By A. Shaw

In this interview with George Stephanopoulos , Bernie reaffirms where he stands in  regard to key ideological questions and relations. Bernie has held the same positions on socialism for decades.

So, his positions are not gimmicks.

Implicitly, his first question is: Is democratic socialism inferior or superior to democratic capitalism?

Perhaps, most USAs haven’t even thought of the question, not to mention worked out their answer.

Specifically, Bernie poses the difficult question: What’s socialism?

Marx and Engels in the Manifesto classified socialisms based chiefly on the class that exercises state power.

So, in Manifesto, Marx and Engels mention the following types of socialisms:

(1) Bourgeois socialism is a system in which (A) the capitalist class democratically exercisea state power; (B)  but the democratic bourgeois  regime implements socialist programs — in health care, education, housing, nutrition, employment, etc. — that significantly improve the standard of living of the working and middle classes.

(2 Feudal socialism is a sytem in which (A) the big landlords monarchically or oligarchically exercise state power and (B) introduce the minimum of socialist programs to relieve the suffering of the working and middle classes.

(3)Petty-bourgeois socialism is system in which (A) the middle class democratically exercises state power and (B) implements socialist programs.

Bernie Sanders seems to be a supporter of petty-bourgeois socialism, as it is here defined.

(4) Proletarian socialism is a system in which (A) the working class exercises state power and (B)implements socialist programs. Proletarian socialism evolved from something called utopian and scientific socialism.

In regard to (B) — socialist programs, Bernie seems to be saying that implementation of socialist programs will significantly reduce income and resource inequality in the USA. In other words, socialism reduces income inequality.

In regard to (A) — that is, state power, Bernie explicitly calls for a “politican revolution.”

In his article Letter of Tactics, Lenin defines revolution as the passing of state power from one class to another. So, a middle class or petty-bourgeois revolution is a passing of state power from some other class to the middle class.

Bernie has net worth of about $500,000 invested largely in US treasury bonds. So, Bernie is a member of the middle class.

If the middle class is the class to which power chiefly passes, then what is the class from which power passes?

During the George Stephanopoulos interview,  Bernie refers to the “billionaire class.”

So, to Bernie, a “political revolution,” here and now, is the passing of state power from the billionaire class to the middle class.

Bernie doesn’t define the billionaire class. But it seems to be the richest stratum of the bourgeoisie or, in other words, the financial and poltical elite of the capitalist class.

 Bernie sees an ongoing process of concentration of power and capital away from the 10-million members of US bourgeoisie into the billionaire class of only 440 members which will soon enjoy a dictatorship over the US people because nobody will have the money to remove the representatives of the billionaire class from power.