Have Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders worked together much in the senate?

[jct74]

I was just thinking about this the other day after noticing Bernie Sanders has not signed on to the Rand Paul / Cory Booker CARERS Act to loosen up restrictions on medical marijuana and keep the feds from interfering with states where it is legal. Which is puzzling because it's not even legalizing marijuana recreationally or anything. You would think a progressive like Bernie Sanders would at least support this modest measure dealing with medical marijuana which already has the support of 12 senators. Then I thought about how Rand Paul has worked together with a lot of Democrats / progressives in the senate on various issues, such as Ron Wyden, Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley, Kirsten Gillebrand and some others. But I don't recall Rand ever having worked together with Bernie Sanders. Is there some kind of personal animosity or political gamesmanship between them that has prevented them from working together on civil liberty and foreign policy issues where they should share a lot of common ground? Why would Bernie not sign on to Rand's medical marijuana bill? Or have they worked together and I'm just not aware? This is kind of a goofy speculative thread but I was just wondering about this and also wanted to draw attention to the fact that Bernie Sanders has not signed on to Rand's medical marijuana bill, which he should be called out over.

 

[Foreigner]

You can use this search engine: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/LegislativeData.php

I did the search for you, and they have (almost) never worked together. Sanders have never cosponored one of Rand's bills or amendments. Rand has never cosponsored one of Sanders's bills or amendments. Excluding things that was passed with unanimous consent, they both cosponsored the following bills/amendments introduced by others: (The only interesting tidbit I could come up with is that Sanders cosponsored Manchin's Pentagon audit bill, but not Rand's)

• Joe Manchin's "Audit the Pentagon Act of 2015"
• Jeff Flake's "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015"
• Ron Wyden's "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013"
• Ron Wyden's "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2012"
• Mark Udall's "Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 2013"
• Mark Udall's "Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 2011"
• Richard Durbin's "Smarter Sentencing Act of 2014"
• Ron Wyden's "Intelligence Oversight and Surveillance Reform Act"
• Dianne Feinstein's "Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011"
• Mark Udall's "A bill to amend the Federal Credit Union Act, to advance the ability of credit unions to promote small business growth and economic development opportunities, and for other purposes"
• Jeff Merkley's Amendment "To express the sense of Congress regarding the expedited transition of responsibility for military and security operations in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan"
• Jeff Merkley's Amendment "To require a plan for the expedited transition of responsibility for military and security operations in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan."
• Dianne Feinstein's Amendment "To clarify that an authorization to use military force, a declaration of war, or any similar authority shall not authorize the detention without charge or trial of a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States. "
• Kirsten Gilibrand's Amendment "To reform procedures for determinations to proceed to trial by court-martial for certain offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice"

 

[jct74]

Thanks Foreigner, that's interesting. So I guess they have worked together indirectly in some ways on some legislation. But not really as a team supporting each others' legislation like Rand, Wyden, and Merkley frequently do. Wyden and Merkley are supporting the medical marijuana bill BTW, as well as Udall and Gillebrand. But Sanders is nowhere to be found.

I'm also thinking about how every time Rand is giving some speech on the floor about our civil liberties coming under attack, Wyden and Merkley are right there by Rand's side standing with him. But Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul I can't recall a single instance of them throwing it back and forth on the senate floor. Maybe Bernie doesn't like to give speeches. But I also think back to that 10 hour filibuster he did over extending the Bush tax cuts, so I don't think that is the case. If he can spend 10 hours filibustering tax cuts, why not ever lend Rand, Wyden, and Merkley a helping hand speaking out about some of the important issues those three frequently do?

I'm not at all impressed with the guy who is supposed to be the Ron Paul of the left.

 

[RandallFan]

Sanders works with some Paleocons and economic nationalists on H1B immigration visas and trade.

 

[Foreigner]

Sanders works with some Paleocons and economic nationalists on H1B immigration visas and trade.

Makes sense, Sanders is an union-man, and the unions don't want immigrants to "take their jobs", or reduce the avg. wage.

 

[timosman]

Makes sense, Sanders is an union-man, and the unions don't want immigrants to "take their jobs", or reduce the avg. wage.

The workforce around H1Bs is mostly non-unionized, but I agree - H1B is a terrible salary reduction program.

 

[Warlord]

Bernie Sanders is a fraud IMO

 

[timosman]

Bernie Sanders is a fraud IMO

Who in congress isn't ?

 

[jct74]

Bernie Sanders is a fraud IMO

yeah, basically that's what I'm getting at. I have a fair amount of respect for some of the principled liberals in congress who work together often with people like Rand, Amash, and Massie on foreign policy and civil liberty issues where they share common ground, teaming up to form a libertarian/progressive alliance of sorts.

But Bernie Sanders I don't remember him ever working with Rand or doing anything in the senate that I have cheered on, even though he is a supposed principled progressive that should share common ground with libertarians and Rand. The only things I can recall him doing are his 10 hour filibuster over the Bush tax cuts and selling out on Ron Paul's bill to Audit the Fed.

 

[rg17]

yeah, basically that's what I'm getting at. I have a fair amount of respect for some of the principled liberals in congress who work together often with people like Rand, Amash, and Massie on foreign policy and civil liberty issues where they share common ground, teaming up to form a libertarian/progressive alliance of sorts.

But Bernie Sanders I don't remember him ever working with Rand or doing anything in the senate that I have cheered on, even though he is a supposed principled progressive that should share common ground with libertarians and Rand. The only things I can recall him doing are his 10 hour filibuster over the Bush tax cuts and selling out on Ron Paul's bill to Audit the Fed.

Bernie Sanders is a socialist while Rand Paul is a libertarian conservative.

 

[Vanguard101]

Cory Booker is basically what Bernie Sanders was supposed to be. He isn't as pure as Kucinich though. Similarly to Rand and Ron. Gilibrand also has her fair share in coming together with us on issues.

 

[presence]

Bernie and Rand have similar positions on TPA Fast Track.

 

[jct74]

Cory Booker is basically what Bernie Sanders was supposed to be. He isn't as pure as Kucinich though. Similarly to Rand and Ron. Gilibrand also has her fair share in coming together with us on issues.

Yep, Cory Booker is another Democrat who Rand has worked together a lot with. The medical marijuana bill of course and also the REDEEM Act off the top of my head. They've done a bunch of interviews together and the media likes to play up a 'bromance' between them. They seem to have a very good working relationship during the short time that Booker has been in the senate so far.

 

[anaconda]

Bernie Sanders is a fraud IMO

Oh, yes indeed. Bernie protected the Federal Reserve and screwed the 99% with his amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill in May, 2010. A real "Man of The People!."

 

[anaconda]

Cory Booker is basically what Bernie Sanders was supposed to be. He isn't as pure as Kucinich though.

And Kucinich was not as pure as Cynthia McKinney.

 

[jct74]

Bernie and Rand have similar positions on TPA Fast Track.

Right, and I would think they share a good amount of similar positions if Bernie Sanders really is the principled progressive that people make him out to be and the left-wing version of Ron Paul. But that hasn't translated into him working together with Rand on anything that I can see. Ron Paul, who Bernie Sanders is being compared to, worked together with progressives in congress such as Dennis Kucinich and Barney Frank all the time. Same with Rand. But Bernie seems isolated on an island all by himself and has not really taken any principled progressive stands that libertarians / Ron Paul supporters could applaud. In fact, he sold out on Ron Paul's bill to Audit the Fed.

 

[mz10]

My understand, from a couple of people I know who have worked in the Senate, is that 1. Sanders on principle does not work with Republicans often, if ever, and 2. Sanders in particular does not like Rand

Sanders from what I can tell is laser-focused on economic issues, to the exclusion of everything else

 

[Vanguard101]

And Kucinich was not as pure as Cynthia McKinney.

No idea who that is

 

[economics102]

Don't forget when Sanders stabbed Ron Paul in the back on Audit the Fed, leading Ron to write this on his facebook page:

"Bernie Sanders has sold out and sided with [Sen.] Chris Dodd to gut Audit the Fed in the Senate. His 'compromise' is what the administration and banking interests want," Paul wrote on Facebook.

 

[jct74]

My understand, from a couple of people I know who have worked in the Senate, is that 1. Sanders on principle does not work with Republicans often, if ever, and 2. Sanders in particular does not like Rand

Sanders from what I can tell is laser-focused on economic issues, to the exclusion of everything else

Thanks, that's really interesting. Pretty much confirms what I suspected.