6 Big Reasons Not to Vote for Hillary Clinton

Mindy Fischer put out a blog post titled, "6 Big Reasons To Vote for Hillary." I have Hillary supporter friends, and one of them posted the article on Facebook. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore it, but I couldn't. So, here we go. A response to each of Mindy's points.

There's a tight race looming in the distance with a very possible Hillary vs Trump general election. Many fear Trump and gawk at the #BernieOrBust or #NeverHillary movements. Surely Hillary is a far better candidate? Well, not really. 

Obama's Third Term

I like President Obama in general. He pulled us from Iraq and Afghanistan (although not completely), and he passed the Affordable Healthcare Act that was an invaluable boon for me going into college. But we still have people who can't afford healthcare or are underinsured. So, yeah, he's accomplished some great things. But overall I wish he'd done better. Hillary follows many of his short comings.

The Great Recession may be over, but we're still feeling its effects. Jobs are hard to come by and there's a trend toward people saving money rather than spending. Our economy isn't where it should be, and the people have lost faith in it. I have no confidence in Hillary's stance on opposing the TPP, a trade deal Obama sadly supports and one that would only ship more American jobs overseas. This is the last thing our country needs.

On immigration, while Hillary has promised only to deport violent criminals and has specifically state she won't deport children, she stands by her previous decision to send back child refuges from Central America. So which is it, Hillary? You can't have it both ways. Obama deported hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants during his first term alone, reaching a record high. If Hillary really is the next Obama, we can expect much of the same.

Hillary has ties to gas and oil companies. She has promised to install 500 million solar panels across the country along with infrastructure upgrades to improve our transporting systems for coal, oil, and gas. Keep in mind it took her forever to come out against the Keystone pipeline in a decision that should have been a no brainier from the start. Hillary also sold fracking to the world and can't promise to abolish it in the US. Obama's taken some strides in green energy initiatives, but not nearly enough to draw us away from dirty energy. Expect Hillary to follow suit.

Hillary plans on "expanding" Obamacare by making it more affordable. Cheaper care sounds good in theory but it's not a guarantee of ensuring all American citizens have access to affordable quality care. The Affordable Care Act is likely to go in the history books as Obama's shinning moment. I would challenge Hillary to reform it, not simply hold on to it and make it cost less.

Hillary has spoken in support of Dodd-Frank, but if you expect her rail in Wall Street, think again. If her speeches to Goldman Sacs (one of her top campaign donors among other disturbing ties) don't bother you, she also refuses to reinstate Glass Steagall. And she has promised only invoke Dodd-Frank if the banks pose a risk, nevermind the fact that they are now bigger than they were in 2008. Obama's "great" Wall Street reform was to pass Dodd-Frank. Hillary has followed and proposed a weak plan (though she calls it comprehensive) to combat excess spending.

So yeah, if you are happy with all of that and you think it's the direction our country needs to go in for the next 8 years, Hillary's a great candidate.

Experience

Hillary's experience has been touted from day one. Mindy herself says "no one in our history has ever come to this office as ready on day one as Hillary." She's wrong. Even if you include Hillary's time as First Lady, Bernie Sanders has 12 more years of experience than she does directly related to governance and congressional work.

Hillary also calls herself "a progressive who gets things done," and the Washington Times touted her record in the Senate and her ability pass laws. But that article is highly inaccurate. You can fact check Hillary and Bernie on congress.gov yourself and see how the two compare bill for bill. Something less known is Bernie Sanders was called the Amendment King for his ability to pass laws through a Republican held Congress (1995-2007). He's just as capable if not more so than Hillary (he's been in Congress nearly 3x longer than her) to get stuff done.

Along with Clinton's experience, Mindy says, "Hillary has proven herself tough enough to handle anything." Has she? I wouldn't call a woman tough who lets others use sexism as a shield for her and doesn't rebuke it. I wouldn't call a woman tough who can only give her gender as an example to how she's different than Obama or why she's not establishment. I wouldn't a call a woman tough who says one thing and has to use the excuse that she misspoke to cover her tracks. I wouldn't call a woman tough who can't give a position on anything until the political climate is right for it. I wouldn't call a woman tough who has to lie repeatedly about her record and hope no one Google's it. I wouldn't call a woman tough who feels she has to change her accent to match the area she visits visits while campaigning. I wouldn't call a woman tough who tells Bernie Sanders to "tone it down" when she expects to go up against Donald Trump.

I don't expect her to be kicking ass and taking names as president.

Foreign Policy

Hillary's friendship with Henry Kissinger is nothing to be praised. And her foreign policy record is a terrifying thing to wade through, showing one reckless war-addicted decision after another that often ends in destabilization of the area. Iraq. Benghazi. Honduras. Afghanistan. Russia. Syria. Lybia, which is actually credited as "Hillary's War." Hillary says the one thing she learned from Lybia was that the US's presence is needed in the middle east. You can bet as president she'll be sending us into another costly war,

I get when people say Trump would be worse, but that's no reason to hold Hillary up as shinning example when she seems to hold such blatant disregard to lives lost and effected by war.

Guns

While Hillary has a plan for gun control here at home, she has no qualms supplying arms deals to her donors as Secretary of State, including Sadia Arabia, Algeria, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qtar. I wish I was fucking kidding.

Women's Rights

Those who question Hillary as a feminist, point to her record of silencing women who came out about sexual assault by her husband. Others point to her defense of a child rapist and her decision to paint the victim as "attention seeking and emotionally unstable." I personally have no respect for a women who uses the deaths of children as a political ploy. Though these issues can be pushed aside for situational reasons, they are still unsettling.

Other concerns include Hillary taking donations from countries that oppress women and cutting programs while head of the Children's Defense Fund.

She takes donations from Monsanto, a company that dumps tons of pesticide into the ground and waterways, abuses workers and local farmers, and is pushing against legislation to mandate GMO labeling on foods. Hillary also served as Director of Walmart for 6 years, a company known for its aggressive anti-union practices, unlivable wages it provides its employees, and a tendency to accept goods from near-slavery condition factories. Though she has since left the company, she has yet to speak against it. Those against Hillary argue her ties to such companies bring her convictions into question. If she wants what's best for women, why would she accept or give support to such groups that hurt women, their families, and their children?

Hillary's policies on mass incarceration, big oil, climate change, health care, and unions are also criticized as being too lax for women and children who would benefit from stronger reform.

Trump

Is Hillary better than Trump? I suppose you could say that. Is she a champion of women and children? Hell, no. Should you vote for her anyway? Both of them are horrific candidates, and it's time as US citizens we take the presidency into our own hands and stop voting for the lesser evil because there is another choice.

Write in Bernie Sanders for the general election or vote Green.

You roll your eyes. You laugh. No third party candidate has ever won a single state. Writing in Bernie Sanders is "throwing away your vote." But that's only true because you believe it.

If every single person in the US who looked at Trump and/or Hillary and said "hell no" voted third party we really would have a political revolution on our hands. Stop voting scared, and vote with integrity. We have more choices than just two. It's up to you to decide whether to give in to this sick, destructive cycle of crap-ass candidates the Republicans and Democrats keep throwing at us or to take a chance and vote for the country's future.

If the only benefit of voting for Hillary Clinton is to stop a greater evil, we gain nothing. It's still a vote for evil.

UPDATE 5/17/16: added paragraph on "getting stuff done" under Experience.

Hillary's "I'm a Woman" Card is Ridiculous and Insulting

Hillary plays the "I'm a Woman" card every chance she gets, like somehow the fact she has different genitals than most of her running mates makes her a better candidate. Has she forgotten there's a woman running on the GOP side? I'm not more likely to throw my vote to her than I am any other GOP candidate. Why would someone's gender make any difference on the Democratic side?

When you're asked, Hillary, what makes you different than Obama, the correct answer is not, "I'm a woman." And when you're asked if you can be considered establishment, the correct answer is not, "I can't be because I'm a woman." Why would you ever suggest that voters would support you because of what's between your legs or on your chest vs what positions you actually support?

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight against the Keystone pipeline?

No. Hillary didn't take any stance on the Keystone pipeline until finally coming out against it in September, 2015. Meanwhile, Bernie was against it from the very beginning. 

Does being a woman make you more likely to rail against the greed of Wall Street?

No. Hillary refuses to reinstate Glass Steagall, and during the last debate said she'd only look at breaking up big banks if they posed a risk. Meanwhile, she has several ties to Wall Street she may be reluctant to sever and Bernie has been wanting to break up the banks since the fallout where they already proved their risk to the economy.

Does being a woman make you most qualified to lead us in clean energy?

No. Hillary has yet to name a stance on fracking. Meanwhile, Bernie's climate plan goes further than Hillary's in addressing clean energy on a global scale and on transportation in addition to home energy sources.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for better health care?

No. Hillary wants to "build" on the Affordable Care Act and "reduce costs" with no clear end goal other than to make it better. Meanwhile, Bernie has a plan for universal healthcare for all Americans that should have been enacted years ago.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for fair trade policies?

No. Hillary only came out against the TPP October, 2015 after hoping it would set a gold standard. Meanwhile, Bernie has been against it at least since December, 2014. And he's always been suspicious of unfettered free trade policies where as Hillary has back-peddled on NAFTA. Only Bernie has actually spoken about the real horrors of the bill - being negotiated behind closed doors and giving corporations the power to challenge environmental laws, to name a few- while Hillary only said it would hurt American workers.

Does being a woman make you more likely to stand up for LGBT issues?

No. Hillary was against same-sex marriage until 2013 and up to that point only supported civil unions. Meanwhile, Bernie approved Burlington's first gay pride parade in 1983.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight against mass incarceration?

No. While Hillary and Bernie fair equality in supporting reductions in jail sentences for non-violent drug offenders and deprivatizing our criminal system, Hillary refuses to decriminalize marijuana, making it legal only for medical purposes. Meanwhile, Bernie wants it off the list of outlawed drugs altogether.

Does being a woman make you more likely to keep us from another complicated and costly war?

No. Hillary is supportive of having the US lead the charge against ISIS, bringing up questions of how well she's really learned from her mistake in voting for the Iraq war. Meanwhile, Bernie has said that regional nations should lead the charge with US assistance. He has also questioned the US's role as "world police" and the amount of instability that is brought to a region when a regime is toppled.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for a living wage?

No. Hillary wants to raise the minimum wage to $12 and hour. Meanwhile, Bernie wants to raise it to $15, which is calculated to get working families out of poverty and off welfare.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for affordable education?

No. Hillary wants to implement debt-free college, meaning students and their families will still have to play. Meanwhile, Bernie wants to remove any barriers to achieve a college education by making it tuition-free.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight to take big money out of politics?

No. While Hillary has said she wants to overturn Citizens United, she has taken large corporation donations throughout her political career and during her current campaign. Meanwhile, Bernie has sworn off such donations. During his political career where he's been offered corporate money, he's either refused it or donated it.

I'm asking, Hillary, because these are the issues I care about. And when placed side by side, you are weaker on these issues than Bernie Sanders. The two of you fair equally in your stances on Social Security, police reform, and women's issues. But why stop there? When it comes down to it, there is another candidate who will fight more for the positions I care about and who has a consistent record to back it up (you don't). Yes, he happens to wear pants. So do you, by the way. Why would you insult the intelligence of your voters, especially women voters, by suggesting your vagina makes any kind of a difference?

Bernie Sanders on Civil & Human Rights

There been a lot of talk about Bernie's Civil Rights record, but I haven't found a good source that has it all in one place. So here you go.

African Americans

In the 1960s, Sanders organized sit-ins to protest segregation, marched on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr, and was present for his "I Have a Dream" speech. In March of this year, Sanders made a statement that the civil rights struggle continues in America.

He endorsed Jesse Jackson for president in 1988, and worked to sway predominately white voters in Vermont.

He has worked to combat youth unemployment, which effects African American youth the most.

Bernie has spoken out against police brutality (before Netroots).

After the shooting in Charleston, SC, Bernie Sanders took the Senate floor to speak in favor of taking down the Confederate flag. See the 2016 presidential candidates on the issue.

Bernie has said that as a nation, America should apologize for slavery.

Immigrants

Sanders has called for an end to deportation, and has worked to amend Summer Work Travel programs. He has spoken in favor of immigration reform and a national conversation on the topic.

He has called for immigration polices that untie families and supports the DREAM Act.

See Bernie speak on Immigration Reform. Also, view Bernie's political summary on Immigration.

See the 2016 presidential candidates on immigration (note that this site does not provide a full list of voting records, but should have a enough to give you a general overview).

LGBT

From Students for Bernie

Sanders has spoken in favor of gay equality since the 1970s. In 1983, when Burlington, Vermont had its first gay pride parade, Bernie Sanders (mayor at the time) gave his support.

More recently, Sanders urged Obama to support marriage equality in 2011. This year, in April, as the Supreme Court took up cases on gay marriage, Sanders urged the court to recognize the right of all American citizens to wed.

Sanders voted in favor of ENDA, which outlawed employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. He voted to end DADT and against DOMA.

See Bernie's political summary on sexual orientation and gender identity.

See the 2016 presidential candidates on gay marriage back in January, and their reactions to the Supreme Court ruling in June.

Senior Citizens

Sanders is a chair of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, through which has recently worked to investigate soaring prices of drugs. In 2013, he introduced legislation to strengthen and reauthorize the Older Americans Act.

Sanders has spoken on senior hunger, and earlier this year addressed congress on senior hunger regarding the recent Government Accountability Office report.

He recently introduced legislation to strengthen and expand Social Security. He insists that is unconscionable to consider any cuts to Social Security and that anyone who says the program is in danger is not telling the truth.

You can watch Sanders talk on Social Security. Also, view Sanders' political summary on Senior Citizens.

See the 2016 presidential candidates on civil rights (note that this site does not provide a full list of voting records, but should have a enough to give you a general overview).

Veterans

Bernie Sanders serves on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. In 2014 he introduced comprehensive legislation for veterans, addressing issues such as restoring benefits, providing health care, ending backlog, addressing sexual assault, etc.

Sanders has spoken against cutting veterans' benefits, and voiced the need for expanding funding for veteran health care. He voted against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has worked closely with veterans of those wars and beyond.

Read how Bernie has fought for veterans. Watch Bernie fight for veterans on the senate floor. View Bernie's political summary on Veterans and Military Personnel.

Women

I've done a whole post on this topic, which (in interest of preventing this post from become longer than it already is) you can view here.

Poverty & Children

Bernie's fight for a federal $15 minimum wage is one way he is working to combat poverty. Bernie recently introduced a solar energy bill to help low income Americans.

In 2014, Bernie Sanders called on Barack Obama to work on reducing childhood poverty.

Read Bernie's statement or watch his video on the war on poverty. Also read his article or watch his video evaluating poverty as death sentence. See Sanders' political summary on Unemployed and Low-Income.

Watch Bernie speak on Childhood Poverty. See Bernie's political summary on Minors and Children.

See the 2016 presidential candidates on civil rights (note that this site does not provide a full list of voting records, but should have a enough to give you a general overview).

Indigenous Peoples

Sanders' solar energy bill also sets aside funds for solar arrays in Appalachia, Indian tribal lands and Alaskan native communities. One of Sanders' worries regarding our country's continued use of fossil fuels is its effect on native Alaskans.

View Bernie's political summary on Indigenous Peoples.

Mental Health

Bernie Sanders has recognized the lack of mental of health care in the Unities States and the need for greater access. See Bernie speak on mental healthcare.

See Bernie's political summary on health care.

Incarceration

Bernie spoke out against our country's mass incarceration problem back in 2008. He continues to speak against it today. His campaign links incarceration rates with issues of class and race.

He is against the death penalty.

See Bernie's political summary on Crime and The Death Penalty.

Foreign Aid

Bernie has stated that he doesn't believe the US should lead the war against ISIS but should support military efforts in the Middle East. He also favors a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

See Sanders' political summary on Foreign Aid. See the presidential candidates on Foreign Aid.

More

See Bernie's political summary on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.

See the 2016 presidential candidates on civil rights (note that this site does not provide a full list of voting records, but should have a enough to give you a general overview).

20 Examples of Bernie Sanders' Powerful Record on Civil and Human Rights Since the 1950s

UPDATE 7/23/15: Added Indigenous Peoples, Foreign Aid, and more candidate comparison links.

5 Attacks on Bernie Sanders and Why They're Bogus

Attacks on Bernie Sanders are to be expected in the presidential race. But that doesn't stop them from being ridiculous. Maybe we should all take a feather out of Bernie's hat and focus on the real issues instead of slinging mud everywhere?

Here are five common attacks (in no particular) order that just need to die already.

The Notorious "Rape Essay" (and all the others)

I've explain this before. But just in case it needs explained again, I'll reiterate. Bernie Sanders does not believe women fantasize about being raped. The essay was a badly written dark satirical article on the dangers of male and female gender norms. You can find the explanation here and more in-depth here.

And while we are on the topic, here is the rest of Sander's Freeman essays, written in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I expect the media to go a whole round with these. The most popular I've seen recently is Bernie's essay on how cervical cancer meant you weren't getting enough orgasms. (Side note: there have actually been modern studies that conclude orgasms may be a factor in reducing the risk of prostate, cervical, and breast cancer.)

We need to realize that these essays were written 40 years ago by a youthful and rebellious Bernie Sanders. How many dumb things can you remember doing or believing when you were young and rebellious? Anyone who actually thinks Bernie Sanders believes all of that stuff today is clearly lacking in the realm of human experience. People do dumb things. Then people learn. They change, and then they grow.

Ready to drop these essays yet? Because I certainly am.

Bernie voted against Amber Alert

Yes. He did. Though not for reasons people like to think.

Bernie has stated that he is a strong supporter of the Amber Alert program. The reason he voted against the bill was because it had unconstitutional riders attached, particularly the sentencing provisions that Bernie felt took power away from the judiciary branch.

This shows one of the great things about Bernie Sanders. He can support a piece of legislation, but he will vote against it if he feels certain provisions take away the rights of the people. You will find this is the case in a lot of legislation that Bernie is criticized for voting against. If only we could hold the rest of Congress to such a high standard.

Bernie is Pro Gun

No, he's not. It has been said Bernie is actually considered a "moderate" when it comes to guns as he walks a middle line. He's voted for background checks and bans on automatic guns. He's also voted for concealed carry in national parks and Amtrak trains and against the ability to sue gun manufactures.

One of the bills that comes up a lot in the media is the Brady Act, which mandated a 5-day waiting period for gun purchasers that Sanders voted against. What articles sourcing the vote never tell you is that Sanders voted against it because he was against a federal mandated waiting period. As a representative of Vermont, which has a very low gun crime rate, Sanders didn't think the federal mandate was fair for his particular state. So he did his job as a representative and voted the bill down. He did vote in favor of an amendment to the bill that mandated background checks.

You can read a full explanation on the Brady Act and see Bernie's votes on gun issues here.

You can also watch a video of Bernie talking about gun issues here.

90% tax on the rich

I have seen this video passed around a lot. People don't seem to realize that it's 30 seconds of a 3 minute and 50 second interview. Which means it's been taken completely out of context.

Here is the actual interview. In it, Bernie Sanders mentions Dwight Eisenhower, who taxed the rich at 90%. John Harwood asks Sanders if he thinks 90% is too high. And Bernie says, "no."

At no point during the video does Bernie say he intends to tax the rich at 90%. He only says that he doesn't disagree with Eisenhower's policies. There is a difference.

Here is an interview with Katie Couric where Bernie shuts down the 90% rumor.

Bernie is pro-Israel

Some people feel that he's pro-Israel because he's not what they consider to be pro-Palestine. But not being one thing does not make him the opposite. There is middle ground, and that's where Bernie stands. He would like to see a peaceful two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, believing that both sides have a right to exist in their own state.

You can read a statement Bernie gave in 2009 on the issue here. And a video from this year where he spoke on the subject.

Also, Sanders does not have Israeli citizenship. Can we just end that here and now? Or are we going to insist on it, even when given evidence to the contrary, like we did with Obama's birth certificate?

Seriously people. We have more pressing issues to deal with in this country. It's time we focused on them.

A Bernie Sanders Supporter's Debate Kit

It's hard to change people's beliefs. People don't want to let go, even when presented with hard, cold evidence. With that thought, I believe our efforts in promoting Bernie Sanders are best spent getting the word out to people who haven't heard of him rather than trying to convince someone who is against him to come to our side. But, sometimes you can't help finding yourself in a debate. On social media especially it can become inevitable, and nothing is more frustrating than not having sources to back up your claims. Here's some common arguments I've come across and resources to refute them.

This is a pretty long article. My suggestion for using it would be use a (Ctrl+F) function or a (Command+F) and type in a key word. That will help you find the section most useful to you without having to scroll through the whole article. If you don't find anything the first time, try a few other key words. And if you read through this article and still can't find what you are looking for, leave a comment.

When someone criticizes Bernie for running as a Democrat:

Use this article.

When someone says Bernie wants to tax at 90%:

They are usually citing this video. If they are, remind them that video is out of context. Then give them the full interview. Then follow up with this interview where Bernie shuts down the 90% rumor.

If they aren't citing the original video, just give them that last one.

When someone mentions Bernie "rape essay:"

Tell them it was a bad dark satire essay on the danger of gender norms. And then give them this.

When someone says we don't want another old, white man as president:

Ask them what's more important, someone's looks or their polices? And give them this.

When someone argues raising the minimum wage would destroy the economy/increase unemployment raise prices/cost small businesses/cost jobs/aren't deserved by unskilled workers:

Check out this myth buster master list.

Show them this video of a billionaire arguing that raising the minimum wage is a good thing. Also, here's the same guy confessing that billionaires are not job creators, the middle class is.

Here's another video you can share.

And a study by EPI

Just look at this.

Also remember that when minimum wage was first enacted by FDR, it was meant to start a living wage standard for American works, not be "starter wage" for teens or unskilled workers.

This blog post is also from the perceptive of a small business owner, who says that raising the minimum wage can be done without hurting small businesses if it's done right.

When someone says Bernie doesn't pay his interns $15 dollars an hour.

Traditionally, interns are paid nothing. From what I am aware, Bernie is the only presidential candidate paying his interns. Further more, Bernie's minimum wage bill phases the $15 an hour wage over 5 years, $9 in 2016, $10.50 in 2017, $12 in 2018, $13.50 in 2019, and $15 in 2020. If the raised minimum wage were in effect today, Bernie would be paying his interns MORE than the minimum.

Also, ask them why they are harping on Bernie for paying his interns $12 an hour and not any other candidates for paying their interns nothing.

When someone says Bernie's economics don't work:

Just give them this whole playlist.

When someone claims social security is bankrupt and dragging down our economy:

Tell them these are lies that have been passed around to get people to favor privatizing social security. Then show them this video.

When someone claims Bernie is a gun nut or wants to take away guns:

Tell them Bernie is for background checks and banning assault rifles. Then give them this video on Bernie's "Common Sense" gun control.

When someone claims Democrats did nothing during Obama's terms and that it's an obvious reason not to trust them again.

Tell them Democrats couldn't get the laws they wanted passed because the Republicans blocked them. Then give them this article.

When someone claims the rich already pay somewhere between 50% to 90% of taxes:

Give them this article on 2015 tax brackets that also includes a link to view other tax brackets.

And also this list of tax brackets from 1913 to 2013.

And then ask them where they got that tax percentage for the rich.

When someone says something incorrect on Bernie's stance on guns:

Give them this article and direct them to the handy chart.

When someone says Bernie is pro-Israel:

Tell them Bernie has stated a number of time that he believes in a two-state solution, that both sides have a right to exist in their own state. You can give them this article with video links on the subject.

When someone says socialism destroyed Greece:

Remind them that Greece failed because it had a huge debt they refused to acknowledge and kept adding to (give them this article). And then ask them if that reminds them of any other country they know of.

When someone mentions Venezuela:

Give them this article.

When someone claims no one wants a Socialist for president and that Bernie will never win:

Tell them most Americans agree with his views and give them this article.

When someone claims socialists "steal from the rich and give to the poor" or support "big government:"

Remind them that we're just asking everyone to pay their fair share and put money into social programs that are beneficial for everyone. No one is asking for the government to own or control anything. Give them this article.

When someone asks you to provide examples of successful socialism:

Remind them of our fire stations, our police force, our libraries, and national parks. Or just give them this list of 75 examples.

When someone says Socialism will destroy this country:

Just give them this list of 75 examples of socialist programs we all ready have.

When someone starts talking about Communism:

Remind them that socialism and communism are not the same thing. Give them this link.

When someone asks how Bernie plans to pay for everything he wants to implement or says electing Bernie means higher taxes:

Give them this.

When someone is disputing Bernie's stance on immigration/women/civil rights/LGBT/Veterans/elderly/poverty/children/mental health/incarceration/indigenous people/Foreign Aid:

Everything you need is in here.

When you just need a snappy photo at the right moment:

Go with this or this.

When someone cites the Wall Street article that says Bernie's proposals cost $18 Trillion: 

There's been a number of articles posted, so I will link them for you and you can pick from them.

No, Bernie Sanders is not going to bankrupt America to the tune of $18 trillion
An Open Letter to the Wall Street Journal on Its Bernie Sanders Hit Piece
Wall Street Journal’s Scary Bernie Sanders Price Tag Ignores Health Savings
 What ‘The Wall Street Journal’ Gets Totally Wrong About Bernie Sanders’s Agenda

UPDATE: Added source for Bernie's stance on guns.
UPDATE 7/22/15: Added source Bernie's stance on Israel-Palestine
UPDATE 7/24/15: Added another minimum wage link, economics, "rape essay," Venezuela, and white man as president
UPDATE 9/15/15: Added wall street article
UPDATE 10/14/15: Added minimum wage links

Bernie Sanders on Women's Rights

Google "Bernie Sanders on women's rights" and what comes up? Half the articles on the first page deal with Sanders' opinion on abortion and the other half on his notorious "rape essay," which is explained here and more in-depth here for anyone who actually believes Sanders thinks women fantasize about rape (he doesn't).

Those who have researched Bernie Sanders and listened to his speeches know that he's very much for women's rights: pro choice, equity pay, maternity leave, etc. But if you are new to the Sanders' boat and happen to Google search for his views on women's rights, the results are a little lacking. So, let's break down the facts, shall we?

WomenForBernieSanders

Abortion

Bernie Sanders is for a woman's right to choose.

There are a number of articles on subject, but you can view Sanders' voting record and reasoning here. Also more on Bernie's voting record.

Contraceptives

Bernie Sanders is for a woman's right to contraceptives.

You can view Sanders' statement on the Supreme Court Ruling to uphold the religious beliefs of corporation owners over providing contraceptives to women workers. And this statement made a couple years before.

You can see Sanders' voting record on contraceptives and reasoning here (use the find function and search for "contraceptive"). And more on Bernie's voting record.

Planned Parenthood and Women's Health

Bernie Sanders is for a woman's right to preventative health care.

This letter from 2011 signed by 41 senators, including Sanders, supporting Planned Parenthood and the preventative health care it provides.

This letter from 2015 signed by 35 senators, included Sanders, calling to increase funding for Planned Parenthood.

Equal Pay

Bernie Sanders is for equal pay for women and other minorities.

He supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that has been blocked by the GOP three times. See Sanders' statement on the issue.

See Sanders voting record on jobs for related issues.

Maternity Leave

Bernie Sanders is for paid maternity leave for men and women.

See Sanders' campaign petition for mandating 12 weeks of paid leave.

Rape and Domestic Violence

Bernie Sanders has supported several measures to prevent rape and provide aid to rape victims.

Bernie Sanders has supported legislation (bottom of page) to protect women against domestic violence.

Other Links

Check out this article Bernie Sanders wrote for the Huffington Post on the War on Women.

View Bernie Sanders' senator page on the topic of women's rights.

View Bernie Sanders' political summary on women's rights.

Check out Women Are Watching for their breakdown of all the presidential candidates on abortion, birth control, and planned parenthood. They also have a handy chart.

Where all candidates stand on equal pay.

UPDATE 7/6/15: added domestic violence
UPDATE 7/23/15: add more VoteSmart links