Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT, after defeating Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary in blowout fashion, thanked supporters at his primary victory party in the Granite State.
“Together we have sent the messages that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs,” Sanders said.
“Nine months ago, we began our campaign here in New Hampshire … We were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America,” he added in reference to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Sen. Sanders appeared to borrow from GOP frontrunner Donald Trump’s pronunciation of the word “huge,” discussing his own huge turnout.
“Tonight, in what appears to be a record-breaking voter turnout, because of a yuge voter turnout, and I say yuge, we won.”
He continued:
Tonight we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country, that the American people will not continue to accept a corrupt campaign finance system that is undermining American democracy, and we will not accept a rigged economy, in which ordinary Americans work … where almost all income and wealth go to the top 1 percent.
But the ultimate enemy is Republicans and their voters, he explained to supporters. “The right-wing Republicans we oppose must not be allowed to gain the presidency,” Sanders said. “The last time Republicans occupied the White House, their trickle down economic policies drove us into the worst economic downturn.”
“We will not allow huge tax breaks for billionaires. We will not allow huge cuts,” Sanders said.
“The people want real change,” he demanded. “We can no longer continue to have a campaign finance system in which Wall Street and the billionaire class are able to buy elections … that is what Oligarchy is about!”
America was based on one principle, and that principle is “fairness,” he claimed, citing economic statistics that show a disparity between the wealthy and the poor in the United States.
“Are you guys ready for a radical idea?” he asked the crowd. “Together we are going to create an economy that works for all of us. Not just the 1 percent. And when millions of our people are working for starvation wages – yup – we’re gonna raise the minimum wage to $15 bucks an hour. And we are going to bring pay equity for women.”
“We are going to make public colleges and universities tuition-free,” he pledged. “We are going to substantially ease” the “burden” of student debt.
“We’re going to impose a tax on Wall Street speculation,” Sanders said of how he was going to pay for his massive government expansion. “Now it’s Wall Street’s turn to help the middle class.”
“The debate is over. Climate change is real,” Sanders insisted.
He then praised Obamacare as “an important step forward, but we can and must do better … That is why I believe in a Medicare-for-all single-payer program.”
“As President I will defend this nation, but I will do it responsibly,” Sanders said of his foreign policy ideals, citing his vote against the Iraq war in the Senate. “We cannot and should not be the policeman of the world.
“We must fix this broken immigration system … and create a path to citizenship for hard-working people that are living in the shadows,” he said of the illegal alien problem in America.
Sanders also called for the expansion of the underfunded Social Security system, and for more money to be spent on infrastructure projects.
“What began last week in Iowa, what voters here in New Hampshire confirmed tonight, is nothing short of the beginning of a political revolution,” Sanders pledged.
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