I think it was George Orwell who said something like - "The best books are those that tell you what you already know" . Already being quite angry about capitalism, as a global system that threatens our very existence, I found much in this book that I was familiar with, but it was still a terrific read. Like other reviewers, I found Bernie's description of his part in the last two Democratic Party's presidential selections and US election campaigns slightly tedious, (some would say self-serving, but I think that's unfair), but his passionate and closely-argued denouncements of the dominance of US politics and media by the super-rich and multinational corporations really hit home. Growing inequality, poor health care and education, the marginalisation of large swathes of the population from politics, and the dangers of climate collapse can all be sheeted home to the dominance of the wealthy few, particularly in opposing fairness in taxation and social reforms that favour the poor - or even the middle class - over the super-rich.
Greed and corruption, even within the Democratic Party which Bernie sought to lead, are main the obstacles he rails about, and he deserves huge credit for the relative success he has had in making these issues central to the political debate - against enormous odds.
There is much that I don't fully understand about the American political system, and at times Bernie seems to presume knowledge about how things work there (what is a "super-PAC" for example?) but the policy solutions he presents are crystal-clear - and transferable to any country with a free-market economy and a functioning democracy - distorted though that often is.
From an Australian perspective, Bernie's battles with the corporate elites and the upper echelons of the US Democratic Party echo similar battles between the leaders of the ruling Australian Labor Party and their fractious allies on the left, including the Australian Greens.
I was a little surprised though to see how little emphasis Bernie gives to the real and ever-present dangers of climate change and global warming - a clear case of corporate greed trumping the common good, environmental hazards and even human survival. Gun control in the USA is another issue he barely mentions (the role of the NRA, etc.?) .

I’m not a huge follower of American politics by my own standards (unless you count watching the 2020 election coverage non-stop) but it’s hard not to hear about it and have an idea of what’s going on. Bernie Sanders, long term US senator, friend of the band The Strokes and meme king, is hard to ignore because the man just talks sense. He has good ideas – make education free, universal health care and worker unions to name a few – and I just don’t always understand why people are so against them. (Particularly universal health care. As Bernie points out, it works in the rest of the world, why not the US?) In this book, Bernie discusses where and how capitalism has failed the average person.

The book opens with a recap of his presidential campaign in 2020 and how they transferred their grass roots campaign to Joe Biden. Some of this I found a little boring (what, no references to Four Seasons Landscaping? Bernie is too honest a man for that) but that’s probably because I knew a reasonable amount already. It also sets up the main themes, that the average worker is disadvantaged financially despite increased productivity and that the very, very wealthy hold the cards to government policy through their ability to lobby and promote their agenda. The strength of the book comes with the following chapters dedicated to how America (and really, many other countries, including Australia) can improve healthcare, education, media and working conditions by actively rejecting the least desirable parts of capitalism. Naturally, I enjoyed the healthcare chapter the most. America’s system of lack of access, multitudes of insurers, changing formularies and tying healthcare to employers is just odd to me. Even the fractures within what Medicare does and doesn’t cover, and how they don’t actively negotiate prices (despite the VA doing so) baffles me. There are so many additional cogs in the system, as Bernie describes and they don’t need to be there to make America’s health run even better.

I also enjoyed the blunt assessment of the Democratic party and how they have lost their way as being a party for the common worker, appealing to people who have money, but don’t like the GOP for whatever reason. It’s bold and it made me realise that politics, not just in America but here too, needs more bold ideas that look after the majority rather than a select few. Bernie’s policies also make sense in that they can be achieved using the current workforce, training and the money that needs to be spent will produce better outcomes for many. It’s good bang for your buck.

If it wasn’t so expensive to send parcels these days, I’d send this book to the prime minister in the hope of real change.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

The latest book from America's beloved socialist grandpa has a provocative title. So I was a little disappointed when a good chunk of the book was a memoir of Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, helping to get Joe Biden elected, and a frustrating two years where the Democratic party failed to take advantage of their congressional majority to advance a progressive agenda. Basically it's a sequel to Our Revolution. Mind you, I have great memories of attending a Sanders' presidential rally on Boston Common, which was the last big crowd I stood in before the pandemic started.

But the title implied that this was going to be more of an analysis of what is going wrong in our country/world and how to fix it. And it does get down to it eventually with a good synthesis on how the corporate and wealthy elites have created intense economic inequality. The solutions, of course, are the many proposals that he and others have been putting forward, many based on what has worked in other nations as well as in the United States past. It's all very well-written, but also not anything particularly new to me, as I'm the choir to Bernie's preacher. I'm not sure if their is an audience who is not aware of these solutions already who would be receptive to hearing it from Senator Sanders (because believe it or not, our beloved socialist grandpa is not loved by all). But if there is, this would be a good primer for them! ( )

When they turned to Bernie's potential second presidential run, Obama dispensed some advice. "Bernie, you are an Old Testament prophet -- a moral voice for our party giving us guidance. Here is the thing, though. Prophets don't get to be king. Kings have to make choices prophets don't. Are you willing to make those choices? -- Ari Rabin-Havt, The Fighting Soul

If you've seen Bernie speak or read either of his prior two books, a lot of what's in It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism will sound familiar. But as I was reading the book, I couldn't help but think about the above quote from Ari Rabin-Havt's accounting of Bernie's 2020 presidential run, which came out last year.

As these problems continue to crop up (and, in some instances, further calcify), Bernie remains a guiding light, unafraid to point out the issues within both parties (he is harsh on Republicans here, to be sure, but does not shy away from criticizing the Democratic Party) and -- perhaps stubbornly so -- refuses to back down from his principles and his beliefs. For many, that is what endeared us to Bernie in the first place.

He may never be president, but his ideas continue to resonate. And as long as they do, there is hope that some are listening. ( )

I think that it may be the lack of socialism in the USA that makes this book worthwhile. Bernie Sanders says little that is new, and is more forgiving of the Democratic right than we are of Kier Starmer's red Tories. It is good that there is some real abrasion against the prevailing Neoliberal System. ( )