{"id":2826,"date":"2020-02-26T06:39:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T03:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=2826"},"modified":"2020-03-03T21:54:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T18:54:29","slug":"we-endorse-bernie-sanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/we-endorse-bernie-sanders\/","title":{"rendered":"We endorse Bernie Sanders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Yemeni American News<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Difficult times require bold leadership. Half-solutions make problems worse. And the real change in Washington is not possible without a popular movement that includes everyone.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the Yemeni American News is endorsing Senator Bernie Sanders for president.<\/p>\n

Sanders is not a traditional politician; he is a fierce and honest leader channeling the pain and dissatisfaction of millions of Americans who have been forgotten and dismissed for far too long.<\/p>\n

He is the best choice to be on top of the Democratic ticket to unseat President Donald Trump in November – for America and especially for Arab and Muslim communities.<\/p>\n

Sanders\u2019 movement is based on social justice, with\u00a0no room for bigotry or pandering.<\/p>\n

Sanders\u2019\u00a0policies work best for our community. The future of Arab America does not lie with self-appointed leaders and opportunistic politicians; it is in the classrooms at public schools in Dearborn, Hamtramck and other cities\u00a0around the country.<\/p>\n

Sanders has vowed to increase the pay of teachers and adequately fund public education, which has suffered for years from cuts and austerity measures.<\/p>\n

This proposal benefits all Americans, but it resonates with us as a community, with a growing youth demographic. His plans for tuition-free colleges and canceling student debt would lift a burden off the shoulders of millions of working-class families. It would also spur economic growth by ensuring that everyone has access to the kind of education and training needed to compete in the increasingly global job market.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Healthcare<\/strong><\/p>\n

Healthcare\u00a0is a human right. This\u00a0should not be a political matter.<\/p>\n

In the richest country in history, we can afford hundreds of billions on military\u00a0spending\u00a0each year and award billions in corporate subsidies and tax-cuts, but when it comes to the well-being of our citizens the first question that arises is: \u201cHow are you going to pay for it?\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent study by Yale researchers indicates that not only will Medicare for All pay for itself, it will end up saving millions of dollars and – crucially – thousands of lives. Working-class\u00a0people’s access to preventive care and early detection will inevitably reduce more costly treatments for advanced illnesses.<\/p>\n

Healthy people\u00a0will\u00a0mean more productivity\u00a0within the broader economy, and the gigantic profits of the insurance industry will not be factored into healthcare costs. Medicare for All will also allow the government to negotiate lower prices with providers on our behalf eliminating the absurdly high costs of care and prescription drugs.<\/p>\n

Our healthcare system is broken. Medicare for All will fix it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Foreign policy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sanders\u2019 emphasis on pursuing a global approach to foreign policy that prioritizes human rights and cooperation is indicative of his commitment to the same principles of justice that he backs at home.<\/p>\n

The senator has been floating the seemingly unorthodox idea of bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran together to help resolve the outstanding issues in the Middle East. That proposal may seem alien to the policymakers in Washington, but it could prove to be an ingenious one.<\/p>\n

Misery is unfolding across the region because of the rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran. Hundreds of thousands have died as a result of the two countries\u2019 proxy wars. Yemen is the largest humanitarian catastrophe\u00a0in the world\u00a0partly because of Iran and Saudi Arabia\u2019s inability to resolve their conflicts peacefully outside of their neighbors\u2019 borders.<\/p>\n

The traditional approach in Washington has not been working. In fact, it has led to the current disastrous\u00a0that is now\u00a0status quo. What Sanders is proposing,\u00a0helping broker talks between Riyadh and Tehran,\u00a0is bold.\u00a0And\u00a0that is exactly what we need to face the complicated challenges in the region – courageous, new solutions.<\/p>\n

On the question of Palestinian human rights, Sanders provided by far the best answers.<\/p>\n

The senator has vowed to impose conditions on aid to Israel to help end the occupation and alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n

As a proud Jewish-American, he embodies the fact that criticizing the Israeli government, which he has called racist, is not antisemitic. And while he does not support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Sanders has vowed to protect the constitutionally protected right to boycott.<\/p>\n

Sanders is calling for a sane policy that treats both Israelis and Palestinians as human beings, which should be a default position but appears radical in the skewed politics of Washington.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bernie beats Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many members of our community\u00a0\u2013\u00a0who have\u00a0suffered a lot under the current administration – worry about Sanders\u2019 chances against Trump in November. Electability ranks among the top priorities of Democratic voters this year.<\/p>\n

But the electability of a candidate cannot be determined by the same political operatives and commentators who have gotten it wrong so many times over the past 20 years.<\/p>\n

There is a gulf in perceptions between the elites and the voters. The candidacy of Donald Trump was laughed off and dismissed by the so-called experts in 2016 until the moment he won the elections.<\/p>\n

The same pundits who told Democratic voters that Hillary Clinton is the electable candidate last time are sounding the alarm about the prospects of a Sanders\u2019 nomination in 2020. They were wrong in 2016,\u00a0but they shouldn\u2019t be wrong now.<\/p>\n

The Arabic saying goes: Whoever tries what\u2019s been tried, his brain is broken.<\/p>\n

The Democratic Party tried a centrist,\u00a0establishment candidate, and we know how that\u2019s turned out. Only an energetic progressive agenda can counter Trump\u2019s right-wing pitch to voters.<\/p>\n

If you appease Trump on policy, you may as well give in. Voters admire resolve and principles,\u00a0two things that\u00a0Sanders offers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Effective statesman<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Sanders gets smeared by his rivals as an angry ideologue, his history in Congress proves that he is an effective statesman.\u00a0And\u00a0Yemenis know that.<\/p>\n

Last year, the Vermont senator teamed up with Mike Lee, a staunch conservative Republican, to push through a resolution to end US support to the Saudi-led coalition\u2019s war in Yemen.\u00a0Although the resolution was eventually vetoed by Trump, it brought attention to the suffering in Yemen and demonstrated Sanders\u2019 ability to operate in a bipartisan way.<\/p>\n

Moreover, when he was in the House of Representatives, Sanders passed more amendments in the Republican-controlled chamber than any other legislator, earning him the title of \u201camendment king.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Global warming<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally,\u00a0and perhaps most importantly, Sanders is the best choice to combat climate change.<\/p>\n

Time is running out for humanity. Drastic decisions must be made to transform our economy and energy systems before it\u2019s too late. This is not a policy debate that affords political jockeying. Natural disasters are already decimating towns and displacing millions around\u00a0the world.<\/p>\n

Last year was the second hottest year on record, slightly behind 2016. In February, temperatures in Antarctica reached a new all-time-high at over 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This\u00a0is frightening.<\/p>\n

Sanders is\u00a0the only candidate\u00a0conveying the sense of urgency we need to confront this danger, while working to\u00a0make sure we have a habitable planet left for our children\u00a0to inherit from us.<\/p>\n

The Vermont senator also knows that global warming is a global problem that requires global solutions. He is proposing\u00a0global coalition working\u00a0together to combat it.<\/p>\n

In 2008, Hillary Clinton ran a TV ad during her primary campaign depicting children sleeping when a phone rings in the White House indicating \u201csomething is happening in the world.\u201d It went on to argue that voters deserve a true leader to respond to that hypothetical threat.<\/p>\n

This time, the threat is real, and it\u2019s an existential one. We deserve a president who can answer that urgent phone call, and that is Bernie Sanders.<\/p>\n

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