Bernie Sanders at Liberty University.

[Warren Stupidity]

It has been stated here that:

Sanders wants Trump supporters to back him. He also wants Liberty University students to back him. Trump supporters are racist bigots and the others are fundies. Sanders is not selling social justice to these folks. It's as if social justice is a take it or leave it proposition to him.

That is either an uninformed pile of horseshit or an outright lie.
Here is a partial transcript of that speech (from DKOS):

This isn't a full transcript but will give you the gist. He killed it!

"Too often in our country, and I think both sides are responsible... there is too much shouting, making fun of each other. It is easy to go out and talk to people who agree with you. I was in NC last night, most of those people agree with me. THat is easy to do. It is harder but not less important for us to try and communicate with those who do not agree with us on every issue. And it is important to see where if possible and I do believe it is possible, where we can find common ground. "

Liberty U is a religious school obviously. All of you are proud of that. (cheers). You are a school which as all of us in our own way tries to understand to understand the meaning of morality. What does it mean to live a moral life? And you try and understand how in this modern world, what the words of the bible mean in today's society. You are a school which tries to teach its students how to behave with decency and with honesty and how you can best relate to your fellow human beings. And I applaud you for trying to achieve those goals.

It goes without saying
that I am far from being a perfect human being. But I am motivated by a vision which manifests in all great religions. And that vision is so beautifully and clearly stated in Matthews (?) 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. That is the the golden rule. Do unto others what you would have them do to you. It is not very complicated. Let me be frank as I said a moment ago. I understand that the issues of abortion and gay marriage are issues you feel very strongly about. We disagree on these issues. But let me suggest that there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and the entire world that maybe, just maybe we do not disagree on. And maybe, just maybe, we can try to work together to resolve them.

Justice is treating others the way we want to be treated. Like we want to be treated. No matter their race, their color, their stature in life with respect and with dignity. Now here is my point, some of you may or may not agree with me. In my view it would be hard for anyone in this room today to make the case that the united states of America, our great country, a country which we all love, it would be hard to make a case that we are a just society, or anything resembling a just society today.

All of the wealth is going to the top 1 percent. That is the truth. We are living in a time, and I want all of you would to put this in context of the bible not me, we are living in a time when a handful of people have wealth beyond comprehension. 10's of billions of dollars. Enough to support their families for thousands of years with yachts and jet planes. More money than they would ever know what to do with. But at that very same moment there are millions of people in our country, let alone the rest of the world who are struggling to feed their families. They are struggling to put a roof over their heads and some are sleeping on the streets. They are struggling to find money in order to go to a doctor when they are sick. When we talk about morality, and when we talk about justice we have to in my view, understand that there is no justice when so few have so much and so many have so little.

There is no justice and I want you to hear this clearly when the top one tenth of one percent today in America owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%. And in your hearts you will have to determine the morality of that and the justice of that. In my view there is no justice when here in Virginia and in Vermont and all over this country millions of people are working long hours for low wages of 7.25 an hour, 8 an hour...working hard but unable to bring in enough money to feed their kids. And at that same time 58% of all new income generated is going to the top 1%. YOU have got to think about the morality. The justice of that. And whether or not that is what we want to see in our country. In my view there is no justice when in recent years we have seen a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires while at the same time the USA has the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country on earth. How can we? I want you to go into your hearts. How can we talk about morality, about justice when we turn our backs on the children of our country.

You have got to think about it are you content, do you think its moral that 20 percent of the children in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, are living in poverty. Do you think it is acceptable that 40% of African American children are living in poverty. In my view there is no justice and morality suffers when in our wealthy country when millions of children go to bed hungry. That is not morality.

There is no justice when 15 people in this country in the last 2 years, saw their wealth increase by a hundred and seventy billion dollars. Two years. My friends that is more wealth acquired in a two year period than is owned by the bottom 130 million Americans. And while the very rich become much richer, millions of families have no savings at all. Nothing in the bank. They worry everyday if their car breaks down, they cannot get to work and if they cant get to work they lose their jobs. They cant feed their families. In the last two years 15 people saw a hundred seventy billion dollar increase. That is not justice, that is a rigged economy designed by the wealthiest people in this country to benefit the wealthiest in this country at the expense of everybody else.

In my view there is no justice when thousands of Americans die every single year because they do not have any health insurance and do not go to a doctor when they should. I have talked to doctors personally and without exception there are times when patients walk into their office when sick, and when asked why they didn't come sooner, they said they didn't have insurance and thought the problem would get better. And sometimes it does not, and sometimes they die. That is not justice, that is not morality. People should not be dying in the USA when they are sick.

What that is, is an indication that we are the only major country on earth that does not guarantee healthcare to all people as a right. And I think we should change that. I think that when we talk about morality what we are talking about are all of gods children, the poor, the wretched, they have the right to go to a doctor when they are sick.

I am not a theologian, an expert on the bible, nor am I a catholic. I am just a US senator from the small state of Vermont but I agree with Pope Francis who will soon be coming to visit us in the United States, I agree with Francis when he says "the current financial crisis originated in a profound human crisis. The denial of the primacy of the human person. We have created new idols the worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the ideology of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose"

he also writes:

'there is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce an economic return to benefit everyone. Money has to serve, not to rule'.

Those are pretty profound words which I hope we will all think about. In the popes view and I agree, we are living in a nation and a world, and the bible speaks to this issue. In a nation and a world that worships not love of brothers and sisters, not love of the poor and the sick, but worships the acquisition of money and great wealth. I do not believe that is the country we should be living in. Money and wealth should serve the people. The people should not have to serve money and wealth.

Throughout human history there has been endless discussion, it is part of who we are as human beings. endless discussion of the meaning of justice and the meaning of morality. And I know that here at Liberty U those are the kinds of discussions you have every day. Those are the discussions you should be having. We should be having all over America.

I would hope, and I conclude with this thought. I would hope very much that as part of that discussion some of you will conclude that if we are honest in striving to be a moral and just society it is imperative that we have the courage to stand with the poor. With working people. And when necessary take on very wealth and powerful people whose greed is doing this country enormous harm.

Thank you all very much.

In regards to the issues we have commonality on.. how do we get there?

"If you were elected president what would you do to bring healing and resolution to racism in our country?"

Bernie: That is an excellent question and I thank you for it. I would hope and believe that every person in this room understands it is unacceptable to judge, discriminate against people based on the color of their skin. And I would also say that as a nation the truth is, a nation that in many ways that was created, and iI'm sorry to have to say this.. on racist principles, we have come a long way. In 2008 this country took a huge step forward in voting for a candidate based on his ideas and not the color of his skin and whether you like him or not, and I do, that is a step forward for America.

But let me also say what everyone here knows, and my thoughts just returning from SC, we all know to what degree racism remains alive in this country. I cannot understand how a sick man can walk into a bible study class, discuss the bible, pray with people in the room and then take out a gun and kill them because of the color of their skin. I cannot understand for the life of me how their can be hundreds of groups in this country whose soul reason for existence is to promote hatred. They say join us so we can hate. Gays, Africans, Jews, anyone different.

Let us be clear, that when you have unarmed African Americans shot by police officers something which has been going on, that is also institutional racism and cries out for reform. I am a former mayor who has worked closely with police officers, the majority are honest and do a very good job. But when a police officers breaks the law, as in the case with any other official, that officer must be held accountable. That's justice. There is a lot to be done in regards to the criminal justice system. I think what we have to do is when we see instances of racism, when we hear political leaders appealing to the worst elements of us by making racist attacks on other people we have to stand up and say we are not going to do that, racism is unacceptable.

[beam me up scottie]

1. K & R!

I'm so tired of that lie, Bernie stood up for us at Liberty.

He always stands up for us.

[arcane1]

2. Exactly. There is an enormous difference between winning people over and pandering to them.

Many here want to pretend he's doing the latter, but they all know better. Every last one of them.

[Cali_Democrat]

3. Bernie getting desperate

He can't expand his support within the Democratic Party so he's reaching out to Trump supporters and other conservatives.

I don't think it will work. There isn't a lot of time between now and the Iowa caucuses.

The Bernie Sanders Campaign Has A Plan To Steal Voters From Donald Trump
Dec. 29, 2015, at 6:59 p.m.

All the Democratic presidential candidates love bashing Trump, but for the Sanders campaign, it’s not just a play for headlines. It’s a plan to poach white, working-class voters.

MUSCATINE, Iowa — In the days before Christmas, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders criss-crossed some of the reddest parts of Iowa looking for Donald Trump voters, especially men, to join his progressive political crusade.

<...>

But for Sanders, aides say, the fight with Trump is about a central plank of Sanders’ campaign. It’s not often these days that one hears a Democratic politician make a direct play for older white male voters, but for Sanders, it’s becoming an increasing part of his rallying cry.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/the-bernie-sanders-campaign-has-a-plan-to-steal-voters-from#.bmlWWQODR

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Thanks for kicking this thread!

You do understand that the election, the general election, will be won by the party that convinces more voters to vote for their candidate than the other candidate, right?

Oh never mind. Of course you do. Carry on with the horseshit. It's not even amusing, it isn't clever enough.

[Cali_Democrat]

8. "Carry on with the horseshit"

You represent your candidate well.

[Vinca]

20. I'm afraid they don't consider that.

She could be in real trouble if Bernie supporters don't show up. Most will because we always vote no matter what, but some are not going to be inspired and won't bother. She needs Obama-like participation to win. GOP voters might be 99% idiots, but they're motivated idiots.

[roguevalley]

16. you don't seem to sense your own words.

why not speak up your candidate without trying to push memes that fall this flat about the others? It might make people loathe Clinton less in future.

[dragonlady]

11. Welcome to DU!

[Jackilope]

14. + 100. Nicely stated.

[pnwmom]

18. There are plenty of Independent and moderate Repub WOMEN

who will vote for Hillary.

Just as many as the gun-toters who might vote for Bernie.

[pnwmom]

21. Good luck getting a high vote among minorities and women once they realize

that they're in a boat full of former Trump supporters.

[libdem4life]

4. I don't see anything particularly out of order...great speech. Lots of great people at Liberty U.

Not all bigots...that is hogwash. Bernie's unwillingness to participate in our Political Oligarchy (they all take bushels of money from the same places) is his most important message.

And yes, this message appeals to all races, all religions, not all classes...just the disappearing middle class. And those kids know it. No one gets everything they want in a candidate, so I think his appearance there was a stroke of mastery of the human spirit. At the end of the day, that is what we are talking about...how the human spirit is blessed or cursed...and money has a whole bunch to do with it.

[Qutzupalotl]

5. Bernie's message to Donald Trump:

"I have a message for Donald Trump: No, we're not going to hate Latinos. We're not going to hate Muslims. We are going to stand together." — Sen. Bernie Sanders

[emulatorloo]

9. Thanks for posting this. K&R

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Here are Bernie's opening at Liberty and Hillary's opening at Rick Warren's Church in 2007

Bernie:
"Thank you, President Falwell and David. Thank you very much for inviting my wife, Jane, and me to be with you even this morning. We appreciate the invitation very much.
And let me start off by acknowledging what I think all of you already know. And that is the views that many here at Liberty University have and I, on a number of important issues, are very, very different. I believe in a woman's rights....
And the right of a woman to control her own body.
I believe gay rights and gay marriage.
Those are my views, and it is no secret. But I came here today, because I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse."

Hillary:
"Well I am so honored and personally delighted to be here, and I want to thank Rick and Kay Warren for bringing us together this week around World AIDS Day. And I want to thank their tremendous staff and the volunteers and everyone who helped make this happen. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share our commitment about dealing with the global scourge of HIV/AIDS.

I also want to recognize two first ladies: the first lady of Zambia and the first lady of Rwanda. I am delighted that they are here representing their countries and their people.

And first, [applause] let me first say how relieved Bill and I were to hear that Saddleback was spared from the recent wildfires - and how impressed and moved we were to hear about the love and support that you gave those who were not so fortunate.

It's another example of the way in which this church is not measured by numbers. Yes, the numbers are big, they're certainly impressive. But it's measured by your impact. It's measured by the meaning that you give to lives here within this complex and so far beyond its boundaries. And the commitment that you demonstrate both to our faith in God and to doing His work here on earth is exemplary and that is one of the many reasons that I wanted to be here today.

You know, Rick has helped so many people with his lessons for a 40-day spiritual journey. But he knows those 40 days are just the beginning. My own faith journey is approaching a half a century, and I know how far I still have to go."

It's a 'World AID Day' speech. She will eventually get around to saying 'gay' 4 times in the speech, mostly by way of excusing the faith community for being so bigoted in the early days of AIDS.

Bernie- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/14/bernie-sanders-liberty-university-speech-annotated/
Hillary: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=77080S

[Live and Learn]

13. K&R nt

[Akamai]

15. A Pastor listening there at Liberty University was moved to post a very insightful response.

From https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/3l4khz/transcript_of_biblical_argument_for_bernie_by_jim/ at Reddit.com.

Bernie sure brings out the best in people!


"... When I was watching Bernie Sanders talk at Liberty University, I was just really shocked, and something kind of magical happened for me, because as I watched that guy stand up on that stage, here’s what I saw. I saw a wild-haired Jew crying out in a hoarse voice, in a very forceful and forth-speaking way, he was convicting the Christian leaders and religious leaders in that University and calling us out for being complicit in the abandonment of those who suffer: “The least of these.” And siding with the powerful and the rich and the masters of this world. And he was convicting us, and calling us out. And we scorned him, and we stared him down, and with sour faces we thought, “Who is this whacko? And why do all these people seem to follow him, seem to like him? This wild-haired Jew, crying out from the wilderness of the political Left, in his hoarse voice?”

"And if you’re an Evangelical listening to me today, you already know where I’m going with this. When I heard Bernie speaking in that way, when I saw that guy on stage at Liberty University, I saw John the Baptist. I saw the wild-haired, roughly-clothed John the Baptist, eating honey and wearing camel’s hair, and crying out to the religious leaders, the Pharisees of his day, calling them corrupt and complicit with those who have all the power and all the money and all the wealth, and for abandoning the people that God loves, that God cares about. For the Pharisees, who were siding with those who already have power and wealth and saying that they will be the last in the Kingdom of God, and that the weak, and the meek, and the simple, and those who need help—they are first in the Kingdom of God.

"And I saw that guy, that John the Baptist figure, who is standing up and saying “There is coming a messenger, there is coming a messenger who will bring equity and justice to the poor, and to the weak, and who will stand for ’the least of these.’” That’s the wild-haired Jew that I saw up on that stage. I saw, and felt, the same voice coming from the Bible when I read about John the Baptist, who cried out in the desert to the Pharisees, warning them that Jesus was coming, the messenger of God. And that he was coming to restore justice, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and to value ’the least of these’ when the Pharisees had failed.

"And as I heard Bernie talking, and as I listened to his cries for justice, I remembered, suddenly, what Jesus had actually said in the Book of Luke, when he unravels the scroll in the synagogue, and he quotes the Book of Isaiah, which says that the Son of God was coming. And then he says, “This has been fulfilled in your presence here today.” He quotes the book of Isaiah which says that the Son of God is coming to bring justice, and Jesus says “it is now come to pass in your presence.” And he says, “I have come to bring Gospel to the poor.”

"Gospel—is that word we Evangelical Christians have based everything on. Gospel means ‘good news.’ And Jesus said “I have come to bring good news to the poor.” To restore sight to the blind, to stand with the suffering, to set the captives free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

"Whoa.

"As I heard Bernie Sanders crying out to the religious leaders at Liberty University, in his hoarse voice, with his wild hair, this Jew, and he proclaimed justice over us. He called us to account for being complicit with those who are wealthy and those who are powerful and for abandoning the poor, ‘the least of these’ who Jesus said he had come to bring good news to. And in that moment, something occurred to me, as I saw Bernie Sanders up there, as I watched him I realized: Bernie Sanders, for President, is good news for the poor. Bernie Sanders for President is good news for the poor. Bernie Sanders is Gospel for the poor. And Jesus said, “I have come to bring Gospel—good news—to the poor.”

"And lightning hit my heart in that moment. And I realized that we are Evangelical Christians, that we believe the Bible. We believe in Jesus. We absolutely shun those who attempt to find nuance and twisted and tortured interpretation of scripture that they would use to master all other broader interpretations, to find some kind of big message that they want to flout. We absolutely scorn such things. And yet somehow, we commit to the mental gymnastics necessary that allows us to abandon ‘the least of these,’ to abandon the poor, to abandon the immigrants, to abandon those who are in prison. I listened to Bernie Sanders, as he said he wanted to welcome the immigrants and give them dignity. As he said he wanted to care for the sick children, and mothers, and fathers, who do not have health care. As he said he wanted to decrease the amount of human beings who are corralled like cattle in the prisons. As he said he wanted to do justice for those who have nothing and live homeless. And I remembered the words of Jesus, who warned his disciples that there will be judgment, and on that day he will look to his friends, and he will say ‘Blessed are you, for you cared for me, for I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick, and you cared for me; I was hungry, and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was in prison, and you came to visit me; I was homeless, and you gave me shelter.” And the disciples said, “Jesus, when did we do any of those things for you?” And he said, “If you have done it for ‘the least of these,’ you have done it for me.”

"And those words echoed in my heart. As I listened to that crazy, hoarse-voiced, wild-haired Jew, standing in front of the religious leaders of the Evangelical movement, calling us to account, as a Jew once did before. Telling us that he intends to care for ‘the least of these.’ To clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, to care for the sick, to set the prisoners free.

"Yes. I am an Evangelical Christian. I believe in the Bible. I follow Jesus. When I look at Bernie Sanders, and I hear the things that he’s saying, it’s like he’s ripping them out of the pages of scripture. I would have to try to avoid the meaning of those words. I would have to bury my head in the sand to continue to support conservative policies. I am religiously conservative but I am not politically so.

"And I think here is the heart and soul of it:

"When we chose to follow Jesus, we decided that the Kingdom of God, and the men and women and children of this world, were more important than us. And that accidentally made us all liberals. The day we decided to follow Christ, and the day we decided that we value other human beings more than ourselves, we accidentally became liberals.

"And so there is no contradiction between being a Bible-believing Christian and a Bernie Sanders supporter.

"I follow the teachings of Christ: to care for ‘the least of these.’ And I believe that just as John the Baptist once cried out in the desert for justice, and called the religious establishment to account, and hearkened unto the day that Jesus would walk among us, and declare equity and justice and good news for the poor; and just as that day came, that Jesus stood in front of the multitudes at the religious institution and said “I have come to bring gospel to the poor,” I believe that Bernie Sanders now stands in front of us, wild-haired and hoarse-voiced, and he now declares justice for the poor. He declares good news for ‘the least of these.’ He has come to bring gospel. And I wouldn’t be much of a Christian if I didn’t stand on the side of gospel for the poor. Because the last time I checked, that’s where my master Jesus stood, and I’ll stand with him. And for now, that means I stand with Bernie Sanders."

[Fuddnik]

17. That, folks, IS the next President of the United States!

Accept no imposters!

[Uncle Joe]

23. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Warren Stupidity.