Thousands show up for Sanders health care rally in Michigan

[uhnope]

Source: NBC


WARREN, Mich. (AP) - Thousands of people are showing up for a rally in suburban Detroit where U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will speak in support of President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

It is one of several rallies around the country by Democrats ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. Trump has promised a speedy repeal and replacement of the law that was one of Obama's proudest achievements.

People were lined up four abreast for the length of 3 or 4 football fiends waiting to get in to the rally Sunday in a parking lot at Macomb Community College in Warren.

Read more: http://www.nbc-2.com/story/34264548/thousands-show-up-for-sanders-health-care-rally-in-michigan

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[HassleCat]

1. Reaching out to Trump voters

Health care may be the right issue to make people realize they voted for the wrong person. Not all of these people will be nice people, of course. Some will be bigots. Many will be selfish assholes, angry only because they got screwed, not somebody else. We will not necessarily enjoy hanging around with them, but we could use their votes. Can we hold our noses and refrain from calling them racist swine, etc?

[George II]

2. It is Schumer's rally

[karynnj]

3. It is Sanders rally too -- and it was by many accounts, Sanders' idea to do rallies across the

country NOW. Note that SANDERS has long enlisted grassroots actions - that is really not where Schumer comes from. The important thing is that Schumer is on board. Note that Schumer GAVE Sanders the leadership position to push things like this.

Not to mention, SANDERS gets more people out throughout the country the company than Schumer could. Obviously, Schumer has the leadership program and is more powerful in DC. Oddly, Sanders is in the position that Clinton would have been in in 2009 had she stayed in the country --- a bigger Democratic voice than her status as a junior Senator would have given her without the support gained in the election.

I just went to the Burlington, VT rally that had over 1000 people.

[murielm99]

6. George is right.

It was Schumer's rally, and it only featured INDEPENDENT Senator Sanders. Labor unions were quite visible there, too. Was it a labor union rally?

[karynnj]

7. Did you look at the live feed -- where it said Senator Sanders, Schumer etc ....

Sanders was the person who called for the rally. Vermont's lt Governor credited Sanders at the Burlington rally.

Yes Sanders is independent, but what does that have to do with anything.

[George II]

8. "long enlisted grassroots actions"? He's only been known nationally for less than a year....

...and there's not much opportunity for "grassroots actions" in a state where about 300,000 people vote for Senator.

Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader, and he's at the rally too. He's essentially Sanders' "boss".

So now you're faulting Clinton for taking the all-important job of Secretary of State following the disastrous foreign policy debacle of george bush?

[karynnj]

10. Yeah, but he was KNOWN in Vt, and before that in Burlington, VT

Actually the people of Vermont are his boss. Schumer is absolutely not Sanders "boss" - nor the boss of any Senator. The legislature is NOT the same as the executive branch where the President really is the boss.

I am not faulting Clinton for taking the job as Secretary of State! That is the strangest interpretation of what I wrote. My point was almost the opposite. Do you think that in 2009, had Clinton returned to the Senate - in the beginning of her second term, too junior to even be chair of an important committee, given the seniority situation then - would be less a "get" at a rally than Harry Reid? The point was that Sanders became far better known outside VT because he ran for President.

[George II]

11. Oh my.....

Where do I begin?

First, in the job that YOU said Schumer gave him, Schumer is his "boss", and I said "essentially" - in their relative positions and serving in the outreach position, Sanders is the "subordinate" of Schumer, who can replace him if he feels the need.

Second, in 2009 Hillary Clinton was entering her third year of her second term as Senator, not the beginning of her second term. She'd already served eight years in the Senate. In fact, she served in the Senate only two years less than Sanders has served as of this month - 8 years versus 10 years.

Third, being "known" in Burlington Vermont (population ~35,000 when he was Mayor) and the State of Vermont (population ~625,000 second least only to Wyoming) certainly isn't being known nationally. Bill DiBlasio of NYC is mayor in a community with a population 13 times that of the entire state of Vermont.

Finally, you said "Sanders is in the position that Clinton would have been in in 2009 had she stayed in the country", which most would take as a criticism of her accepting the Cabinet post of Secretary of State instead of remaining Senator of New York. Certainly being the Secretary of State one is not fleeing the country!

[karynnj]

12. The point was that on NONE of the committees Clinton was on was she the most senior member.

Bernie actually is the ranking member of the budget committee. The difference is that there were more Democrats with many years of seniority in 2009 than now.

The size of Vermont is not the issue -- the point is that, like most of New England, there is a culture where there is far more grassroot politics than in most other areas. The fact is Bernie is known for how easy is it to get access to speak to him and he is known for the town halls he had all over the state. This is NOT the case for most politicians in either NY or NJ.

I had intended to write in the Senate.

[demmiblue]

9. Ignore them... this movement started with Sanders.

They are just stuck in the primaries.

[NWCorona]

5. Who's paying for the rallies?

[Raven123]

4. This is exactly what we need

Dems need to strategically employ rallies as needed to attract attention and garner support for the causes with which we identify. Avoid taking the bait from DT. He who who cannot coherently address issues reflexively attacks the messengers. Think about that, stay alert and be ready for anything. It is going to be a long 4 years till the next election for POTUS but a short 2 years until the next legislative election cycle. Remaining focused on the issues and the impact of GOP/POTUS policies are Democratic ways to win democratically.