Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke in unusually personal terms Saturday night about how his fight for the poor has been spurred by his own childhood, saying that there was “constant tension” between his parents over money.
“What I learned at a very young age was when you’re a kid and hear your parents yelling at each other it’s a very difficult and confusing thing,” the Democratic presidential candidate said at a forum at a Brooklyn Unitarian church, three days ahead of the crucial New York presidential primary.
That experience, Mr. Sanders said, makes him understand—and want to relieve—the financial struggles of families today who worry about paying for health care and college.
The Vermont senator has described his agenda countless times, but unlike other politicians, he rarely draws on his own experience, and certainly not in the raw personal way he did Saturday.
He began by recounting that his father, who worked most of his adult life as a paint salesman, had emigrated from Poland at age 17.
“For him, making the kind of low salary he made…was pretty good,” Mr. Sanders said. It was a steady income, he said, but: “My mother was born in this country and her dreams were bigger.”
He said she yearned for what everyone in his Brooklyn neighborhood called a “private home,” meaning a house, not the small apartment the family rented.
“That was a dream,” he said. “She died at the age of 46. She never achieved that dream.”
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders campaigned at a Universalist church in his hometown of Brooklyn on Saturday night, a “Faith and Social Justice Roundtable” moderated by a black intellectual, a Muslim activist and a woman rabbi.
Seeking to pierce Hillary Clinton’s firewall of black support in the final weekend before New York’s primary Tuesday, Sanders filled every pew of the First Unitarian Congregational Society nave in Brooklyn Heights with a multiracial audience of supporters who chanted “Bernie! Bernie!”
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the Black Lives Matter movement,” Sanders said, assailing the United States for imprisoning the most people in the world, arresting more blacks for marijuana disproportionately to white use and being a place where “too often, police officers break the law with impunity.”
The race with front-runner Clinton, the former first lady and Obama administration secretary of state, in the Democratic battle is far closer than was expected when the U.S. senator from Vermont began his bid. Sanders has won eight of the last nine primary contests.
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Saturday night’s forum, which began just after 8 p.m., featured intellectual Cornel West and the Muslim activist Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. West and Sarsour are in Sanders’ camp.
Bernie Sanders scored a decisive victory Saturday in Colorado, taking a majority of the national delegates with a stronger-than-expected showing at a divided state Democratic convention.
The Vermont senator captured 41 delegates from the state's 78-member delegation, inching him closer to front-runner Hillary Clinton in what the campaign suggested is a larger shift in the presidential race.
The margin gives Sanders a clear hold on Colorado — enough to overcome Clinton's advantage among the state's dozen superdelegates.
"It definitely shows the trend for Bernie Sanders in the state of Colorado is still really strong," said state Rep. Joe Salazar, a top Sanders supporter. "I think he's trending toward a win for this presidential nomination."
The Sanders campaign won 63 percent in the presidential preference poll at the state convention in Loveland, where Democrats gathered amid a snowstorm that prevented hundreds from making the trip.
The vote represented an improvement on his 59 percent victory at the March 1 caucus and gave Sanders 15 of the 23 delegates available at the convention: two more than the initial Super Tuesday projections. Earlier, he claimed 26 delegates from seven congressional district conventions.
Mr. Sanders has long presented himself as an issues-oriented, plain-speaking politician from rural New England, now seeking the presidency with promise of a political revolution. But his combative side has now emerged as the Democratic race has tightened and Hillary Clinton has sharpened her own rhetoric.
The result is a far harsher tone in the Democratic campaign and a transformed Senator Sanders, who is now making the kinds of sharper-edged attacks that some of his advisers regretted he did not deploy sooner. But his aggressiveness also worries some supporters who were powerfully drawn to his positive persona that forswore politics as usual.
The senator’s assertiveness was on vivid display in Thursday’s debate with Mrs. Clinton ahead of the high-stakes New York primary on Tuesday, which Mr. Sanders must win big to dent Mrs. Clinton’s strong lead in the delegates needed for the nomination. But he is also seeking to match the vigorous jabs from her aides and allies, who ignored Mr. Sanders for much of last year and are now assailing his policy ideas and leadership abilities on a near-daily basis. His advisers say he is reacting to the New York political environment as well.
“Political combat is more restrained in places like Iowa and New Hampshire, but it’s completely different in New York, and Bernie has no problem defending his ideas in a tough way against Secretary Clinton’s,” said Tad Devine, a senior adviser for the Sanders campaign.
Mrs. Clinton is now trying to hold off Mr. Sanders while not alienating his supporters, whom she would need in the general election. But she is also refusing to back down, and their spiky clashes are suddenly making for a more explosive and unpredictable race.
More than anything, the recent Sanders broadsides reflect a political strategy he has carried out in previous campaigns: the use of blunt criticisms, sarcastic asides and a thundering style against his opponents.
Bernie Sanders supporters protested outside yet another George Clooney-hosted Hillary Clinton fundraiser this weekend.
Following a similar protest Friday night in San Francisco outside a fundraiser hosted by the actor at the home of a venture capitalist, supporters of the Democratic presidential hopeful gathered in Los Angeles, where they protested outside of the actor's Studio City home.
About 100 Sanders supporters -- who were part of a counter-fundraiser being held down the street at the home of Howard Gold, whose family founded the 99 Cents Only chain -- filled the street outside Clooney's home.
Tickets to the Clinton fundraiser, which was attended by about 150 supporters, started at $33,400. Co-hosts included Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw and Haim and Cheryl Saban.
Once Clinton's motorcade arrived, Sanders supporters held high signs that read "Feel the Bern! Only $27" -- a reference to the cost of the counter-fundraiser -- and "Goldman Sach's Loves Hillary. Feel the Bern." Some supporters also showered her motorcade with money, an apparent jab at Clinton's perceived close relationship with Wall Street.
The protesters then kicked off an impromptu dance party in the street, blasting music on a loud speaker and singing in unison the song "This Land is Your Land."
Actor and director George Clooney, a supporter of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, broke ranks over campaign financing on Saturday to condemn the "obscene" sums of money in U.S. politics and praised Clinton's chief political rival in the process.
Clooney made the remarks in an interview with NBC News' "Meet The Press" the day after he and his wife, Amal, hosted a fundraiser on Democratic Party hopeful Clinton's behalf Friday night with a price tag of up to $353,400 per couple.
"We had some protesters last night when we pulled up in San Francisco and they're right to protest. They're absolutely right. It is an obscene amount of money," Clooney said in excerpts released on Saturday. The interview will air on Sunday.
Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont and Clinton's rival in the race for the Democratic nomination to run for the White House in the Nov. 8 election, has pounced on former secretary of state Clinton over the big-ticket event and for accepting large sums of money for her campaign.
"The Sanders campaign when they talk about it is absolutely right. It's ridiculous that we should have this kind of money in politics. I agree completely," Clooney said.
The Capitol was packed with Bernie Sanders supporters earlier Saturday afternoon. People were handing out voting information on the Sanders campaign and encouraging people to get out and vote.
News10ABC spoke with people who said the whole thing was a grass-roots setup that was put together on social media.
Saturday afternoon’s picture perfect weather gave hundreds of Bernie Sanders supporters the chance to show their support without hindrance. The massive group of hundreds marched down Washington Ave and on to Central Ave passionately chanting.
The marchers were holding signs before settling on the west lawn at the State Capitol.
“We are done with corruption, we are done with rich people buying our government, our politics, and we want it for the people again,” said Bernie Sanders Supporter Christopher Malark.
“We know the corrupting influence that money has on our political process which is a big deal to a lot of people. Bernie’s campaign has been funded by 6 million individual contributions by people just like us,” said Bernie Sanders supporter Amanda Evenson.
Sanders refused to back down Thursday night from his claim that Israel in 2014 used "disproportionate" force to respond to Hamas rocket fire from Gaza while calling for the United States to stop being "one-sided" in the conflict there. In doing so, he upended a long-standing tenet of American politics: that unflinching support for Israel is non-negotiable.
Sanders' unorthodox remarks at CNN's Democratic debate came just days before voters head to the polls in New York, where Sanders is fighting to narrow the significant, but not insurmountable, deficit he faces against former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The Empire State's 19.79 million residents include the country's largest Jewish population -- some 1.8 million of the country's 6.8 million Jews live there, according to the 2014 American Jewish Year Book -- and one of the most active pro-Israel constituencies.
Sanders' nationally televised stance could represent a watershed moment in Democratic politics, as the sole Jewish candidate in the race -- and only one to have lived in Israel -- smashed a taboo that could lead others to follow suit.
Indeed, a potential shift in the party's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been brewing, with signs of ferment bubbling to the surface in recent years amid the rancorous relationship between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
CNN political commentator Van Jones, a former Obama political aide, said Thursday night that Sanders' focus on Palestinian rights during the debate was "extraordinary."
"It's not just that it was interesting politics in New York. It's that I've never seen a Democratic candidate trying to be president -- I haven't seen a Republican, I haven't seen anyone at this level of the game -- say, 'Look, let's have a more balanced approach," Jones said. "That takes a level of courage and a level of integrity. You can disagree with it, you can feel badly about it, you can be proud of it -- but something happened tonight."
In 2003, while I was teaching at Davidson College in North Carolina, I saw an ad in the local newspaper announcing a “Going Out of Business” sale of Utica Linen products. The mill that had been making these linens was closing and relocating to Asia where they would be able to pay lower wages. When I saw that ad, I thought back 50 years ago to when that same company’s mills had first moved to North Carolina after shutting down operations in Utica, my hometown. They did so to take advantage of North Carolina’s cheaper non-union labor.
What I remember most about that period wasn’t just how the factories emptied out leaving parts of Utica looking like a ghost town, it was what the closures and loss of thousands of jobs did to my community and my neighbors. Those mills had defined life in Utica for generations. And then they were gone. The stress of mass layoffs created tensions that tore families apart. One third of the population was forced to leave in search of employment. In short order, Utica went from being a vibrant city to a depressed town with dilapidated neighborhoods. And now a North Carolina town was going to suffer as Utica did—for much the same reasons.
A few months ago, I endorsed Bernie Sanders for President. There were many reasons, which I will describe in a moment, but high on my list is that I never forgot what happened to my hometown and so many other American cities across the Northeast and Midwest. Sanders earned my support because he understands what bad trade deals and corporate greed have done to our communities. While some politicians have paid lip service to consequences of factory closings and the exporting of jobs to Asia, Sanders in the only one who has addressed the issue forcefully and pledged decisive action to protect American workers and their communities. I realize, of course, that Sanders isn’t going to bring back the Utica of the 1960’s, but what he has done is shine a light on the corporate greed that continues to put their interests ahead of their responsibility to be fair to those who have given their lives to build their businesses—opening a national debate on this important concern.
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Finally, I am deeply moved when I hear Bernie Sanders speak with a sense of awe at the trajectory his life beginning with his father’s immigration to the US, his family’s hard work to succeed in this New World, all leading to his run for the presidency. It is a classic American story that resonates in so many ways. The fact that Sanders carries this story with him speaks volumes about the man, how grounded he is, and the source of his commitment to fighting for immigrants and the needs of working people. In many ways, he is the embodiment of the American Dream.
In this presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders is the closest candidate to the aspirations of millions of decent Americans dreaming of a better future for their children while refusing to lend their name to an imperial republic that systematically arms the rich tyrants around the world, supports Israel stealing Palestine and murdering Palestinians one settlement at a time, and helps to create monstrosities like ISIL.
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The significance of US Muslims rallying behind Sanders as "the only Jewish candidate" should neither be exaggerated nor misinterpreted. This is a crucial development, but we need to know why.
Above all, this vote signifies the rise of Muslims as a self-conscious, engaged, and assertive community with pronounced political views. To be sure, this does not mean all Muslims are for Sanders. There are plenty of rich and powerful Muslims of all sorts, no doubt, rooting for Hillary Clinton or even voting Republican. The very idea of a "Muslim vote" is as flawed and misleading as that of "the Jewish vote", or "Christian vote".
Many Muslims would have sided with and voted for Bernie Sanders even if he were not Jewish. That he is a proud and progressive Jew from a poor immigrant background links him to the deepest layers of Jewish prophetic voices throughout the ages as well as to the Jewish intellectuals and activists vastly involved with the Civil Rights Movement in the US as he, in fact, exemplifies - a particularly proud moment for Jewish Americans that Muslims must learn and update.
The formation of this crucial political consciousness signals a historic formation that could and should bring Muslims into the forefront of a national awakening in active alliance with such crucial segments of US society as the budding Jewish liberation theology of a post-Zionist era, the Occupy Wall Street uprising, the Black Lives Matter movement, and even the nascent Democracy Spring rallies.
Sanders is a significant catalyst in this historic moment, bringing significant layers of political consciousness in the US to the forefront of the US presidential election.
Bernie Sanders is pretty hip for a guy in his seventies. The Vermont senator made a cameo at the Coachella Music Festival, introducing rap duo Run The Jewels via a video message,
Pitchfork.com reports.
“Hi everybody, this is Senator Bernie Sanders. One of the highlights of running for president during the course of this last year has been getting to know Killer Mike,” Sanders said. “His depth of passion, his knowledge, his commitment to community has been an inspiration to me and I value his friendship immensely.”
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The Coachella Music Festival is about to feel the bern even more. CNN reports that Bernie Sanders supporters are planning a music festival of their own on April 22 and 23, before Coachella’s second weekend. The event is being dubbed “Berniechella,” and is going to be free.
“It’s a party of people who are in support of a particular candidate,” event organizer Tizoc DeAztlan told The Desert Sun.
Alex Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, DJ Shepard Fairey and the band Ozomatli, are scheduled to perform, among others.
This isn’t the only Bernie Sanders themed music festival that’s being organized.
CNN reports that there’s another one being planned in Chicago. The one-day music event is being called “Bernie Fest” and will take place in August. Another music festival in honor of Sanders, “Bernanza” is scheduled to take place in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 30 to July 2, based on details shared on the festival’s website.
Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had a big weekend, jetting off to the Vatican to deliver a speech at a conference there, and even getting to meet Pope Francis himself, and to hear Sanders’ opponents tell it, this makes him history’s greatest monster. According to online critics, Sanders flew to Rome on the Marie Antionette Express, murdered the environment, crashed the Vatican like some drunken neighbor peeing in your barbecue pit, stalked the Pope, and claimed he was now an honorary Pope, too.
I’m only exaggerating slightly, and as a public service to all you Bernie-haters on Twitter, I’m going to explain why this is all garbage before you make yourselves look stupid.
First of all, Bernie is taking a lot of heat for supposedly jetting off to Rome on a “private jet” that cost “up to $200,000,” and had fancy menus with lobster sliders on them, all on his $27-buck-apiece supporters’ dime.
The facts are that Bernie didn’t take a private jet, he chartered a commercial jet, the cost of which is unknown, but which would be shared by the news organizations covering Sanders, and wow, he’s got letterhead! And an inkjet printer! The fact is he had no choice but to use a private charter flight in order to accommodate his staff, the traveling press, and the Secret Service. Aside from the fact that this attack, along with the tabulating of fuel consumed, puts you in the same intellectual space as PJ Media, or Fox News the time they complained about President Obama‘s “$200,000,000 trip to India,” it’s just ignorant of the way politicians travel. The dude’s running for a job that comes with several private jets.
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Giving a speech at the Vatican on income inequality is a nice thing, and meeting the Pope and getting excited about it is also a nice thing. Even politicians you don’t like can do nice things.