Guide to Political Revolution,
by Bernie Sanders


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

This book is a delight to read -- chock-full of hand-drawn graphics (like the cover above) and clearly summarizing a dozen major national problems alongside Bernie's proposed solutions. It's evidently targeted toward young adult activists -- Bernie's supporters who call themselves Our Revolution -- with citations to "Mobilize" and "Learn More" in each chapter. The book is physically small -- to encourage carrying it around to rallies, perhaps -- and sticks to policy points, rather than detailing history or methodology.

On the other hand, the book doesn't say anything new -- everything in here has been said by Bernie during the 2016 campaign, and afterwards. It's really just a concise summary, rather than a detailed guide to how to accomplish the policy goals.

Bernie's other books cover other purposes -- like the details of the daily life of participating in the "revolution" in Where We Go From Here, or the details of what happened during the 2016 campaign in Our Revolution. Those books are as tedious to read as are most political memoirs or political histories -- so we recommend this delightful book instead, as the required reading for anyone who wants to Feel the Bern.

-- Jesse Gordon, jesse@OnTheIssues.org, March 2019

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Budget & Economy     Undermining unions led to 40-year decline in middle class.

Corporations     45% estate tax only for estates over $3.5 million.     Regulate derivatives like the high-stakes wagers they are.

Crime     Police forces should reflect diversity of their communities.

Drugs     Racist & failed war on drugs targets people of color.

Education     Education is the great equalizer on path to middle class.

Energy & Oil     Rising oceans creating world's first "climate refugees".

Families & Children     Workers need paid family leave and paid sick leave.

Free Trade     Expand "Buy American" and "Buy Local" as government policy.

Health Care     Employer-based insurance burdens employers & stifles workers.     Mental illness system is in tatters; treat like any illness.

Immigration     Give undocumented workers legal protections.

Jobs     Current $7.25/hr and $2.13/hr is starvation wage.     Minimum wage increase helps economy because workers spend it.     Women still earn only 80% of men; minorities earn 63%.

Tax Reform     Replace carried-interest loophole with progressive taxation.

Welfare & Poverty     Welfare to low-wage workers subsidizes profitable companies.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Bernie Sanders