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A sign at the #OurFirstStand rally in Warren, Michigan. (Photo: @cmulax16/Twitter)
Nationwide Rallies Are #OurFirstStand Against GOP Assault on Healthcare
Watch Bernie Sanders at Michigan rally to save Medicare, Medicaid, and Planned Parenthood
Jan 15, 2017
Rallies to protect critical healthcare safety net programs took place nationwide on Sunday, on the heels of a week that saw those very programs placed squarely in Republican crosshairs.
| #OurFirstStand Tweets |
Spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the #OurFirstStand events hope to be "a major show of grassroots support" for programs including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as the at-risk organization Planned Parenthood.
And the demonstrations aim to highlight President-elect Donald Trump's campaign trail promises not to place such critical initiatives at risk--pledges the GOP seems happy to ignore.
"If Mr. Trump allows the Republican Party to go ahead with its plans, it will dismantle the healthcare system and jeopardize the economic security of millions of Americans," Sanders said. "Our message to the Republicans is simple and straightforward. You are not going to get away with it. You are not going to punish the elderly, disabled veterans, the children, the sick, and the poor while you reward your billionaire friends."
Sanders and Schumer were scheduled to attend a large #OurFirstStand rally in Warren, Michigan--one expected to be so well-attended that it had to be moved to a larger venue.
Watch the Michigan rally live below:
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Rallies to protect critical healthcare safety net programs took place nationwide on Sunday, on the heels of a week that saw those very programs placed squarely in Republican crosshairs.
| #OurFirstStand Tweets |
Spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the #OurFirstStand events hope to be "a major show of grassroots support" for programs including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as the at-risk organization Planned Parenthood.
And the demonstrations aim to highlight President-elect Donald Trump's campaign trail promises not to place such critical initiatives at risk--pledges the GOP seems happy to ignore.
"If Mr. Trump allows the Republican Party to go ahead with its plans, it will dismantle the healthcare system and jeopardize the economic security of millions of Americans," Sanders said. "Our message to the Republicans is simple and straightforward. You are not going to get away with it. You are not going to punish the elderly, disabled veterans, the children, the sick, and the poor while you reward your billionaire friends."
Sanders and Schumer were scheduled to attend a large #OurFirstStand rally in Warren, Michigan--one expected to be so well-attended that it had to be moved to a larger venue.
Watch the Michigan rally live below:
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.
Rallies to protect critical healthcare safety net programs took place nationwide on Sunday, on the heels of a week that saw those very programs placed squarely in Republican crosshairs.
| #OurFirstStand Tweets |
Spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the #OurFirstStand events hope to be "a major show of grassroots support" for programs including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as the at-risk organization Planned Parenthood.
And the demonstrations aim to highlight President-elect Donald Trump's campaign trail promises not to place such critical initiatives at risk--pledges the GOP seems happy to ignore.
"If Mr. Trump allows the Republican Party to go ahead with its plans, it will dismantle the healthcare system and jeopardize the economic security of millions of Americans," Sanders said. "Our message to the Republicans is simple and straightforward. You are not going to get away with it. You are not going to punish the elderly, disabled veterans, the children, the sick, and the poor while you reward your billionaire friends."
Sanders and Schumer were scheduled to attend a large #OurFirstStand rally in Warren, Michigan--one expected to be so well-attended that it had to be moved to a larger venue.
Watch the Michigan rally live below:
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