It's no secret that whereas Hillary -- in all likelihood -- receives much of her campaign money from very wealthy people connected to the banking industry, Bernie finances his campaign mainly from small donations from regular Americans -- 250,000 of them in the first quarter.
"So what?" you ask, right?
Well, Hillary and Bernie conceptualize the relationship between capital and workers in profoundly different ways, and it's important that -- as educated primary voters -- we understand the difference in their philosophies.
First, let's look at a tweet today that Hillary's campaign tweeted out alongside her "major economic address" in New York City.
"Workers are assets. Investing in them pays off. Higher wages pay off. And training pays off."
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 13, 2015This rhetorical framing is pure neoliberalism -- the same kind of neoliberal ideology responsible for Greece's horrific deprivation and suffering. Workers are not people with dreams for self-actualization and goals to achieve to make the world a happier and better place, but "assets" in need of "investment" that will "pay off" for capital, business owners and shareholders.
I'm not sure why Hillary feels the need to frame higher wages in this way, but it's profoundly disturbing. Workers are human beings -- individual souls with hopes, dreams and families. They are not the equivalent of financial "assets" to be manipulated by millionaires at Goldman Sachs. She might as well be saying, "assets are people, my friend!" -- to borrow the toxic rhetoric of Mitt Romney.
Now, let's look at a tweet from Bernie that was tweeted out a few days ago -- I think this is fair to use for comparison to Hillary's tweet from today, because, well, honestly, Bernie's economic philosophy has been consistent for 40 years.
When workers have an ownership stake in the businesses they work, productivity goes up and employees are more satisfied with their jobs.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 8, 2015This is humane language -- in contrast to rhetoric that transforms human workers -- remember, we are not robots -- into "assets" that should be invested in to generate returns, Bernie's rhetoric is empowering for labor. He wants workers to have individual "ownership" in their own work, not to ensure investment "pays off" for capital, but to ensure workers are personally "satisfied" with their careers, with their lives. Owning your work versus serving as an asset -- a tool -- for your boss to "invest" in: that's a massive philosophical difference.
(I also noted, sadly, that whereas Hillary called for paid sick leave and paid family leave, she did not call for paid vacation leave. Again, this is a huge difference -- recognizing the need for workers to have some moments of leisure shows that you recognize the humanity of workers. Bernie seems to understand this, whereas, apparently, this is too controversial for the Hillary campaign to demand. To link to the broader argument here, "assets" don't need a chance to enjoy two weeks at the seaside with their families, but "workers" (i.e. human beings) do need -- and deserve -- this time.)
I say this with all sincerity, my friends. Please, please, choose wisely.
Choose wisely.