Obama Endorses Clinton, As Sanders Vows To Fight On for Progressive Future
Vermont senator speaks to reporters amid meetings with president, other leaders
After an hour-long meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday afternoon, Bernie Sanders spoke briefly to reporters outside the White House pledging that his campaign will continue the "political revolution" and encouraged his supporters not to give up on the key issues that have raised their political passions.
Just minutes later, the Hillary Clinton campaign released a video of Obama offering his official endorsement of the former secretary of state.
Those speculating that Sanders might concede after rival Hillary Clinton won the California primary on Tuesday, clearing the path for her to take the Democratic nomination, were proven wrong. Even as Sanders warned of the "disaster" of a Donald Trump presidency and vowed to work tirelessly to defeat the Republicans' presumptive nominee, Sanders promised to fight for the ideals of his own campaign through to the end--including the Democratic National Committee (DNC) convention in July.
Sanders mentioned some of his signature campaign platforms, including addressing the issue of poverty in a wealthy country, the cost of college education, and rising economic inequality between the middle class and the billionaire elite.
"These are the issues that we will take to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia at the end of July," Sanders said. Watch his statement below:
Regarding Trump, Sanders said the real estate mogul "would be a disaster as president of the United States. It is unbelievable to me...that the Republican Party would have a candidate for president who, in the year 2016, makes bigotry and discrimination the cornerstone of his campaign."
"The American people will not vote for or tolerate [a candidate] who insults Mexicans and Latinos, who insults Muslims, who insults African-Americans, and women," Sanders said. "I'm going to do everything in my power, I am going to work as hard as I can, to make sure Donald Trump will not become president of the United States."
And, while the Vermont senator said he had spoken with Clinton to offer congratulations on her campaign, he reiterated that the race was not over until it was over--and that also meant waiting for the final results from the June 7 contest.
"I look forward to the full counting of the votes in California, which I suspect will show a much closer vote than the current vote tally," he said.
He also assured supporters he would be competing in the Washington, D.C. primary on June 14--the final nominating contest--and added that he supports statehood for the district, which has a similar amount of residents to his adopted home state of Vermont.
But he concluded with a hint toward Democratic Party's so-called 'unity' that many in the establishment have blamed Sanders for impeding, saying he looks forward to meeting with Clinton in the near future "to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and create a government that works for all of us, and not just the one percent."
Following the press conference, Sanders continued on to meetings with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other elected officials.
Obama's video endorsement of Clinton follows:
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
After an hour-long meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday afternoon, Bernie Sanders spoke briefly to reporters outside the White House pledging that his campaign will continue the "political revolution" and encouraged his supporters not to give up on the key issues that have raised their political passions.
Just minutes later, the Hillary Clinton campaign released a video of Obama offering his official endorsement of the former secretary of state.
Those speculating that Sanders might concede after rival Hillary Clinton won the California primary on Tuesday, clearing the path for her to take the Democratic nomination, were proven wrong. Even as Sanders warned of the "disaster" of a Donald Trump presidency and vowed to work tirelessly to defeat the Republicans' presumptive nominee, Sanders promised to fight for the ideals of his own campaign through to the end--including the Democratic National Committee (DNC) convention in July.
Sanders mentioned some of his signature campaign platforms, including addressing the issue of poverty in a wealthy country, the cost of college education, and rising economic inequality between the middle class and the billionaire elite.
"These are the issues that we will take to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia at the end of July," Sanders said. Watch his statement below:
Regarding Trump, Sanders said the real estate mogul "would be a disaster as president of the United States. It is unbelievable to me...that the Republican Party would have a candidate for president who, in the year 2016, makes bigotry and discrimination the cornerstone of his campaign."
"The American people will not vote for or tolerate [a candidate] who insults Mexicans and Latinos, who insults Muslims, who insults African-Americans, and women," Sanders said. "I'm going to do everything in my power, I am going to work as hard as I can, to make sure Donald Trump will not become president of the United States."
And, while the Vermont senator said he had spoken with Clinton to offer congratulations on her campaign, he reiterated that the race was not over until it was over--and that also meant waiting for the final results from the June 7 contest.
"I look forward to the full counting of the votes in California, which I suspect will show a much closer vote than the current vote tally," he said.
He also assured supporters he would be competing in the Washington, D.C. primary on June 14--the final nominating contest--and added that he supports statehood for the district, which has a similar amount of residents to his adopted home state of Vermont.
But he concluded with a hint toward Democratic Party's so-called 'unity' that many in the establishment have blamed Sanders for impeding, saying he looks forward to meeting with Clinton in the near future "to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and create a government that works for all of us, and not just the one percent."
Following the press conference, Sanders continued on to meetings with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other elected officials.
Obama's video endorsement of Clinton follows:
After an hour-long meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday afternoon, Bernie Sanders spoke briefly to reporters outside the White House pledging that his campaign will continue the "political revolution" and encouraged his supporters not to give up on the key issues that have raised their political passions.
Just minutes later, the Hillary Clinton campaign released a video of Obama offering his official endorsement of the former secretary of state.
Those speculating that Sanders might concede after rival Hillary Clinton won the California primary on Tuesday, clearing the path for her to take the Democratic nomination, were proven wrong. Even as Sanders warned of the "disaster" of a Donald Trump presidency and vowed to work tirelessly to defeat the Republicans' presumptive nominee, Sanders promised to fight for the ideals of his own campaign through to the end--including the Democratic National Committee (DNC) convention in July.
Sanders mentioned some of his signature campaign platforms, including addressing the issue of poverty in a wealthy country, the cost of college education, and rising economic inequality between the middle class and the billionaire elite.
"These are the issues that we will take to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia at the end of July," Sanders said. Watch his statement below:
Regarding Trump, Sanders said the real estate mogul "would be a disaster as president of the United States. It is unbelievable to me...that the Republican Party would have a candidate for president who, in the year 2016, makes bigotry and discrimination the cornerstone of his campaign."
"The American people will not vote for or tolerate [a candidate] who insults Mexicans and Latinos, who insults Muslims, who insults African-Americans, and women," Sanders said. "I'm going to do everything in my power, I am going to work as hard as I can, to make sure Donald Trump will not become president of the United States."
And, while the Vermont senator said he had spoken with Clinton to offer congratulations on her campaign, he reiterated that the race was not over until it was over--and that also meant waiting for the final results from the June 7 contest.
"I look forward to the full counting of the votes in California, which I suspect will show a much closer vote than the current vote tally," he said.
He also assured supporters he would be competing in the Washington, D.C. primary on June 14--the final nominating contest--and added that he supports statehood for the district, which has a similar amount of residents to his adopted home state of Vermont.
But he concluded with a hint toward Democratic Party's so-called 'unity' that many in the establishment have blamed Sanders for impeding, saying he looks forward to meeting with Clinton in the near future "to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump and create a government that works for all of us, and not just the one percent."
Following the press conference, Sanders continued on to meetings with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other elected officials.
Obama's video endorsement of Clinton follows:

