trump and what a spectacle it would be. Pass the popcorn.
The whole presidential race will be vastly entertaining. The winner takes all. I just hope that whoever wins is pragmatic enough to keep their heads and not make too many gross leadership errors.
The question is, will the new fake media turn on Bernie or stick with him. When you build yourself up based on the media, you will fail with the winds of the media.
Feel the Bern …. ha ha ha ha, oh crap. This old geezer is actually stomping on the fake Indian and slow Joe.
You can get his t-shirts here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bernie+sanders+t+shirts&hvadid=7004639876&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_2uu9wyvt8u_e
I might actually get one and wear it to my parent’s house just to get a rise out of them. Would be pretty funny. Bernie Sanders, himself, is a scary guy who will take away your money, your guns, and your rights. He wants to amend the US constitution for the worse (he says for the better). Seriously, watch this guy. I’m buying some of his t-shirts so that in a few years I can see them for a profit.
Thanks Ronny. Maybe I will order one for the entertainment value.
Me too. But pay close attention to those running for political office.
I agree.
Because Bernie is a threat to Joe Biden, Liz Warren, and other Democratic Party politicans, the media is starting to turn against Bernie. You will start to see more of the following treatment by the press as the next few weeks develop.
“Bernie Sanders isn’t a joke. He’s dangerous”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/bernie-sanders-isnt-a-joke-hes-dangerous
Heard the same on FoxNews last night.
“Authentic and Unapologetic” That pretty much tells us about Bernie in just a few words. Does that make him unreliable or stupid? Obviously not. He is a force to be aware of because his message resonates with young people and the poor. He is giving them a boogie man (the rich) as a reason for their failures. Reminds me of some guy called Adolf back in the 1930s.
Ouch! But he doesn’t have any brownshirts running around betting down the opposition. Maybe because he knows that won’t work but he is using the media to do it for him.
But he has Antifa on his side and has not said their violence is out of line or that the leftist violence is crossing the line of civilized behavior. That alone says something about Sanders. Remember that. Violence will follow him.
Don’t underestimate Bernie Sanders. He has an appeal. Not for me but for many. Folks love to have their low station in life blamed on others; just like my kids.
Bernie Sanders is most valuable in his entertainment factor. Nuff said.
He’s crazy. Of course.
Who couldn’t love this guy, Bernie Sanders. He is like your very old grandfather who smoked, drank, and looked at passing women (but Sanders doesn’t do that). He is like your old grandfather because he will argue a long discredited idea. He will yell, pontificate, and demean to get his point across. He is “morally superior” to you and will eventually prove it at the end of a gun if elected.
Rather harsh on the “gun” part of your reasoning, Right?
Watson, I don’t think Ken was that far off. Just take a look at the history of communism (and Bernie is a communist). Over 100 million killed or starved to death under communism and that does not include wars. It may not be at the end of a gun but the result is the same.
Even a careless reading of history tells us otherwise. Communism (now called democratic socialism) will kill you if you are part of the ‘resistance’ or an ‘intellectual.’ Be careful what you wish for.
“Cantankerous” Now that says a lot. It should have been one of his main characteristics. He’s an old white guy with no new ideas. In fact, his ideas have been around for 100 years and look where it got the nations that adopted them.
Most of the readers of Gen. Satterfield’s blog will, undoubtedly, be opposed to Bernie Sanders to be elected as the US President. Sanders doesn’t either deserve it nor is he the type of politician – socialist or communist – that should be in charge of the direction of our country. Be he is ‘authentic’ in that he tells us what he thinks and does so openly, repeatedly and forcefully. In that way he is honest and that I like. But his ideas simply don’t go well against the rest of America. For that reason, he should never be president.
Excellent observation, Jerome. I too oppose Bernie Sanders and those like him (Eliz Warren and Joe Biden). I hope that Gen. Satterfield gives us a profile on Pete Buttigieg (can’t make this up). Buttigieg is the led today in the LGBTQ+ movement. That alone is about identity politics at its worse. Listen to him sometime and learn.
True but this doesn’t mean we can’t do an unbiased analysis. We will see how this goes and I, frankly, look forward to the analysis by Gen. Satterfield. Today’s workup on Bernie Sanders is excellent. I doubt there are many who could argue it was not balanced and informative.
Yes, and I too look forward to more like this.
Looking forward to the next couple of weeks as this leadership website is sure to draw the attention of crazies on the left side of the political spectrum.
Bernie Sanders once said that the bread lines in Russia were good news because at least they were getting bread. What a complete fool. How anyone could like him (other than being very entertaining with his crazy ideas) is completely beyond me.
The ‘love’ him because he promises FREE STUFF. Free stuff for the lazy and stupid.
Well Eva, that presupposes that many folks are actually smart enough to realize that free stuff comes with a cost. That cost they do not have to bare. Thank goodness we live with a republican form of govt (that’s not the same as a pure democracy – info for the young since they aren’t taught this any more).
“A strict observance of the written law is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to the written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the ends to the means.”–US President Thomas Jefferson
Great quote.
Perhaps Joe Biden, who enjoys much stronger support among black voters, is still in a better position to win the Democratic nomination. But Sanders’s candidacy is for real, and that means he must be taken seriously.
Glad you brought this up. I’m new to Mr. Satterfield’s leadership website. Like it. Love it. Will keep coming back.