Bernie Sanders Takes Corporate PAC Money, and I Can Prove It

This is one of the hardest things I've ever done...

I want you to know that I am neither proud of what I have done, nor what I am about to do…

- Col. Matthew Markenson, USMC

For nearly two decades now, I have been an ardent supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont. And though it gives me no joy to write this, I cannot, and will not, continue to stay silent on the matter of his taking corporate PAC (Political Action Committee) money. Though he has repeatedly denied it, I can definitely say that Bernie has indeed taken funds from at least one PAC.

I first encountered the senator in late 2007. He had a regular Friday spot on the Thom Hartmann Program, a production that - at the time - aired on progressive AM radio. The segment was called “Brunch with Bernie”. I was immediately taken in by his ideas on livable wages, universal health care, and the corrupt influence of corporate money on our political system. It was this latter concept that I took to heart, and the main reason I began supporting Mr. Sanders in the first place. This is why it has been so difficult to come forward on this matter.

In 2015, after Senator Sanders announced his run for President, I started donating to his campaign. At first it was just the odd $27 just like so many of his other followers. But it felt scattered, too piece meal. I wanted to focus on policies that could positively affect my industry’s bottom line. I was tired of dealing with all the regulation and red tape around obtaining affordable health care and avoiding usuary interest rates. It was becoming a cash flow issue. Eventually, my wife and I decided that our giving would be more effective if we organized it into a targeted strategy that could coordinate with positively affect the Sanders campaign. I began calling local and national offices, creating an email push, and helping to organize volunteers. We advised, indirectly, the campaign on ways to deal with outspoken political opponents and the prevailing anti-Big Worker sentiment. It wasn’t easy. Ideas regarding broad worker protections, wages keeping pace with productivity, and paid sick leave were unpopular amongst mainstream voters…well, according to both major political parties.

Eventually, we built our giving and volunteer activities into a well oiled machine backed by what can only be described as ‘several hundred dollars’. My constant communication with the Sanders campaign and our obvious commitment to his platform began to bear fruit. Our suggestions, it appeared, were being listened to. That finger wagging/pointing thing Bernie does? That gesture that sent the entire Democratic Establishment into a pearl-clutching tizzy? We created that. Bernie had always had great ideas but his delivery needed a little work. Before 2016 he was a much more mild-mannered public servant. Now he was ready to take on anyone. Unfortunately, Democratic Party voters just weren’t used to hearing about ‘free’ health care or a $15/hr minimum wage from their candidates. In 2016, that put Bernie behind the eight-ball.

Always a classic - Tenor

After a fair and completely above board primary process where the Democratic faithful decided that Hillary Rodham Clinton could end racism but only if we did absolutely nothing to limit the pervasive financial power of the Big Banks, I realized our PAC needed to up it’s game. In 2019, in anticipation of another Sanders presidential run, I enlisted other members of my industry to create a more robust and nimble ‘SuperPAC’. For legal reasons, I can’t discuss details regarding the committee’s name. However, in an attempt at full disclosure, I can reveal the names of the other industry parties involved. There was Juan, the drywall guy that lives at the end of our street. Regina, a paint specialist formerly employed at Home Depot. D’Wayne, who once resurfaced the floor of an entire Chic-fila all by himself. And Teddy, who…no, wait a minute. Pretty sure Teddy didn’t come in with us. Regardless, at that point an industry SuperPAC was born backed by yearly revenues in excess of tens of thousands of dollars.

We’d learned valuable lessens from the 2016 affair. And after 3 years of Donald Trump at the national helm, the Democratic Party public seemed more sympathetic to our cause. The SuperPAC focused on policies that that would drive small business and help the self-employed; the aforementioned single-payer health care, lower taxes on the low-to-middle income earners, and higher taxes on billionaires. We also pushed for Social Security expansion and paid family leave. With Bernie leading the way, our push toward single-payer, commonly known as ‘Medicare For All’, was more successful than I’d imagined. Most of the candidates participating in the 2020 Democratic Primary pledged their support. Even Kamala Harris adopted it as part of her platform. Granted, she dropped it immediately after Bernie left the race. However, in her defense, it’s hard to get tapped for Vice President when you’re chained to a position supported by only 77% of your party and just 63% of the American people.

Early on in the primary process, we were ecstatic about Bernie’s success in Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Our dollars, as well as his ground swell of individual donations, were paying off. But that success was short lived once the more savvy, established, and flush SuperPACs stepped in to rescue the Biden campaign. We were reminded - by the Democratic Party - that the voters didn’t care about the economy. They weren’t interested in health care and fair wages. They just wanted to beat Donald Trump. On that front, we couldn’t compete. The cracks in our strategy were showing again. That said, we couldn’t possibly predict what our efforts would produce next.

On January 20, 2021, Our SuperPAC sent an urgent email directly to Bernie’s Senate account. It was Inauguration Day and the forecast in Washington, DC called for brutally cold temperatures. We reminded the senator that, although Joe Biden had been elected President, we’d invested considerable resources into his (Bernie’s) campaign war chest so he needed to take care of himself by bundling up if he were planning on attending the inauguration. A few hours later, the campaign released this:

Senator Bernie Sanders in his special mittens - New York Times

As you can probably guess, everyone associated with our SuperPAC was gobsmacked by this photo. Bernie’s special mittens. A crystal clear message from the Sanders camp. They knew we were watching and they sent us a powerful signal. It was obvious we were directly coordinating with the campaign, in violation of federal campaign finance law.

I don’t need to tell you how heady and, might I add, frightening this moment was for all of us. The power. The usurpation of democratic principles. The idea that regular people could somehow shape the future of our beloved nation by changing the course of political campaigns. It was, obviously, too much. And proof positive that Senator Bernie Sanders had been corporately captured by…‘Big Handyman’.

It was hubris on our part. Hubris that led us to fight for the rights of working families without any consideration of the consequences. We didn’t care who we rolled over in the process; large corporations, well-connected politicians, billionaires. They all suffered from our massive push toward economic opportunity for the working and middle classes. It was then we decided to dissolve the SuperPAC. It was an easy decision, especially since Bernie was officially done running for President.

Over the next few years, our decision was validated. It became obvious that politics was no place for a small, devoted group of working people despite their best intentions. Why should regular people play such an integral part in moving public policy? This is a game for corporate CEOs and tech billionaires. Those who have been so instrumental in creating the…vigorous economy we have today. This was, of course, born out in the 2024 Presidential election where 150 billionaire families spent nearly $2 billion. And though Donald Trump and his mega-wealthy donors won that round, we’re encouraged by the Democratic Party’s vow to continue fighting fire with fire. New Democratic National Committee chairman, Ken Martin had these encouraging words for voters.

There are a lot of good billionaires out there that have been with Democrats, who share our values, and we will take their money. But we’re not taking money from those bad billionaires,” he pledged.

In retrospect no group knows more about creating an ‘opportunity economy’ than the richest people who have every lived. Their penchant for job creation and industry disruption has blessed us with, well…probably the best economy we’re going to get. You know, given the fact that they’ve been so busy trying to replace the American worker with touch screens, robots, and large language models. But forgive me, I digress.

With the benefit of hindsight, our SuperPAC was doomed to fail. We simply didn’t have the knowledge, experience, and expertise to fight effectively for populist economic policies and basic egalitarian programs. However, the most disappointing aspect of our endeavor was the craven way Senator Sanders - the man we still call Bernie - so readily flaunted federal law by bowing to the power of organized, corporate money. For our part, I take full responsibility. Some time ago, I contacted the Federal Election Commission and informed them of our misdeeds, including the money raised and our communication with the Sanders Campaign. For some reason, I haven’t heard anything back from them. However, I have no doubt they are busy building an airtight case. And I accept any penalty the commission hands down.

To those of you out there still in disbelief, to those of you who are thinking “Say it ain’t so, Bernie”, I can offer little solace other than to say that I’m sorry. Had the good senator not been tempted by our scheme, perhaps he would not have to answer the recent charges of taking pharma money today.

Cover Photo - The Daily Beast