In this landmark presidential election, Bernie Sanders has zeroed in on income inequality and corporate greed as the defining issues of our time. He’s spot on. These are the chief factors behind the hopelessness and frustration tearing this country apart.
It’s only once every generation or two that a true leader of Sanders’ stature comes along. From our farm in Aroostook County, we have admired Vermont’s Sanders for many years. He is phenomenal and absolutely authentic.
Sanders’ unrelenting commitment to the interests of the middle class is unmatched in American politics. Those who know him best most appreciate that devotion: Republican, Democrat and independent Vermonters have elected Sanders to the U.S. Senate with an unprecedented 71 percent of the vote.
In the Democratic tradition, Sanders has dedicated his life to righting wrongs. He has courageously stood up for the powerless, the disadvantaged and for the interests of the working class. On our behalf, Sanders has taken on the powerful moneyed interests who through dark finances and collusion have worked to buy our democracy out from under us.
The problems from gross income inequality are at desperate levels not seen since the Great Depression. Examples of despair surround us: single mothers forced to work two jobs just to keep their families afloat, students drowning in debt, veterans — after bravely serving their country — denied help for physical and mental problems acquired from their service. Stagnant working class wages and decades of declining purchasing power stand in stunning contrast to Wall Street greed and shameful levels of compensation provided to corporate CEOs.
Sanders’ decades in the House and Senate have distinguished him as a principled leader willing to work with anyone in order to advance the public good. His stands are courageous, as expressed in his opposition to the war in Iraq; visionary, as in his 2013 Senate attempt to clarify the constitutional right of states to pass mandatory GMO labeling legislation; and compassionate, as in his successful co-sponsoring of legislation with Sen. John McCain to secure critical funding for American veterans.
In agriculture, Sanders has been a longtime champion and proponent of family farms. In supporting family farmers, he has been protecting the interests of every American citizen, urban or rural, northern or southern.
Time and again, Sanders has demonstrated himself to be the ultimate defender of the people’s interest. He is leading the tremendous opposition to Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts’ new draconian, Monsanto-backed “DARK Act,” which would federally preempt the right of states to pass mandatory GMO labeling laws and thereby invalidate laws on the books in Maine, Vermont and Connecticut.
There are countless reasons for us to support Sanders for president. His uncompromising refusal to be bought off by corporate interests sets him apart from every other candidate.
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton, Sanders’ Democratic opponent, has received a $335,000 check for delivering the keynote address at the biotech industry’s yearly gathering in 2014 where she coached Monsanto and the biotech industry’s top lobbyists on how to talk to the American public about the safety of GMOs.
Like millions of Americans across the country, farmers have grown tired of these deeply conflicted relationships with which politicians have grown increasingly comfortable. Unfortunately, Clinton has done herself no service with her longstanding cozy relationships with predatory corporations such as Monsanto, Goldman Sachs and Wal-Mart.
National polling consistently shows Sanders is the strongest candidate the Democrats can run against the Republicans in November. Regardless of whether the Republicans nominate Donald Trump, Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, polls indicate Sanders beats them all and by significantly greater margins than Clinton.
Sanders is the best candidate and the strongest candidate for president. Together, we can use our political muscle to elect Sanders, then keep the pressure on and bring about his New Deal, middle-class-centric agenda.
Working with Sanders, together we will make this country great once again for our people, for our children and for their children.
Jim and Megan Gerritsen grow Maine-certified seed potatoes on Wood Prairie Family Farm in the Aroostook County town of Bridgewater.