Sanders writes: "I am writing you today to express my deep pride in the
movement - the political revolution - you and I have created together over
the last 15 months. When we began this historic campaign, we were considered
fringe players by the political, economic and media establishment. Well, we
proved them wrong."
Senator Bernie Sanders greeting supporters at a rally in Baltimore. (photo:
Patrick Semansky/AP)
Forever Forward
By Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News
12 July 16
Scott,
I am writing you today to express my deep pride in the movement - the
political revolution - you and I have created together over the last 15
months. When we began this historic campaign, we were considered fringe
players by the political, economic and media establishment. Well, we proved
them wrong.
We showed that the American people support a bold, progressive agenda that
takes on the billionaire class, that fights for racial, social, economic and
environmental justice and that seeks to create a government that works for
all of us and not just the big campaign donors.
We mobilized over 13 million voters across the country. We won 23 Democratic
primary and caucus contests. We had literally hundreds of thousands of
volunteers across the country. And we showed - in a way that can change
politics in America forever - that you can run a competitive national
grassroots campaign without begging millionaires and billionaires for
campaign contributions.
Most importantly, we elevated the critical issues facing our country -
issues the establishment has pushed under the rug for too long. We focused
attention on the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in this
country and the importance of breaking up the large banks who brought our
economy to the brink of collapse. We exposed our horrendous trade policies,
our broken criminal justice system, and our people's lack of access to
affordable health care and higher education. We fought aggressively to
address the crisis of climate change, the need for real comprehensive
immigration reform, the importance of developing a foreign policy that
values diplomacy over war, and so much more.
We have shown throughout this election that these are issues that are
important to voters and that progressive solutions energize people in the
fight for real change. What we have accomplished so far is historic - but
our work is far from over.
This movement of ours - this political revolution - must continue. We cannot
let all of the momentum we have achieved in the fight to transform America
be lost. We will never stop fighting for what is right.
It is true that in terms of winning the Democratic nomination, we did come
up short. But this election was never about me or any candidate. It was
about the powerful coming together of millions of people to take their
country back from the billionaire class. That was the strength of our
campaign and it will be the strength of our movement going forward in the
months and years ahead.
In the coming weeks, I will be announcing the creation of successor
organizations to carry on the struggle that we have been a part of these
past 15 months. I hope you will continue to be involved in fighting to
transform America. Our goal will be to advance the progressive agenda that
we believe in and to elect like-minded candidates at the federal, state and
local levels who are committed to accomplishing our goals.
In terms of the presidential election this November, there is no doubt that
the election of Donald Trump as president would be a devastating blow to all
that we are fighting for. His openly bigoted and pro-billionaire campaign
could precipitate the same decades-long rightward shift in American politics
that happened after the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. That rightward
shift after Reagan's election infected not just politics as a whole but led
to the ascendancy of the corporatist wing of the Democratic Party - an era
from which we are still recovering.
I cannot in good conscience let that happen.
To have all of the work we have done in elevating our progressive ideals be
dashed away by a complete Republican takeover of Washington - a takeover
headed by a candidate that demonizes Latinos, Muslims, women, African
Americans, veterans, and others - would be unthinkable.
Today, I endorsed Hillary Clinton to be our next president. I know that some
of you will be disappointed with that decision. But I believe that, at this
moment, our country, our values, and our common vision for a transformed
America, are best served by the defeat of Donald Trump and the election of
Hillary Clinton.
You should know that in the weeks since the last primary, both campaigns
have worked together in good faith to bridge some of the policy issues that
divided us during the election. Did we come to agreement on everything? Of
course not. But we made important steps forward.
Hillary Clinton released a debt free college plan that we developed together
which now includes free tuition at public colleges and universities for
working families. This was a major part of our campaign's agenda and a
proposal that, if enacted into law, would revolutionize higher education in
this country.
Secretary Clinton has also publicly committed to massive investments in
health care for communities across this country that will increase primary
care, including mental health care, dental care, and low-cost prescription
drug access for an additional 25 million people. Importantly, she has also
endorsed the enactment of a so-called public option to allow everyone in
this country to participate in a public insurance program. This idea was
killed by the insurance industry during consideration of President Obama's
health care program.
During the Democratic platform proceedings in St. Louis and Orlando, we were
victorious in including amendments to make it a clear priority of the
Democratic Party to fight for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, expand
Social Security, abolish the death penalty, put a price on carbon, establish
a path toward the legalization of marijuana, enact major criminal justice
reforms, pass comprehensive immigration reform, end for-profit prisons and
detention facilities, break up too-big-to-fail banks and create a 21st
century Glass-Steagall Act, close loopholes that allow big companies to
avoid taxes by stashing their cash in offshore tax havens and use that
revenue to rebuild America, approve the most expansive agenda ever for
protecting Native American rights and so much more.
All of these progressive policies were at the heart of our campaign. The
truth is our movement is responsible for the most progressive Democratic
platform in the history of our country. All of that is the direct result of
the work that our members of the platform committee did in the meetings and
that you have been doing over the last 15 months.
But none of these initiatives will happen if we do not elect a Democratic
president in November. None! In fact, we will go backward. We must elect the
Democratic nominee in November and progressive Democrats up and down the
ballot so that we ensure that these policy commitments can advance.
It is extremely important that we keep our movement together, that we hold
public officials accountable and that we elect progressive candidates to
office at the federal, state, and local level who will stand with us.
As part of that effort, we still have a tremendous amount of work left to do
in the Democratic Rules Committee that will be meeting in the coming weeks.
We have to enact the kinds of reforms to the Democratic Party and to the
electoral process that will provide us the tools to elect progressive
candidates, to allow new voices and new energy into the Party, and to break
up the excessive power that the economic and political elites in the Party
currently have. As with our fights on the platform committee, that will only
be possible if we stand together.
You should know that I intend to be actively campaigning throughout this
election season to elect candidates who will stand by our agenda. I hope to
see many of you at events from coast to coast.
In conclusion, I again want to express my pride in what we have accomplished
together over the last year. But so much more must be done to make our
vision a reality. Now more than ever our country needs our movement - our
political revolution. As you have throughout this historic campaign, I ask
for your ongoing support as we continue through the fall and beyond.
On a personal note, I cannot say with words how appreciative Jane and I are
of the kindness, dedication and love we experienced from so many people
across the country. We are deeply touched by it and will never, ever forget
it.
Please let me know that you will stand with me to defeat Donald Trump, and
to elect candidates who will stand by our agenda as part of the future of
our political revolution. Add your name now.
Forever committed, forever fighting, forever forward,
Bernie Sanders
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Senator Bernie Sanders greeting supporters at a rally in Baltimore. (photo:
Patrick Semansky/AP)
http://readersupportednews.org/http://readersupportednews.org/
Forever Forward
By Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News
12 July 16
cott,
I am writing you today to express my deep pride in the movement - the
political revolution - you and I have created together over the last 15
months. When we began this historic campaign, we were considered fringe
players by the political, economic and media establishment. Well, we proved
them wrong.
We showed that the American people support a bold, progressive agenda that
takes on the billionaire class, that fights for racial, social, economic and
environmental justice and that seeks to create a government that works for
all of us and not just the big campaign donors.
We mobilized over 13 million voters across the country. We won 23 Democratic
primary and caucus contests. We had literally hundreds of thousands of
volunteers across the country. And we showed - in a way that can change
politics in America forever - that you can run a competitive national
grassroots campaign without begging millionaires and billionaires for
campaign contributions.
Most importantly, we elevated the critical issues facing our country -
issues the establishment has pushed under the rug for too long. We focused
attention on the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in this
country and the importance of breaking up the large banks who brought our
economy to the brink of collapse. We exposed our horrendous trade policies,
our broken criminal justice system, and our people's lack of access to
affordable health care and higher education. We fought aggressively to
address the crisis of climate change, the need for real comprehensive
immigration reform, the importance of developing a foreign policy that
values diplomacy over war, and so much more.
We have shown throughout this election that these are issues that are
important to voters and that progressive solutions energize people in the
fight for real change. What we have accomplished so far is historic - but
our work is far from over.
This movement of ours - this political revolution - must continue. We cannot
let all of the momentum we have achieved in the fight to transform America
be lost. We will never stop fighting for what is right.
It is true that in terms of winning the Democratic nomination, we did come
up short. But this election was never about me or any candidate. It was
about the powerful coming together of millions of people to take their
country back from the billionaire class. That was the strength of our
campaign and it will be the strength of our movement going forward in the
months and years ahead.
In the coming weeks, I will be announcing the creation of successor
organizations to carry on the struggle that we have been a part of these
past 15 months. I hope you will continue to be involved in fighting to
transform America. Our goal will be to advance the progressive agenda that
we believe in and to elect like-minded candidates at the federal, state and
local levels who are committed to accomplishing our goals.
In terms of the presidential election this November, there is no doubt that
the election of Donald Trump as president would be a devastating blow to all
that we are fighting for. His openly bigoted and pro-billionaire campaign
could precipitate the same decades-long rightward shift in American politics
that happened after the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. That rightward
shift after Reagan's election infected not just politics as a whole but led
to the ascendancy of the corporatist wing of the Democratic Party - an era
from which we are still recovering.
I cannot in good conscience let that happen.
To have all of the work we have done in elevating our progressive ideals be
dashed away by a complete Republican takeover of Washington - a takeover
headed by a candidate that demonizes Latinos, Muslims, women, African
Americans, veterans, and others - would be unthinkable.
Today, I endorsed Hillary Clinton to be our next president. I know that some
of you will be disappointed with that decision. But I believe that, at this
moment, our country, our values, and our common vision for a transformed
America, are best served by the defeat of Donald Trump and the election of
Hillary Clinton.
You should know that in the weeks since the last primary, both campaigns
have worked together in good faith to bridge some of the policy issues that
divided us during the election. Did we come to agreement on everything? Of
course not. But we made important steps forward.
Hillary Clinton released a debt free college plan that we developed together
which now includes free tuition at public colleges and universities for
working families. This was a major part of our campaign's agenda and a
proposal that, if enacted into law, would revolutionize higher education in
this country.
Secretary Clinton has also publicly committed to massive investments in
health care for communities across this country that will increase primary
care, including mental health care, dental care, and low-cost prescription
drug access for an additional 25 million people. Importantly, she has also
endorsed the enactment of a so-called public option to allow everyone in
this country to participate in a public insurance program. This idea was
killed by the insurance industry during consideration of President Obama's
health care program.
During the Democratic platform proceedings in St. Louis and Orlando, we were
victorious in including amendments to make it a clear priority of the
Democratic Party to fight for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, expand
Social Security, abolish the death penalty, put a price on carbon, establish
a path toward the legalization of marijuana, enact major criminal justice
reforms, pass comprehensive immigration reform, end for-profit prisons and
detention facilities, break up too-big-to-fail banks and create a 21st
century Glass-Steagall Act, close loopholes that allow big companies to
avoid taxes by stashing their cash in offshore tax havens and use that
revenue to rebuild America, approve the most expansive agenda ever for
protecting Native American rights and so much more.
All of these progressive policies were at the heart of our campaign. The
truth is our movement is responsible for the most progressive Democratic
platform in the history of our country. All of that is the direct result of
the work that our members of the platform committee did in the meetings and
that you have been doing over the last 15 months.
But none of these initiatives will happen if we do not elect a Democratic
president in November. None! In fact, we will go backward. We must elect the
Democratic nominee in November and progressive Democrats up and down the
ballot so that we ensure that these policy commitments can advance.
It is extremely important that we keep our movement together, that we hold
public officials accountable and that we elect progressive candidates to
office at the federal, state, and local level who will stand with us.
As part of that effort, we still have a tremendous amount of work left to do
in the Democratic Rules Committee that will be meeting in the coming weeks.
We have to enact the kinds of reforms to the Democratic Party and to the
electoral process that will provide us the tools to elect progressive
candidates, to allow new voices and new energy into the Party, and to break
up the excessive power that the economic and political elites in the Party
currently have. As with our fights on the platform committee, that will only
be possible if we stand together.
You should know that I intend to be actively campaigning throughout this
election season to elect candidates who will stand by our agenda. I hope to
see many of you at events from coast to coast.
In conclusion, I again want to express my pride in what we have accomplished
together over the last year. But so much more must be done to make our
vision a reality. Now more than ever our country needs our movement - our
political revolution. As you have throughout this historic campaign, I ask
for your ongoing support as we continue through the fall and beyond.
On a personal note, I cannot say with words how appreciative Jane and I are
of the kindness, dedication and love we experienced from so many people
across the country. We are deeply touched by it and will never, ever forget
it.
Please let me know that you will stand with me to defeat Donald Trump, and
to elect candidates who will stand by our agenda as part of the future of
our political revolution. Add your name now.
Forever committed, forever fighting, forever forward,
Bernie Sanders
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
