Page 63 - Ekonomija i Biznis_noemvri 2015.indd
P. 63
WORLD
dicted happens, one can predict that The American convergence towards DOSSIER
he will be the Republican candidate in the political center was disrupted at the
the presidential race. However, the left end of the last decade when the great
wing is always more interesting for po- financial corporations cracked the ap-
litical analysis. Although with a small parent economic harmony of liberal
delay, what started as “Occupy” and “We capitalism. The lack of social fairness,
are 99%” movement, after several years care, but mostly economic inequality for
reached its real political realization. a long time have been themes to which
the political “mainstream” elites in the
Democratic socialist – that is how United States couldn’t find a satisfactory
Bernie Sanders describes himself when answer. The collapse of the great finan-
someone asks him about his ideological cial corporations which, due to their
determination. The very selection of the central role in the economic model of
word socialist in his personal brand slo- the capitalism, were not allowed to fail,
gan demonstrates the strength where- led to serious credit interventions by the
with Sanders enters the political fight. Federal Reserves (thousands of billions
Unlike Europe, the very word socialist on of interest-free credits), as well as vast
American soil is related to the political repairs by the fiscal authorities by means
traumas from the period of the Cold War of financial injections with the money of
and it is experienced as an attack of the the tax payers. This in return led to a
American collective contribution – liber- revolutionary burst of a political rebel-
al capitalism. As Bill Maher would state lion, particularly among young genera-
when Sanders was a guest in his show – tions which didn’t create nor requested
“Now all of us who support you, must ex- this firm capitalism. Hence, in 2011 the
plain the word socialist all over”, refer- movement “Occupy” was created under
ring to the lack of political compromise the slogan “We are 99 percent”, and in
in the formation of Bernie Sanders’s per- addition to the fight with the financial
sonal slogan. However, it is specifically corporations, as an ideological matrix,
the intransigence and the strength in the took over the reformation of liberal
formation of political attitudes during capitalism and, what is most important,
the campaign (still lasts) within the Dem- the reform of the system for reduction
ocratic Party for election of Presidential of economic inequality. Although the
candidate, that have grown into Bernie movement encouraged important politi-
Sanders’s biggest advantage. Hence, at cal activism of the young and progres-
the beginning of this year Bernie Sand- sive forces in the American society, still,
ers was practically a politically unknown it did not manage to create an authentic
variable for the broad public with the political establishment towards which
support of barely 1% which came from the political energy would gravitate. The
his political base in Vermont where an emergence of Bernie Sanders in the po-
independent candidate was elected sena- litical map is considered an ideological
tor and mostly from the area around renaissance of the movement “Occupy”
the city of Burlington where his career and the rapid growth of his popularity is
as a mayor started, a function that he explained in this regard, particularly in
also obtained as an independent candi- the segment of the young and progres-
date. He officially entered the presiden- sive population.
tial race within the Democratic Party in
May this year with a support of approxi- The ideological framework of Bernie
mately 6%, and although it represents a Sanders contains numerous elements
multiple increase of his political base, it that represented controversial political
still ranks him within the political out- attitudes about the American society.
siders among the Democrats, where Hill- One of these elements is the reduction of
ary Clinton dominates with the support poverty through administrative doubling
of approximately 60% and Joe Biden with of the minimal hourly rate until 2020.
approximately 20%. Although seemingly this is a populist
November 2015 63
