Bleeding Heartland welcomes guest posts on topics of statewide, local, or national importance. -promoted by desmoinesdem

My name is Aaron Camp. I’m not an Iowan, in fact, I’m a lifelong resident of Vermilion County, Illinois who has never been to Iowa. I’m a staunch supporter of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, although I am not officially affiliated with the Sanders campaign in any way. With the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses just days away, I’ll take this opportunity to encourage Iowans to participate in the Democratic caucus and caucus for Bernie Sanders.

When it comes to progressive political figures, Bernie is the real deal. As the mayor of Vermont’s largest city, as a U.S. Representative, and as a U.S. Senator, Bernie has fought for common sense every step of the way. Bernie supported LGBT rights decades before it was cool to do so. Bernie voted against the Persian Gulf War and the unjustified Iraq War. Bernie voted against many free trade agreements that ultimately led to the destruction of American manufacturing. Bernie has used legislative amendments to enact progressive ideas, such as banning the importation of goods made with child labor and making newer federal government buildings more environmentally-friendly.

If elected president, Bernie will be a truly progressive president. When it comes to saving our planet from the wrath of man-made climate change, Bernie supports going above and beyond what the Paris climate agreement calls for and enact stronger protections for America’s environment. When it comes to international trade, Bernie will veto any free trade deal that would put American workers out of work, if given the opportunity. When it comes to money in politics, Bernie will, if given the opportunity, appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who, if given the opportunity, will overturn the Citizens United decision and end the culture of big-money politics in America. When it comes to foreign policy, Bernie strongly believes in diplomacy, and Bernie also believes that war should be a last resort. When it comes to food safety, Bernie strongly supports requiring foods containing genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) to be labeled as containing GMOs. When it comes to health care, Bernie will fight for Medicare for All, which would save Americans more money in terms of health care costs than any tax increases that are necessary to pay for Medicare for All. When it comes to paid leave, Bernie believes that paid leave should be an earned benefit, like Social Security and Medicare are. When it comes to law enforcement and criminal justice, Bernie believes that black lives matter, that law enforcement shouldn’t look like an occupying paramilitary, and that the criminal justice system should be reformed in order to hold law enforcement officers who break the law accountable. When it comes to reigning in greed on Wall Street, Bernie believes in breaking up banks that are considered “too big to fail”, reinstating the Glass-Steagall regulations that once kept commercial banking and investment banking separate, and prosecuting bankers who break the law. When it comes to gun safety, Bernie will keep President Obama’s executive actions on gun safety in place, and he’ll fight for more common-sense gun safety measures, such as assault weapons bans. When it comes to higher education, Bernie strongly supports making public higher education truly affordable by taxing Wall Street speculation, and using the revenue generated to fund higher education. When it comes to political appointments, Bernie will appoint people who are not beholden to big-money special interests like Wall Street and the fossil fuel industry.

For the electability argument, opinion poll after opinion poll has shown that Bernie is the strongest Democratic candidate in hypothetical general election matchups against Republicans like Donald Trump.

In short, Bernie is a fighter. If elected president, he’ll fight to make America a better place to live. I strongly encourage Iowans to participate in the Democratic caucus and caucus for Bernie.