In New Leadership Role, Sanders To Mobilize Young, Working People 'Hurting Right Now'

[Donkees]

[font size="4"]"I want an open, democratic party — with a small 'd.' I want to hear the voices of working people, many of whom are hurting right now." — Sen. Bernie Sanders[/font]

Excerpts:

Sanders says he's convinced that a large majority of Americans support his views on raising the minimum wage, providing paid family leave, and taking aggressive action on climate change, immigration reform and free college tuition.

He says his job now is to mobilize this group.

"On all of those issues there is overwhelming support among the American people," Sanders explains, "and our job is to bring these people together. And I think the truth is the Democrats have not done a particularly good job in that respect. We have not been mobilizing people, organizing people at the grassroots level, and what I am trying to do right now is to change that."

Sanders was recently appointed to a leadership role in the Senate Democratic caucus. His official position is the "chair of outreach."


"One of the problems that the Democrats have had is they have not perceived the reality that, despite the fact we're better off today than we were eight years ago economically, there are millions of people who are working longer hours for low wages," says Sanders. "People who have seen a significant decline in their standard of living. We've got to stand with those people and take on the 1 percent, take on the billionaire class and create a government and an economy that works for people."

And Sanders thinks the Democratic Party needs major changes in order to be successful in the future.

"What has got to happen is we need a rethinking of how the Democratic Party functions," he says. "Because it's not just the loss of the White House, it is the loss of the Senate, it is the loss of the House of Representatives, it is the loss of some two-thirds of statehouses throughout this country."

Sanders says he plans to travel around the country in the coming months getting his message out to as many people as possible.

http://digital.vpr.net/post/new-leadership-role-sanders-mobilize-young-working-people-hurting-right-now#stream/0

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. THIS is why I absolutely LOVE Bernie! He fuckin gets it!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!