Sen. Bernie Sanders at last week's People's Rally in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Lorie Shaull/flickr/cc)
Nov 22, 2016
As he tours the U.S. in the wake of Donald Trump's devastating electoral victory this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is using his growing influence within the Democratic Party and among the voting population at-large to outline how the country can prevent slipping backward and in fact can move forward--even with Republicans soon in control of both the White House and Congress.
"We can beat this guy. We can beat this agenda," the one-time Democratic presidential contender told a sold-out crowd at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Sunday. "But we have to do it in a way that we have never done it before, and it's essentially reaching out to people who do not or may not agree with us on every single issue. We have got to bring people together because we are fighting for the future of this country."
He similarly urged a crowd in South Portland, Maine on Monday: "No, you're not going to give up. You're going to fight back and mobilize."
As for what that mobilization might look like, Sanders offered some clues in an interview with PBS Newshour that aired Monday night. The senator from Vemont said the future the Democratic Party and a progressive agenda must be focused on challenging the interests of the elites while advocating on behalf of everyday Americans and the working-class.
"The bottom line," Sanders said, "is you cannot be a party which takes money from Wall Street, which is not strong on the pharmaceutical industry, which is ripping us off every day, which is not strong on health care in taking on the insurance companies, which has not shown a desire to stand up and fight the economic establishment, and then tell working families that you are on their side. People see through that."
In a separate interview with GQ magazine published Tuesday, Sanders elaborated on how doubling down on such concerns will also help hold Trump accountable:
But what we are working on right now is to transform the Democratic Party. I will introduce legislation that will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Mr. Trump talks about his concern about working families. I look forward to him supporting it. I am going to introduce legislation--I or somebody else, it's not just me--demanding pay equity for women workers. I hope Mr. Trump supports that. We're going to have very definitive legislation on infrastructure. I hope Trump supports that. Trade policy, Trump based his whole campaign on trade.
"It's not a question of us working with Trump," Sanders said. "It's a question of Trump working with us."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
As he tours the U.S. in the wake of Donald Trump's devastating electoral victory this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is using his growing influence within the Democratic Party and among the voting population at-large to outline how the country can prevent slipping backward and in fact can move forward--even with Republicans soon in control of both the White House and Congress.
"We can beat this guy. We can beat this agenda," the one-time Democratic presidential contender told a sold-out crowd at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Sunday. "But we have to do it in a way that we have never done it before, and it's essentially reaching out to people who do not or may not agree with us on every single issue. We have got to bring people together because we are fighting for the future of this country."
He similarly urged a crowd in South Portland, Maine on Monday: "No, you're not going to give up. You're going to fight back and mobilize."
As for what that mobilization might look like, Sanders offered some clues in an interview with PBS Newshour that aired Monday night. The senator from Vemont said the future the Democratic Party and a progressive agenda must be focused on challenging the interests of the elites while advocating on behalf of everyday Americans and the working-class.
"The bottom line," Sanders said, "is you cannot be a party which takes money from Wall Street, which is not strong on the pharmaceutical industry, which is ripping us off every day, which is not strong on health care in taking on the insurance companies, which has not shown a desire to stand up and fight the economic establishment, and then tell working families that you are on their side. People see through that."
In a separate interview with GQ magazine published Tuesday, Sanders elaborated on how doubling down on such concerns will also help hold Trump accountable:
But what we are working on right now is to transform the Democratic Party. I will introduce legislation that will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Mr. Trump talks about his concern about working families. I look forward to him supporting it. I am going to introduce legislation--I or somebody else, it's not just me--demanding pay equity for women workers. I hope Mr. Trump supports that. We're going to have very definitive legislation on infrastructure. I hope Trump supports that. Trade policy, Trump based his whole campaign on trade.
"It's not a question of us working with Trump," Sanders said. "It's a question of Trump working with us."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
As he tours the U.S. in the wake of Donald Trump's devastating electoral victory this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is using his growing influence within the Democratic Party and among the voting population at-large to outline how the country can prevent slipping backward and in fact can move forward--even with Republicans soon in control of both the White House and Congress.
"We can beat this guy. We can beat this agenda," the one-time Democratic presidential contender told a sold-out crowd at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Sunday. "But we have to do it in a way that we have never done it before, and it's essentially reaching out to people who do not or may not agree with us on every single issue. We have got to bring people together because we are fighting for the future of this country."
He similarly urged a crowd in South Portland, Maine on Monday: "No, you're not going to give up. You're going to fight back and mobilize."
As for what that mobilization might look like, Sanders offered some clues in an interview with PBS Newshour that aired Monday night. The senator from Vemont said the future the Democratic Party and a progressive agenda must be focused on challenging the interests of the elites while advocating on behalf of everyday Americans and the working-class.
"The bottom line," Sanders said, "is you cannot be a party which takes money from Wall Street, which is not strong on the pharmaceutical industry, which is ripping us off every day, which is not strong on health care in taking on the insurance companies, which has not shown a desire to stand up and fight the economic establishment, and then tell working families that you are on their side. People see through that."
In a separate interview with GQ magazine published Tuesday, Sanders elaborated on how doubling down on such concerns will also help hold Trump accountable:
But what we are working on right now is to transform the Democratic Party. I will introduce legislation that will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Mr. Trump talks about his concern about working families. I look forward to him supporting it. I am going to introduce legislation--I or somebody else, it's not just me--demanding pay equity for women workers. I hope Mr. Trump supports that. We're going to have very definitive legislation on infrastructure. I hope Trump supports that. Trade policy, Trump based his whole campaign on trade.
"It's not a question of us working with Trump," Sanders said. "It's a question of Trump working with us."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.