Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke to a crowd in Denver, Colorado, Monday evening and indicated that the election is about more than defeating President Trump, asking attendees to support his vision of radically transforming the United States of America.
Sanders held a rally at Denver’s Civic Center Monday evening, delivering a classic stump speech and asking the crowd to help enact his vision of transforming the country.
“I am here in Denver asking your support for more than just defeating Trump,” Sanders said. “I am here to ask you to help me transform this country and create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the one percent.”
“I am here in Denver to ask you to wage with me a political revolution, which will take on not only the corruption of Washington but the greed and corruption of the corporate elite in this country,” he continued.
Sanders teased many of his key campaign promises, like Medicare for All and free college.
“We need a healthcare system which guarantees health care to every man, woman, and child as a human right,” Sanders said to applause.
“When we talk about the needs of the American people, let us understand that we need radical changes in the way we do education in this country from childcare to graduate school,” he added.
He continued:
Four years ago I made the point that we have to rethink free public education and go beyond K through 12. Four years ago that appeared to be a radical idea — ain’t so radical today. All over, all over this country, states and cities are moving to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. And I’ll tell you what else we have got to do, we have got to cancel all student debt in this country. If this country and the U.S. Congress against my vote could bail out the crooks on Wall Street whose greed and illegal behavior nearly destroyed our economy — if we could give well over a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the one percent and profitable corporations, yes we can cancel all student debt.
Sanders’ ultra-progressive rhetoric is resonating with many Democrat primary voters who feel as though others do not go far enough.
“I remember Bernie from the 1970s and I’ve always liked him a lot, because he stands for something,” attendee Kelly Duncan said, according to the Denver Post.
His rhetoric has largely resonated with the same members of the left who embrace the “Squad.” Recently, “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) mimicked Sanders’ calls and demanded a “political revolution.”
“We have to make the tough, courageous changes that completely transform a political and economic system that is now built for corporations (and profits), not people,” she tweeted.
“Choosing the status quo means doing nothing and giving up,” she continued. “We need a political revolution”:
The similarity in rhetoric is significant, as Trump has been tying the far-left positions of the “Squad” to the Democrat party as a whole:
Sanders has a slight edge in Colorado with 26 percent support, with Biden right behind him with 25 percent support, an Emerson poll released last month indicated.