Well, it came at the end of his remarks, but better late than never.
"Last but not least, think of a nation where every person in this country-no
matter their race, no matter their country of origin, no matter their
religion, no matter their disability, no matter their sexual
orientation-that all come together, to create the greatest country that
anyone has even seen; a country that works for all of our people, and we do
it when we stand together, and we do not allow people to divide us, divide
us, divide us. (applause)"
When enough of us stand beside Sanders, he will be forced to remember
who he represents. That is not to say he will have the ability to
overcome the billions of dollars and the entrenched elite with their
judicial system and their military might. But this could well be our
last chance, the crack in the closing door, for us to force democracy
down the Corporate Throats.
Carl Jarvis
On 7/15/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
And he eve mentions disability!
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Why Bernie Sanders Got Twice as Much Applause as Hillary Clinton
When
He Spoke to La Raza
________________________________________
Why Bernie Sanders Got Twice as Much Applause as Hillary Clinton When He
Spoke to La Raza
By Steven Rosenfeld [1] / AlterNet [2]
July 14, 2015
On Monday, three Democratic presidential candidates-Bernie Sanders, Hillary
Clinton and Martin O'Malley-gave half-hour speeches at the National Council
of La Raza's annual convention in Kansas City.
While Clinton spoke [3] with familiarity to an audience she's long known,
it
was Sanders whose speech [4] was the most riveting, drawing twice as many
applause interruptions as Clinton's.
Sanders' speech to the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization
was
notable because he confronted the "stain of racism," his father's immigrant
experience and his impoverished upbringing, and he went into greater detail
than Clinton about what federal government could and should do to create
more dignity and economic security for individuals and families.
Many pundits have written that Sanders has a problem addressing audiences
of
color, because he comes from nearly all-white Vermont. But Sanders' La Raza
speech shows that he can deeply connect with Latino audiences. What follows
is a transcript of excerpts from his remarks that prompted 45 applauses and
a concluding standing ovation.
Excerpts from Sanders' La Raza Speech
These are tough times for our country. And it is absolutely essential that
we involve more people in the political process, that we provide a voice
for
those people who have no voice, for those people who are in the shadows,
and
that we engage in serious debate on serious issues-and that is exactly what
La Raza has been doing and will do. (applause)
I want to focus on three issues. I want to talk about the stain of racism
in
this country. I want to talk about the need for real immigration reform.
(applause) And I want to talk about economic policies that address the
grotesque levels of income and wealth inequality in America (applause) and
the need to create an economy that works for all of us and not just a
handful of billionaires. (applause)
Brothers and sisters, throughout history, for whatever reason - and I'm not
a psychiatrist - racism has been a stain on human existence. This issue was
raised, interestingly enough, just a few days ago when Pope Francis, one of
the very great leaders in this world today, stated and I quote, "I humbly
ask forgiveness. Not only for the offense of the church herself, but also
for the crimes committed against the Native people during the so-called
conquest of America." End of quote. That's Pope Francis. (applause)
Racism has plagued this country for centuries. We should be proud, however,
that in recent decades, we have made significant progress, real progress,
in
overcoming racism and in defeating it; in creating a country where we judge
people, as Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, not on the color of their
skin. Not on the language they speak. Not on the country where they came
from. But on their character and qualities as human beings. (applause)
We are making progress in the country and there will be no turning back.
And
let me be very clear in stating that no one-not Donald Trump, not anyone
else-will be successful dividing us on race or our country of origin.
(applause)
America becomes a greater nation, a stronger nation, when we stand together
as one people and in a very loud and clear voice, we say no to all forms of
racism and bigotry. (applause)
I know something about immigration, because my dad came to this country
from
Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket, without much of an
education, and without knowing the English language. Like immigrants before
and since, he worked hard to give his family a better life in the United
States. He never made much money. We lived in a three-and-a-half-room
rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn, New York. But he worked hard. My mom
worked hard. And they were able to create a situation where their two kids
went to college. (applause)
When we talk about the Latino community, and in fact, when we talk about
America, one critical piece that must be talked about is the need for
comprehensive immigration reform. (applause)
Let us be frank. Today's undocumented workers play an extraordinarily
important role in our economy. Without these folks, it is likely that our
agricultural system would collapse. (applause)
Undocumented workers are doing the extremely difficult work of harvesting
our crops, building our homes, cooking our meals and caring for our
children. They are part of the fabric of America. (applause)
Let me tell you my experience, one of my experiences, with undocumented
workers. In 2007, I heard about horrendous exploitation in Immokalee,
Florida, where undocumented workers grow tomatos. I saw the conditions, of
workers working horrendously long hours and very low wages; very bad
working
conditions and awful housing. And I'm happy to say that with people working
together, we made some progress. Today workers there get better wages,
better working conditions and better housing. (applause)
Eleven million people came to this country, who today are undocumented, so
that they could feed their families, escape gang violence and desperate
economic circumstances. Let me also be very clear, that people came to this
country because they knew that there were jobs here. And if anyone thinks
that employers-employers throughout this country-did not know that the
workers that they were hiring were undocumented, they know nothing about
what's gone on in this country for 50 years. (applause)
Where do we go from here. I believe there should be a responsible path to
citizenship so individuals can come out of the shadows (applause), people
can walk the streets (applause) with safety, people can hold their heads
high. (applause)
The [2013] Senate bill tried to accomplish this important goal, and the
time
is long overdue for the House of Representatives to take up comprehensive
immigration reform. (applause)
The Senate bill contained the provisions of the Dream Act, which I strongly
support, and which would offer the opportunity of permanent residency and
eventual citizenship of young people who are brought to the United States
as
children. (applause)
It is my belief that we should recognize the young men and women who
comprise the dreamers for what they are-American kids who deserve the right
to legally be in the country they know as home (applause)
This is not to say that I do not have significant criticisms of this long
and complicated bill. I believe the pathway to citizenship was
unnecessarily
linked to border security treaties-measures that many believe were put in
place so that the path to citizenship would be delayed or even denied for
the millions of undocumented people here; and I want to change those
provisions. (applause)
I also believe that the penalties and fines of the bill would be hard for
the poor, essentially preventing them from accessing the path to legal
residency and eventual citizenship. (applause)
To be meaningful, a pathway to citizenship needs to be achievable for the
millions of workers at the low end of the economic class. These and other
barriers of the bill, including the use of more than a decade that it would
take to achieve citizenship, make it a flawed piece of legislation and
needs
to be improved. (applause)
Until we can pass comprehensive immigration reform, we must be aggressive
in
pursuing policies that are humane and sensible and that keep families
together. (applause)
This includes taking measures that are currently available, including using
the presidential power of executive order when it is appropriate.
(applause)
While the Senate passed the Dream Act in its immigration bill, and the
House
has not acted, I think President Obama did exactly the right thing with his
executive order for childhood arrivals. That was a good first step, but it
should be expanded. Deferred action should include the parents of citizens
(applause), the parents of legal permanent residents (applause) and the
parents of dreamers. (applause)
We should be pursuing policies that unite families, not tear them apart.
(applause)
Let me now touch on a broader issue that impacts all Americans, but
especially lower-income people, whether Latino, African American, white,
Native American, Asian or whatever. And here is the reality. The reality is
that for the last 40 years, the great middle class of this country has been
disappearing. And while millions of Americans are working longer hours for
lower wages, there is another reality that we have got to put on the table:
and that is that almost all of the new wealth and income being created in
America today, and in the last many years, has gone to the top 1 percent.
And that's wrong. (applause)
It is not acceptable that youth unemployment in this country has reached
tragic proportions. For white kids, that number is 33 percent. For Hispanic
kids, it is 36 percent. For African-American kids, it is 51 percent. That
is
unacceptable. And maybe, just maybe, instead of building more jails, and
locking up more people (applause) .maybe, just maybe, we should be
investing
in jobs and education for our young people. (applause)
I want America to be known as the best-educated country in the world, not
the country with more people in jail than any other country. (applause)
When we talk about the problems of America, it is not only jobs; it is
income. We need to raise the minimum wage, which today is a starvation wage
of $7.25 to $15 an hour, so that anyone who works (applause) in this
country
does not live in poverty. (applause)
We talk about the need to compete in a highly competitive global economy.
If
we are going to compete effectively, we need the best-educated workforce in
the world. And today in America we have the shameful situation of hundreds
of thousands of bright qualified young people who want to go to college,
but
can't go to college, because their families do not have enough money. That
is grossly unfair to those young people and grossly unfair, and dumb for
the
future of the American economy-that is why I have introduced legislation
that would make public colleges and public universities tuition-free.
(applause)
In my view, furthermore, to be a great country, our government has to start
protecting working families and not just wealthy campaign contributors.
(applause)
That means policies which end voter suppression. (applause)
There are politicians who are simply cowardly, are afraid to face the
people
because they know their ideas do not represent the majority. The only way
they win is by creating situations that make it difficult for people to
vote. I want to see us have the highest voter turnout in the world. I want
to see us make it easier to vote, (applause) not harder for people to vote.
(applause)
The United States is the only major industrialized country that does not
guarantee medical and parental leave for its people. That's wrong. When a
woman has a baby, regardless of her income, she should be able to stay home
with that baby (applause) and not be forced to go back to work. (applause)
We need to overturn this disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision
(applause) which allows billionaires to buy elections. (applause)
I voted for the Affordable Care Act, but it doesn't go far enough. Every
other major industrialized country guarantees healthcare to all of its
people as a right, and so should we in the United States of America.
(applause)
We are, in America today, the wealthiest country in the history of the
world. But most people don't know that because almost all of the wealth
rests in the hands of the few. So what I would like you to do is to think
big, not small. Think of a nation where every working parent has quality
and
affordable childcare. (applause) Think of a nation. where every person,
regardless of income, can get all of the education that they need.
(applause) Think of a nation where youth unemployement is not over 30
percent, but are in school or have training or have quality jobs.
(applause)
Last but not least, think of a nation where every person in this country-no
matter their race, no matter their country of origin, no matter their
religion, no matter their disability, no matter their sexual
orientation-that all come together, to create the greatest country that
anyone has even seen; a country that works for all of our people, and we do
it when we stand together, and we do not allow people to divide us, divide
us, divide us. (applause)"
Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including
America's retirement crisis, democracy and voting rights, and campaigns and
elections. He is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting"
(AlterNet Books, 2008).
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [5]
[6]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/why-bernie-sanders-got-twice-much-appl
ause-hillary-clinton-when-he-spoke-la-raza
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/steven-rosenfeld
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apWSl2oQAL0
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPI_5pyf_w8
[5] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Why Bernie Sanders Got
Twice as Much Applause as Hillary Clinton When He Spoke to La Raza
[6] http://www.alternet.org/
[7] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Why Bernie Sanders Got Twice as Much Applause as Hillary Clinton
When
He Spoke to La Raza
Why Bernie Sanders Got Twice as Much Applause as Hillary Clinton When He
Spoke to La Raza
By Steven Rosenfeld [1] / AlterNet [2]
July 14, 2015
On Monday, three Democratic presidential candidates-Bernie Sanders, Hillary
Clinton and Martin O'Malley-gave half-hour speeches at the National Council
of La Raza's annual convention in Kansas City.
While Clinton spoke [3] with familiarity to an audience she's long known,
it
was Sanders whose speech [4] was the most riveting, drawing twice as many
applause interruptions as Clinton's.
Sanders' speech to the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization
was
notable because he confronted the "stain of racism," his father's immigrant
experience and his impoverished upbringing, and he went into greater detail
than Clinton about what federal government could and should do to create
more dignity and economic security for individuals and families.
Many pundits have written that Sanders has a problem addressing audiences
of
color, because he comes from nearly all-white Vermont. But Sanders' La Raza
speech shows that he can deeply connect with Latino audiences. What follows
is a transcript of excerpts from his remarks that prompted 45 applauses and
a concluding standing ovation.
Excerpts from Sanders' La Raza Speech
These are tough times for our country. And it is absolutely essential that
we involve more people in the political process, that we provide a voice
for
those people who have no voice, for those people who are in the shadows,
and
that we engage in serious debate on serious issues-and that is exactly what
La Raza has been doing and will do. (applause)
I want to focus on three issues. I want to talk about the stain of racism
in
this country. I want to talk about the need for real immigration reform.
(applause) And I want to talk about economic policies that address the
grotesque levels of income and wealth inequality in America (applause) and
the need to create an economy that works for all of us and not just a
handful of billionaires. (applause)
Brothers and sisters, throughout history, for whatever reason - and I'm not
a psychiatrist - racism has been a stain on human existence. This issue was
raised, interestingly enough, just a few days ago when Pope Francis, one of
the very great leaders in this world today, stated and I quote, "I humbly
ask forgiveness. Not only for the offense of the church herself, but also
for the crimes committed against the Native people during the so-called
conquest of America." End of quote. That's Pope Francis. (applause)
Racism has plagued this country for centuries. We should be proud, however,
that in recent decades, we have made significant progress, real progress,
in
overcoming racism and in defeating it; in creating a country where we judge
people, as Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, not on the color of their
skin. Not on the language they speak. Not on the country where they came
from. But on their character and qualities as human beings. (applause)
We are making progress in the country and there will be no turning back.
And
let me be very clear in stating that no one-not Donald Trump, not anyone
else-will be successful dividing us on race or our country of origin.
(applause)
America becomes a greater nation, a stronger nation, when we stand together
as one people and in a very loud and clear voice, we say no to all forms of
racism and bigotry. (applause)
I know something about immigration, because my dad came to this country
from
Poland at the age of 17 without a nickel in his pocket, without much of an
education, and without knowing the English language. Like immigrants before
and since, he worked hard to give his family a better life in the United
States. He never made much money. We lived in a three-and-a-half-room
rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn, New York. But he worked hard. My mom
worked hard. And they were able to create a situation where their two kids
went to college. (applause)
When we talk about the Latino community, and in fact, when we talk about
America, one critical piece that must be talked about is the need for
comprehensive immigration reform. (applause)
Let us be frank. Today's undocumented workers play an extraordinarily
important role in our economy. Without these folks, it is likely that our
agricultural system would collapse. (applause)
Undocumented workers are doing the extremely difficult work of harvesting
our crops, building our homes, cooking our meals and caring for our
children. They are part of the fabric of America. (applause)
Let me tell you my experience, one of my experiences, with undocumented
workers. In 2007, I heard about horrendous exploitation in Immokalee,
Florida, where undocumented workers grow tomatos. I saw the conditions, of
workers working horrendously long hours and very low wages; very bad
working
conditions and awful housing. And I'm happy to say that with people working
together, we made some progress. Today workers there get better wages,
better working conditions and better housing. (applause)
Eleven million people came to this country, who today are undocumented, so
that they could feed their families, escape gang violence and desperate
economic circumstances. Let me also be very clear, that people came to this
country because they knew that there were jobs here. And if anyone thinks
that employers-employers throughout this country-did not know that the
workers that they were hiring were undocumented, they know nothing about
what's gone on in this country for 50 years. (applause)
Where do we go from here. I believe there should be a responsible path to
citizenship so individuals can come out of the shadows (applause), people
can walk the streets (applause) with safety, people can hold their heads
high. (applause)
The [2013] Senate bill tried to accomplish this important goal, and the
time
is long overdue for the House of Representatives to take up comprehensive
immigration reform. (applause)
The Senate bill contained the provisions of the Dream Act, which I strongly
support, and which would offer the opportunity of permanent residency and
eventual citizenship of young people who are brought to the United States
as
children. (applause)
It is my belief that we should recognize the young men and women who
comprise the dreamers for what they are-American kids who deserve the right
to legally be in the country they know as home (applause)
This is not to say that I do not have significant criticisms of this long
and complicated bill. I believe the pathway to citizenship was
unnecessarily
linked to border security treaties-measures that many believe were put in
place so that the path to citizenship would be delayed or even denied for
the millions of undocumented people here; and I want to change those
provisions. (applause)
I also believe that the penalties and fines of the bill would be hard for
the poor, essentially preventing them from accessing the path to legal
residency and eventual citizenship. (applause)
To be meaningful, a pathway to citizenship needs to be achievable for the
millions of workers at the low end of the economic class. These and other
barriers of the bill, including the use of more than a decade that it would
take to achieve citizenship, make it a flawed piece of legislation and
needs
to be improved. (applause)
Until we can pass comprehensive immigration reform, we must be aggressive
in
pursuing policies that are humane and sensible and that keep families
together. (applause)
This includes taking measures that are currently available, including using
the presidential power of executive order when it is appropriate.
(applause)
While the Senate passed the Dream Act in its immigration bill, and the
House
has not acted, I think President Obama did exactly the right thing with his
executive order for childhood arrivals. That was a good first step, but it
should be expanded. Deferred action should include the parents of citizens
(applause), the parents of legal permanent residents (applause) and the
parents of dreamers. (applause)
We should be pursuing policies that unite families, not tear them apart.
(applause)
Let me now touch on a broader issue that impacts all Americans, but
especially lower-income people, whether Latino, African American, white,
Native American, Asian or whatever. And here is the reality. The reality is
that for the last 40 years, the great middle class of this country has been
disappearing. And while millions of Americans are working longer hours for
lower wages, there is another reality that we have got to put on the table:
and that is that almost all of the new wealth and income being created in
America today, and in the last many years, has gone to the top 1 percent.
And that's wrong. (applause)
It is not acceptable that youth unemployment in this country has reached
tragic proportions. For white kids, that number is 33 percent. For Hispanic
kids, it is 36 percent. For African-American kids, it is 51 percent. That
is
unacceptable. And maybe, just maybe, instead of building more jails, and
locking up more people (applause) .maybe, just maybe, we should be
investing
in jobs and education for our young people. (applause)
I want America to be known as the best-educated country in the world, not
the country with more people in jail than any other country. (applause)
When we talk about the problems of America, it is not only jobs; it is
income. We need to raise the minimum wage, which today is a starvation wage
of $7.25 to $15 an hour, so that anyone who works (applause) in this
country
does not live in poverty. (applause)
We talk about the need to compete in a highly competitive global economy.
If
we are going to compete effectively, we need the best-educated workforce in
the world. And today in America we have the shameful situation of hundreds
of thousands of bright qualified young people who want to go to college,
but
can't go to college, because their families do not have enough money. That
is grossly unfair to those young people and grossly unfair, and dumb for
the
future of the American economy-that is why I have introduced legislation
that would make public colleges and public universities tuition-free.
(applause)
In my view, furthermore, to be a great country, our government has to start
protecting working families and not just wealthy campaign contributors.
(applause)
That means policies which end voter suppression. (applause)
There are politicians who are simply cowardly, are afraid to face the
people
because they know their ideas do not represent the majority. The only way
they win is by creating situations that make it difficult for people to
vote. I want to see us have the highest voter turnout in the world. I want
to see us make it easier to vote, (applause) not harder for people to vote.
(applause)
The United States is the only major industrialized country that does not
guarantee medical and parental leave for its people. That's wrong. When a
woman has a baby, regardless of her income, she should be able to stay home
with that baby (applause) and not be forced to go back to work. (applause)
We need to overturn this disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision
(applause) which allows billionaires to buy elections. (applause)
I voted for the Affordable Care Act, but it doesn't go far enough. Every
other major industrialized country guarantees healthcare to all of its
people as a right, and so should we in the United States of America.
(applause)
We are, in America today, the wealthiest country in the history of the
world. But most people don't know that because almost all of the wealth
rests in the hands of the few. So what I would like you to do is to think
big, not small. Think of a nation where every working parent has quality
and
affordable childcare. (applause) Think of a nation. where every person,
regardless of income, can get all of the education that they need.
(applause) Think of a nation where youth unemployement is not over 30
percent, but are in school or have training or have quality jobs.
(applause)
Last but not least, think of a nation where every person in this country-no
matter their race, no matter their country of origin, no matter their
religion, no matter their disability, no matter their sexual
orientation-that all come together, to create the greatest country that
anyone has even seen; a country that works for all of our people, and we do
it when we stand together, and we do not allow people to divide us, divide
us, divide us. (applause)"
Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet, including
America's retirement crisis, democracy and voting rights, and campaigns and
elections. He is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting"
(AlterNet Books, 2008).
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [5]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[6]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/why-bernie-sanders-got-twice-much-appl
ause-hillary-clinton-when-he-spoke-la-raza
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/steven-rosenfeld
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apWSl2oQAL0
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPI_5pyf_w8
[5] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Why Bernie Sanders Got
Twice as Much Applause as Hillary Clinton When He Spoke to La Raza
[6] http://www.alternet.org/
[7] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
