Vermont senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders spent about a half hour today on a conference call with several regional reporters (including me!) in preparation for his upcoming Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles rallies. He answered questions about how he differs from his most prominent competitor, how he’d fix broken US political system, and whether he’ll stay in the race if he doesn’t win the Democratic nomination.

Sanders started off the call saying his rally this Sunday in Portland has more than 15,000 RSVPs. Just prior to the conference call his staffer Arianna Jones confirmed the location has been moved to the Moda Center to accomodate the huge turnout.

In speaking about how his politics differ from Hillary Clinton’s, Sanders pointed out her “inconsistencies throughout her political career,” saying she’s failed to take a real stand on issues like the Keystone Pipeline, climate change, and trade policies that help workers.

“Establishment politicians nibble around the edges of an issue rather than have the courage to tell it like it really is,” he says. “There is not going to be a significant change for the middle class in the country unless we have a mass movement to take on the billionaires.”

Sanders talked in mostly canned answers, repeating many of his known platforms and spending much of the time chastising the US Supreme Court for its Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission decision. The ruling five years ago allowed super PACs to dump billions into political campaigns, including “dark money” from legally protected mega corporations.

He said that the “litmus test” for any SCOTUS justice he might appoint would be, among other things, his or her willingness to commit to rehearing the Citizens United decision and overturn it.

“I am outraged that we have a situation where the billionaires literally hold their own caucuses with Republican candidates,” Sanders says. “This is not a democracy, it’s an ogliarchy. It’s a national disgrace.”

When asked how he would accomplish the 12 steps to his Agenda for America if faced with a Republican controlled congress, Sanders talked about inciting a “grassroots movement,” saying that President Obama made a tactical mistake after his successful 2008 campaign.

“What he said was thank you for electing me, but I will take it from here,” Sanders says. “The only way to rebuild the middle class and create the millions of jobs we need is to have an activated grassroots movement that tells the Republicans that they will either start representing the working families of this country or they will be out of office.”

Sanders says if he doesn’t win the Democratic nomination he will not run as an Independent, saying he is afraid his presence in the race would take away votes from the democratic nominee.

7 replies on “Bernie Sanders Called the Mercury: NBD. This Weekend’s Rally has Moved!”

  2. Mr. Sanders is the one, true, shining hope the free people of America have before the dark ages descend upon us again, in the form of some rich assholes who are currently sinking the ship we’re all on.

    If (wince) Hillary or (shudder) Cruz or (vomits into own mouth) Trump get elected, we will never recover and the boat is going to capsize, hit an iceberg, break apart sinking while all the poor souls that crewed her are devoured by sharks.

    See what I did there? Sweet analogy, right?

    Seriously. Give me Bernie or Give Me Death!

  3. Unfortunately, voting for Bernie makes it more likely that (shudder) Cruz or (vomits into own mouth) Trump will be elected president. David A. Pope may prefer death to a second Clinton administration, but I prefer life and some Clinton Supreme Court appointments. Seriously.

  4. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even if Sanders is elected, the political machine in DC will grind him down just like every other well-meaning candidate in history.

    Our “Democracy” is simply subterfuge disguising who really wields the power in this country. The rich and big corporations.

    As I have great respect for Bernie Sanders, I’d prefer he doesn’t get elected so he can hold onto his dignity and values.

  5. Todd, the whole ‘a vote for Bernie is a vote for the GOP’ a la Ralph Nader doesn’t work because Bernie is not running on a third party ticket. If Bernie doesn’t win the party nomination (and he damn well better) then Hillary will be the only “liberal” (and I use that term very loosely) candidate.

  6. John, Bernie is an avowed democratic socialist. Which is great, in my book, but which makes it very unlikely he can win the presidency. If the Koch brothers asked Santa (or Satan) for one thing, it would be for the Democrats to nominate a socialist. It sucks that the country is this way, but we’ll be handing the White House to the Repubs if we nominate Bernie. You’ll say “no, no, no!” but…it’s true. Sorry. Tell me off, downvote my comments…it won’t change that reality.

    We can’t afford to hand the White House back to the GOP while the Supreme Court is on a knife’s edge. Hillary is the one the Repubs are terrified of, because they know she will almost certainly beat whoever they nominate. We have to win next year. We have to. Vote for Hillary.

Comments are closed.