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Conscience of a Progressive: The Best Speeches of Bernie Sanders, In Congress, 1991-2015, Abridged and Annotated. Illustrated.
“authenticity” --CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“integrity and principle” --THE NATION MAGAZINE
“ideologically pure” --NEW YORK TIMES
“the real deal” --HUFFINGTON POST
CONSCIENCE OF A PROGRESSIVE is a comprehensive collection of congressional speeches over the last 25 years by Bernie Sanders. In 2016, those speeches have made Mr. Sanders America’s man of the hour, a surging, underdog presidential candidate.
Mr. Sanders’s speeches over a quarter of a century confirm a moral authenticity, unchanged across the years. He is what he is, a decent man trying to do good, and willing to risk it all for the progressive cause.
Not to be missed: A breath-taking series of stunning prophecies made 25 years ago, as a freshman congressman. Mr. Sanders warned that the then popular First Iraq War of 1991 would lead to more wars; that America was headed to a crisis in health care; that U.S. banks were dangerously undemocratic; and that trade with low-wage China and Mexico threatened the American middle-class.
His warnings were ignored, leading to near catastrophic results for the nation.
From his college days as a civil rights demonstrator, to his dramatic rise to be a major presidential candidate at age 74, Bernie Sanders has advocated for oppressed racial minorities, a struggling middle-class, the disadvantaged, and the voiceless. He has been for peace in a time of war, and a voice of reason in a time of extremism.
Bernie Sanders dares to tell the truth to the powerful, come what may. Like his lifelong hero, Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Sanders willingly endured defeat and exile in the political wilderness, rather than sell his soul.
In an era of short-sighted, bended-knee politicians, Bernie Sanders stands tall. For decades, he has been the unflinching defender of the American middle-class and their American Dream.
Bernie Sanders has made thousands of speeches in Congress during his quarter century of service. Boston Hill Press abridges and annotates excerpts from 50 of these addresses. Their skill and power make him a formidable presidential candidate, and confirm his lifelong sincerity.
Bernie Sanders is not just the conscience of a progressive—he is the conscience of America.
Boston Hill Press, a premier publisher of quality books, is pleased to present CONSCIENCE OF A PROGRESSIVE, an original compilation of Mr. Sanders’s Congressional speeches. Features of this e-book include:
--Mr. Sanders’s first national speeches making stunning prophecies on foreign and domestic affairs; all his predictions came to pass
--all new 2016 introduction and epilogue by the award-winning editor David W. Bradford (VOTE LINCOLN: THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1860)
--skilful abridgment and annotation to improve readability and understanding
--Color photographs of key personalities*
--proper format for Kindle e-readers and apps;
--full Kindle electronic navigation, e.g., interactive table of contents and word search.
*Color features requires e-reader device capable of displaying color. Grayscale devices may display in grayscale.
On select Kindle devices and apps, illustrations may be enlarged. Tap twice on image; OR touch image for a few seconds, release, and select the “zoom” icon that appears.
***********************************
What people have said about Bernie Sanders or his speeches:
“Authenticity wins the Democratic debate”--CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“With
“integrity and principle” --THE NATION MAGAZINE
“ideologically pure” --NEW YORK TIMES
“the real deal” --HUFFINGTON POST
CONSCIENCE OF A PROGRESSIVE is a comprehensive collection of congressional speeches over the last 25 years by Bernie Sanders. In 2016, those speeches have made Mr. Sanders America’s man of the hour, a surging, underdog presidential candidate.
Mr. Sanders’s speeches over a quarter of a century confirm a moral authenticity, unchanged across the years. He is what he is, a decent man trying to do good, and willing to risk it all for the progressive cause.
Not to be missed: A breath-taking series of stunning prophecies made 25 years ago, as a freshman congressman. Mr. Sanders warned that the then popular First Iraq War of 1991 would lead to more wars; that America was headed to a crisis in health care; that U.S. banks were dangerously undemocratic; and that trade with low-wage China and Mexico threatened the American middle-class.
His warnings were ignored, leading to near catastrophic results for the nation.
From his college days as a civil rights demonstrator, to his dramatic rise to be a major presidential candidate at age 74, Bernie Sanders has advocated for oppressed racial minorities, a struggling middle-class, the disadvantaged, and the voiceless. He has been for peace in a time of war, and a voice of reason in a time of extremism.
Bernie Sanders dares to tell the truth to the powerful, come what may. Like his lifelong hero, Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Sanders willingly endured defeat and exile in the political wilderness, rather than sell his soul.
In an era of short-sighted, bended-knee politicians, Bernie Sanders stands tall. For decades, he has been the unflinching defender of the American middle-class and their American Dream.
Bernie Sanders has made thousands of speeches in Congress during his quarter century of service. Boston Hill Press abridges and annotates excerpts from 50 of these addresses. Their skill and power make him a formidable presidential candidate, and confirm his lifelong sincerity.
Bernie Sanders is not just the conscience of a progressive—he is the conscience of America.
Boston Hill Press, a premier publisher of quality books, is pleased to present CONSCIENCE OF A PROGRESSIVE, an original compilation of Mr. Sanders’s Congressional speeches. Features of this e-book include:
--Mr. Sanders’s first national speeches making stunning prophecies on foreign and domestic affairs; all his predictions came to pass
--all new 2016 introduction and epilogue by the award-winning editor David W. Bradford (VOTE LINCOLN: THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1860)
--skilful abridgment and annotation to improve readability and understanding
--Color photographs of key personalities*
--proper format for Kindle e-readers and apps;
--full Kindle electronic navigation, e.g., interactive table of contents and word search.
*Color features requires e-reader device capable of displaying color. Grayscale devices may display in grayscale.
On select Kindle devices and apps, illustrations may be enlarged. Tap twice on image; OR touch image for a few seconds, release, and select the “zoom” icon that appears.
***********************************
What people have said about Bernie Sanders or his speeches:
“Authenticity wins the Democratic debate”--CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“With
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2016
18 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Bernie Sanders
52 books1,480 followersBernard "Bernie" Sanders is the senior United States Senator from Vermont, elected on November 7, 2006. Before becoming Senator, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives for 16 years. Sanders also served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981 through 1989.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 28, 2017
His speeches to the house and senate ranging from the 90's to recent era are prescient. He has accurately predicted and warned about the many bad choices that our leaders on both sides have made and the negative results. I would recommend this book to anyone, absolutely fascinating. Each speech is short and you have to look back at the date to believe it wasn't given yesterday.
May 9, 2025
Sanders' speeches possess a rare quality in political discourse – moral clarity without pretension. In his 2010 filibuster against extending Bush tax cuts, which later became known simply as "The Speech," Sanders stated plainly: "The rich and large corporations get richer... but when you are in trouble, we just can't afford to help you, if you are in the working class or middle class." This blunt assessment of America's priorities became his signature.
What makes this collection valuable is witnessing Sanders' prescience. Long before the 2008 financial crisis made these topics mainstream, Sanders was warning about deregulation, corporate consolidation, and the hollowing out of the middle class. His 1990s speeches opposing trade deals that would ship American jobs overseas have proven remarkably accurate in their predictions.
The annotated context provided throughout the book is helpful without being intrusive. The editor wisely allows Sanders' words to carry the narrative, providing just enough historical framing to understand the political climate of each period. This approach highlights how often Sanders stood alone, voting against bipartisan consensus on issues like the Iraq War and financial deregulation.
Healthcare features prominently in these speeches, with Sanders articulating early versions of what would become his Medicare for All platform. His consistency on this issue is striking – from his 1991 arrival in Congress, he's maintained that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, articulating this position with moral urgency while others treated it as merely a policy debate.
The book's greatest strength is showing Sanders' evolution from outsider to influence-wielder. His early speeches show a freshman congressman finding his voice; his later addresses demonstrate how he helped shift the entire Democratic Party leftward on economic issues. This transition occurred without Sanders abandoning his principles – a rarity in politics.
Not every speech lands with equal force. Sanders is at his strongest when discussing economic issues and healthcare; his addresses on foreign policy sometimes lack the same depth. But this collection isn't meant to portray perfection – it's documenting a political journey and the gradual building of a movement.
For those seeking to understand how American progressive politics evolved over the past three decades, this book provides essential reading – not as hagiography, but as a primary source documenting one of the most significant political voices of our time.
What makes this collection valuable is witnessing Sanders' prescience. Long before the 2008 financial crisis made these topics mainstream, Sanders was warning about deregulation, corporate consolidation, and the hollowing out of the middle class. His 1990s speeches opposing trade deals that would ship American jobs overseas have proven remarkably accurate in their predictions.
The annotated context provided throughout the book is helpful without being intrusive. The editor wisely allows Sanders' words to carry the narrative, providing just enough historical framing to understand the political climate of each period. This approach highlights how often Sanders stood alone, voting against bipartisan consensus on issues like the Iraq War and financial deregulation.
Healthcare features prominently in these speeches, with Sanders articulating early versions of what would become his Medicare for All platform. His consistency on this issue is striking – from his 1991 arrival in Congress, he's maintained that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, articulating this position with moral urgency while others treated it as merely a policy debate.
The book's greatest strength is showing Sanders' evolution from outsider to influence-wielder. His early speeches show a freshman congressman finding his voice; his later addresses demonstrate how he helped shift the entire Democratic Party leftward on economic issues. This transition occurred without Sanders abandoning his principles – a rarity in politics.
Not every speech lands with equal force. Sanders is at his strongest when discussing economic issues and healthcare; his addresses on foreign policy sometimes lack the same depth. But this collection isn't meant to portray perfection – it's documenting a political journey and the gradual building of a movement.
For those seeking to understand how American progressive politics evolved over the past three decades, this book provides essential reading – not as hagiography, but as a primary source documenting one of the most significant political voices of our time.
December 13, 2019
This is a great collection of many of Bernie's speeches during his time in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
As the editor notes, Bernie is eerily prophetic in his vision of the country. He predicted the First Iraq War in 1991 would lead the U.S. into more wars in the Middle East; banks and Wall Street were abusing their power, eventually leading to the Recession; health care in the U.S. was a looming crisis that has the potential to turn high profits for companies while offering low payouts for those who are sick; and trade deals would backfire and hurt the U.S. middle-class as companies moved factories out of the country or overseas for cheap labor and products.
Overall, this was a good read. In the middle third, there's a great deal of repetition, but it goes to show that Bernie has been fighting for the same ideals, specifically fair play and justice for all, for several decades without any real change occurring.
As the editor notes, Bernie is eerily prophetic in his vision of the country. He predicted the First Iraq War in 1991 would lead the U.S. into more wars in the Middle East; banks and Wall Street were abusing their power, eventually leading to the Recession; health care in the U.S. was a looming crisis that has the potential to turn high profits for companies while offering low payouts for those who are sick; and trade deals would backfire and hurt the U.S. middle-class as companies moved factories out of the country or overseas for cheap labor and products.
Overall, this was a good read. In the middle third, there's a great deal of repetition, but it goes to show that Bernie has been fighting for the same ideals, specifically fair play and justice for all, for several decades without any real change occurring.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews