Sisters and Brothers:
In unprecedented times, we have to act in unprecedented ways. And, with your support, that's exactly what we've been doing. Our grassroots political revolution is aggressively taking on Trump and the Oligarchy -- and we're making real progress.
Over the last eight weeks, I have been to 11 states -- Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, California, Utah, Idaho, and Montana -- held 17 rallies and spoken to over 250,000 people. Most of these rallies were held in districts that are represented by Republican Members of Congress. Interestingly, many of the people who showed up at these rallies were Independents or Republicans. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accompanied me at a number of these "Fighting Oligarchy" events and did a fantastic job.
Next weekend, I will be doing a May Day celebration with Pennsylvania trade unionists in Philadelphia and several town meetings in Pennsylvania.
But I want you to know that we're not just parachuting into communities for great rallies. We're doing something more. We are working hard to build a sustainable, progressive grassroots infrastructure -- focusing on marginal congressional districts that have Republican Members of Congress. We've already hired local organizers in Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, with more to come. These organizers are building grassroots coalitions with great success. They are already putting together well-attended town meetings where community members come together to discuss local concerns. Over 500 folks were out in Michigan last week and 350 attended a meeting in Wisconsin. They are also organizing door-to-door canvassing, setting up phone-banks and engaging in social media activities. We're not going to let the Republican Representatives, who prefer to hide from their constituents, escape their responsibilities.
Further, as you may know, we've just issued a call for progressives throughout the country to run for office -- from school board, to city council, to state legislature, to the U.S. Congress. The response has been extraordinary. Over 5,000 people, from virtually every state in the country, have expressed an interest in getting involved politically. Some are interested in running as progressive Democrats, others as Independents. We'll be doing a Zoom call with many of them in the very near future in order to begin providing them with the guidance that new candidates often need.
Not surprisingly, the Establishment has taken note of what we're doing. Republicans, including Trump and Musk, tried to downplay the size of our rallies. According to Musk, those who attended were mostly "paid organizers." Really? That's just another lie.
While members of the Democratic Establishment have occasionally applauded our efforts on the road, a number of them and their corporate media backers are becoming increasingly nervous. They warn their followers that progressives shouldn't be taken too seriously, that we are "far left," "extreme" and "out of touch" with American society.
According to these politicians, analysts, media pundits and wealthy campaign donors, the future of the Democratic Party lies in "moderation." We shouldn't be talking about oligarchy. We shouldn't be talking about massive income and wealth inequality. We shouldn't be talking about the unprecedented concentration of corporate ownership that exists. We shouldn't be talking about the need to build the trade union movement. We shouldn't be talking about a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires in both parties to control the political process. We shouldn't be talking about corporate control of the media.
According to these leaders of the Democratic Establishment, the path forward is to continue doing exactly what they have been doing for the last 10 years. In other words, tell the world how bad Donald Trump is while continuing to defend a rigged and corrupt economic and political system that makes the rich richer, while working families fall further and further behind.
Well. We disagree. Of course we will continue, day after day, to lead the way in exposing Trump's lies, his kleptocratic behavior which enriches himself and his family, his disastrous economic policies which benefit the rich at the expense of everyone else, his authoritarianism and contempt for the Constitution, his foreign policy which is alienating us from long-time friends and allies. We will do all that -- and more. But that is not enough.
From one end of our country to the other -- in red states, blue states, purple states -- working families, the younger generation, seniors, and the poor are desperately looking for a new and bold vision for America's future. THE STATUS QUO IS NOT WORKING AND CANNOT CONTINUE TO BE DEFENDED.
Simply stated, in the richest country on Earth, where our productive capabilities are exploding with new technologies, every man, woman and child can and should have a decent standard of living. This is not radical "utopian thinking." This is not "far left." This is what we can and should be achieving. This is what we should be fighting for.
What is "radical" and "unthinkable" is that in year 2025, in the United States of America, 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck and we have some of the highest rates of childhood and senior poverty of any major country. What is "radical" is that we have more income and wealthy inequality than ever before and that, unbelievably, one man (Musk) owns more wealth than the bottom 53% of households. What is "radical" is that we are the only major country not to guarantee health care for all or have paid family and medical leave. What is "radical" is that 800,000 Americans are homeless and that over 20 million households spend over half of their limited incomes for housing. What is "radical" is that we are spending close to one trillion a year on the military, and many billions in weaponry for an extremist Netanyahu government in Israel that has waged a horrific, illegal and immoral war against the people of Gaza.
What is "radical" is that our democracy is being undermined not just by Trump, but by billionaire campaign contributors.
The American people desperately want this country to move forward in a new direction: economically, politically, socially and environmentally. And we should be enormously proud that we're helping to shape that path. But, let's be clear. The road forward will not be easy.
We are taking on the Oligarchs and their unlimited wealth, corporate America and the media they own. We are taking on Trump and the Republican Party. And we're taking on the fossilized section of the Democratic Party which cannot shake loose from their top-down politics, their wealthy campaign donors and their super-PACs.
In this pivotal moment in American and world history, when the stakes are so high for our country and the entire planet, we should not underestimate the difficult challenges that we face. But that should not make us pessimistic. If we stand together, we have the power to create a government and an economy that works for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.
As Nelson Mandela, one of the great liberation leaders in modern history reminded us: "It always seems impossible until it is done."
Let's do it.
In Solidarity,
Bernie
👋 Before you go... 👋
Thank you to everyone who has donated to make Bernie's rallies over the last few weeks possible. But we're not done yet.
Over the coming weeks, Bernie is going to keep running around the country and organizing people around an economy that works for all of us, not just the one percent. If everyone who read this email contributed $27, we'd have more than enough to get it done.
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