Get a signed copy of Ted Rall's new book Bernie.

Only an outsider can change the system from the inside.

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Bernie Sanders was surrounded by grinding poverty that turned families against each other as they scrimped and saved to pay their bills.

Bernie saw politics as his chance to give a decent life to everyone, not just those born into wealth or the lucky few who hit it big. But the Democratic Party and the country overall were moving to the right.

Bernie joined a tiny independent party from Vermont. He ran for mayor as a socialist and won.

That was the beginning...

Ted Rall is a fellow of The Palast Investigative Fund