Bernie Sanders, The Drafter Of ‘Medicare For All’ Plan, Enters Race Crowded With Universal Coverage Supporters
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' bill has become a catch-all rallying cry for progressive Democrats who support universal health care coverage. But, where Sanders in the past pulled the party left, he now finds himself in the middle of several competitors already standing there.
The Associated Press:
Sen. Bernie Sanders Says He’s Running For President In 2020
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination again, a decision that will test whether he can still generate the progressive energy that fueled his insurgent 2016 campaign. ... An enthusiastic progressive who embraces proposals such as “Medicare-for-all” and free college tuition, Sanders stunned the Democratic establishment in 2016 with his spirited challenge to Hillary Clinton. While she ultimately became the party’s nominee, his campaign helped lay the groundwork for the leftward lurch that has dominated Democratic politics in the Trump era. (Summers, 2/19)
The New York Times:
Bernie Sanders On The Issues: Where He Stands And What Could Derail Him
Mr. Sanders, now in his third term representing Vermont in the Senate, drafted a Medicare-for-all bill in 2017 that has since been endorsed by several other Democratic senators, including the presidential candidates Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “Medicare for all” has become a rallying cry for progressive Democrats, though it means different things to different people, and exactly which version candidates embrace has become something of an early policy test. (Stevens, 2/19)
Politico:
Sanders Launches Second Bid For Presidency
Sanders’ team is making the bet that his long-held beliefs on progressive issues will set him apart. "People in many ways are rightfully cynical about politics,” Weaver said. “And the fact that somebody has been consistent, including when it was not easy and including when it was perceived by many in the establishment to be politically disadvantageous to have stood for those issues, I think signals to voters that one is truly committed to those issues and that the person will aggressively pursue those policies and not trade them away when it’s hard.” (Otterbein, 2/19)
