BONUS - How Bernie Sanders Became the Mayor of Burlington - USA 1981-1983

In 1981, at the same time as Ronald Reagan, an anti-tax, far right celebrity won the Presidency, socialist Bernie Sanders became the mayor of Burlington in the then conservative state of Vermont. The campaign around him stunned everyone, and won by just 10 votes. It was the start of a political revolution in Vermont, and the strategy for how they won and then governed would, against all the odds, win them a clear majority in the 1983 re-election.

Their strategy was to speak to every voter,  centre local issues when telling their broad political narrative and capitalise on the national anti-tax mood to shift the spotlight onto the regressive taxes that effect working people. Once governed, they included residents and local organisers in city hall. They picked fights with health insurers and the state senators to show  they were fighting for Burlington, and overcame some wild obstruction by the Democratic Party lead council.

Jacobin staff writer and 1of200 host Branko Marcetic (@bmarchetich) tells the story, based on his fantastic feature piece on Jacobin.

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Thanks to Masarima and Clone Records for the title music

Thanks to Daniel Hart for the backing music

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