Bernie Sanders: "Today We Begin a New Political Revolution"

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

27 May 15

enator Bernie Sanders launched what he called a “political revolution” in his home state of Vermont on Tuesday, in a rally in the City of Burlington, where he was elected mayor as a Socialist in 1981. “Bernie,” as his supporters call him, served four terms as Burlington’s mayor before being elected to Congress as an Independent in 1990. Sanders is the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress. In 2006, Bernie was elected to the United States Senate, where he is currently serving his second term.

The senator was introduced to a crowd of over 5,000 people by Ben and Jerry, founders of the Vermont ice cream company that bears their name. They said, “For those who have been sitting on the sidelines, finally – a candidate worth voting for.” They went on to say, “If we all get off our butts and work for him, he will defy the odds again and win.” The crowd cheered and waved their signs as Ben and Jerry called Bernie the next president of the United States as he took the stage.

Several other Vermont residents spoke before Bernie was introduced, including climate activist Bill McKibben, who wrote a column “Why the Planet Is Happy That Bernie Sanders Is Running for President.” McKibben praised Sanders’s consistent record on environmental issues. “Make no mistake – Bernie Sanders isn’t really running against Hillary Clinton. He’s running against the Koch Brothers, and all that they represent: Taken together they’re the richest man on earth. They’ve made their money in oil and gas (they’re the largest leaseholders in the Alberta tar sands, on the far end of the Keystone Pipeline). They spend their money to break unions, to shut out solar power, to further concentrate America’s wealth. They’ll spend at least $900 million on the next election, and my guess is that if Bernie Sanders catches fire they’ll spend far more than that – because he knows he’s got their number. They know, in their heart of hearts, that there’s two of them and hundreds of millions of us, and that’s got to be a little scary,” wrote McKibben.

Bernie's Revolution

When Sanders took the stage he told the cheering crowd, “Today, with your support and the support of millions of people throughout the country, we begin a political revolution to transform our country economically, politically, socially, and environmentally. Today we stand here and say loudly and clearly, ‘Enough is enough,’ this great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not a handful of billionaires. Brothers and sisters, now is not the time for thinking small, now is not the time for the same old same old establishment politics and stale inside-the-beltway ideas. Now is the time for millions of working families to come together and revitalize our democracy, and to end the collapse of our middle class, and to make certain that our children and our grandchildren are able to enjoy a quality of life that brings them health, prosperity, security, and joy, and that once again makes the United States the leader in the world in the fight for economic and social justice, for environmental sanity, and for a world of peace.”

Bernie's Promise

“Here is my promise to you for this campaign: Not only will I fight to protect the working families of this country, but we are going to build a movement of millions of Americans prepared to stand up and fight back! We are going to take this campaign directly to the people in town meetings, door to door conversations, on street corners, and in social media. This week we are going to be in New Hampshire, Iowa, Minnesota, and that is just the start of a national campaign.

“Let me be clear, this campaign is not about Bernie Sanders, it’s not about Hillary Clinton, it’s not about Jeb Bush or any candidate. This campaign is about the needs of the American people. As someone who has never run a negative political ad in my life, my campaign will not be driven by political gossip or reckless personal attacks. This is what the American people want and deserve. These are serious times, we need serious debates,” said a passionate Sanders.

Bernie made specific proposals for eliminating student debt, creating jobs, getting money out of politics, and reversing climate change. While the speech barely touched on foreign policy, Sanders did pledge to protect the country in a “responsible way.” He said he was right to oppose the Iraq war, and opposes permanent war in the Middle East.

He spent considerable time blasting money in politics and said he would not form a super PAC.

Bernie Sanders closed his announcement speech by talking about how he has lived the American Dream and is concerned that too many don’t have the opportunities he had. He talked of his humble beginnings and how he remembered what it was like to struggle to make ends meet. He said he would never forget, and would continue to work for economic justice.

Bernie heads to New Hampshire today before spending three days in Iowa. He has large events planned in Davenport, Iowa City, and Ames. Hillary has yet to hold a public event since she announced. Martin O’Malley will launch his campaign on Saturday in Baltimore.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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