Bernie Sanders’ stunt to attack Trump backfired in a big way.
And what it revealed about Sanders shocked and dismayed his socialist followers.
Because Bernie Sanders just did the one thing that will cost him the Presidency.
Democrats, “Never Trump” Republicans and mainstream media “journalists” have been calling on Donald Trump to release his tax returns.
Even though there is no requirement to do so.
In fact, tax returns are protected from publication by federal law.
Of course, anyone is free to reveal their own tax returns and through the years many candidates have chosen to do so, usually at a high cost to them.
Who can forget Bill and Hillary Clinton’s tax returns with the itemized underwear they gave to charity.
And just last week “Beto” O’Rourke released his tax returns, showing just what a fraud he really is.
It turns out Beto, who is all too happy to take your hard earned tax dollars for government social programs, is not so willing to give his own money to charity.
But there has probably never been a bigger backfire upon the release of tax returns than Bernie Sanders much-publicized disclosure.
The Vermont senator, self-avowed socialist, and 2020 presidential contender, amazingly earned $1 million in 2016, the last time he ran for President.
And also that year, Sanders gave less than 1 percent of his earnings to charity.
His charitable contributions that year fell far under the average for his income bracket of over $1 million.
Sanders released 10 years of tax returns last Monday, revealing that he averaged earnings of $280,975 per year from 2009 through 2015 but that his income skyrocketed to $1,062,626 during his last presidential campaign in 2016 due to sales of his best-selling book, Our Revolution.
Sanders reported a meager $10,600 in charitable contributions in 2016, making up less than 1 percent of his reported income and falling well under the $21,365 average charitable contribution for American taxpayers who earned $250,000 or more that year, according to the IRS.
Also of note, the “socialist” Sanders purchased his third home in 2016, a half million lake-front mansion in Vermont.
In 2017, Sanders reported income of $1,131,925 and donated just 3% to charity.
In fact, in looking at the income and charitable giving for Sanders from 2009-2018 Sanders has never given above 4% to charity.
The Sanders’ tax returns show a couple of things very clearly.
First, running for President as a socialist pays very well.
The 77-year-old “socialist warrior” has had a very lucrative couple of years since his 2016 run, and will certainly add to that with the arrival of his 2020 run.
Second, though Sanders wants you and I to be forced to give the majority of our hard earned dollars to the government through higher taxes, to support social welfare programs, illegal immigration costs, and an even bigger federal government; he isn’t too keen on giving his own money away.
And third, though he talks a hardcore socialist game, he certainly doesn’t act like one.
In fact, he has benefited greatly from the free market system and capitalism.
In fact, during this time period, Sanders was all too happy to pay only as much as 26% in federal taxes, even though he could have voluntarily paid more.
When asked about this on the Fox News Town Hall, Sanders tried to turn the question back on the Fox moderators, with no success.
Arianna Jones a Sanders spokesman trying to explain the very non-socialist looking tax returns said to The Daily Beast;
“In some years, they gave more than 3 or 4 percent of their income to charity. They have given to senior centers, low-income organizations, educational entities, and environmental and housing advocacy groups.”
“They also believe that while voluntary charitable donations are commendable, they can never replace ongoing public investments in major social programs and services that improve people’s lives.”
In other words, Sanders’ style of socialism is for you to pay, not him.
While Sanders has spent his political career railing against millionaires and billionaires and the “evil 1%” it turns out Sanders is part of the 1%.
We will keep you posted on this story.
