A grassroots revolution is needed for the party to win.
What is the Democratic Party?
WE are the party when the party leaders are asleep.
It is PEOPLE and their REPRESENTATIVES who pursue the principles that the party has held for many years. They basically stand for individual rights, and equal opportunity to thrive. I am leaving out a lot, to make a point.
There is no equal opportunity when 90% of the wealth is in a few hands. The majority of Americans are fighting for that 10% or table scraps begrudgingly handed out by the rich.
The GOP disguises their obvious plan of welfare for the rich and power in the hands of a few (ultra rich).
And it adopts racism, misogyny, homophobia and xenophobia (and who knows what else) to get the majority to fight for the scraps, and solidify the rule by oligarchs.
And that is how they never relinquish power.
The elephant in the room is not addressed by either party, and that is why they are perceived as "the same" except for the blood-curdling racist and other lies noted above.
The context for this message is an email received from Bernie Sanders today that hits the nail on the head.
OLIGARCHY --- the theft of 90% of the wealth of this nation --- is ignored, so elections boil down to issues that don't solve the fundamental problem.
Another post today noted that the "dynamic" party officials are concerned that issues of "crime and immigration" have not been addressed. OH BULLSHIT. Those are dogwhistles for racism. Don't become the enemy.
RACE FOR THE CURE
The party is and always was THE PEOPLE. We choose nominees. We elect representatives and senators and presidents. The party regulars SPEND MONEY, and in ways that DON'T WORK.
While the GOP has a nonstop 24 by 7 by 365 propaganda machine, we have no long term advocacy for the better principles, in effect a vacuum in between elections, and thenm "surveys" that wag the message back and forth.
Oh, and ads that don't work, because for every dollar spent on ads, the opposition spends the same or more, and the advertising message is lost.
WHO IS DELIVERING THE MESSAGE?
Bernie and AOC have been crossing the country, speaking the truth, the fundamental cause of our national illness, to blue and red, because the distinction is between the OLIGARCHS and "the rest of us".
Theirs is a message that unifies people, rather than divide them.
And the party regulars won't go along.
Rather than go on and on, here's first, a message from Bernie that has been delivered to wild enthusiasm all over the country and the latest email, calling for a peaceful revolution within the party, one that overturns its unwillingness to address oligarchy, and to focus on issues that are arguably divisive.
Here's the first. It addresses oligarchy and its toxic effect. It is NOT a complete platform.
YES to raising the minimum wage,
YES to expanding Social Security,
YES to guaranteeing health care as a human right,
YES to cutting the cost of prescription drugs,
YES to paid family and medical leave,
YES to equal pay for equal work,
YES to more affordable housing,
YES to making childcare and higher education affordable to all,
YES to taking on the existential threat of climate change.
And most importantly they are saying
YES to a government and an economy that works for all of us and not just the billionaire class and the Oligarchs.
Here's how the party is trying to hide the cure in the closet.
Sisters and Brothers -
We are living in one of the most dangerous and consequential moments in modern history.
Under Trump, we are fighting oligarchy, authoritarianism, kleptocracy and a corrupt campaign finance system which allows billionaires enormous power over our elections and legislative process.
But we are also taking on Democratic establishment politicians, consultants and donors who are out of touch, think small, and are incapable or uninterested in mounting the grassroots working class movement that we desperately need if we’re going to win this struggle.
And not to scare you, but nothing less than the very future of our country, our planet and our democracy is on the line.
The good news is, all across this country I see a multi-generational, multi-racial movement of people who are ready to stand up and fight back. People who are saying NO to Trumpism, authoritarianism, and oligarchy and YES to an economy and government that works for all of us and not just the Oligarchs. And, because of you, we’re helping to lead that struggle.
Last Monday, on Labor Day, we spoke to thousands of people who came out for the Workers Over Billionaires rally in Concord, New Hampshire.
Later that night, we headed up to Portland, Maine to campaign for Graham Platner who is running in one of the most important Senate races of 2026 and Troy Jackson, who is running for Governor. Almost 7,000 people came out for a great rally.
Not only is control of the United States Senate on the line in this race but, with Graham, we can elect a working class candidate who will join me in taking on the greed of the billionaires.
We were also joined by Troy Jackson that night in Maine. Troy has also been part of our progressive working class movement from the beginning. He has always stood with those of us who understand that health care is a human right, that workers deserve a living wage, and that we need a government that works for all — and I am proud to stand with him in his campaign for Governor of Maine.
On Wednesday, I was part of a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). That hearing, appropriately, got a lot of attention.
The truth is we now have a Secretary of HHS who is endangering the health of the American people today, and in the future. It is absurd to have to say this in 2025, but vaccines are safe and effective, have saved millions of lives and are one of the greatest advancements ever made in public health. That, of course, is not just my view. Far more importantly, it is the overwhelming consensus of the medical and scientific communities.
Bottom line: we need a Secretary of HHS who believes in science, not conspiracy theories. Kennedy should resign.
On Saturday, we went to New York City for a series of great events.
First, we marched with Zohran Mamdani and tens of thousands of union workers in the New York Labor Day Parade. Later that afternoon, I dropped into AOC's district where we met with a number of community leaders and beautiful kids. That was fun.
In the evening, we ended up at Brooklyn College for a Fighting Oligarchy event with Zohran, who ran a brilliant primary campaign and with our support will be the next Mayor of New York City.
Zohran's race, like Graham Platner in Maine, is incredibly important for our progressive movement.
When Zohran Mamdani started his campaign for Mayor of New York City he was at 2% in the polls and very few people gave him a chance against a former governor and incumbent mayor.
But he did what serious candidates must do. He campaigned on many of the issues that working people worry about — the outrageously high costs of housing, childcare and transportation. And his campaign caught fire.
With the support of 50,000+ volunteers he won the Democratic nomination for mayor with a very strong vote.
Now, at a time when support for the Democratic Party is at an all time low, you might think that Democratic Party leaders would be jumping with joy at Zohran’s success. Here was a young candidate who created enormous enthusiasm, brought about an extremely high voter turnout, used social media brilliantly, got new people involved in the political process and ran a campaign that resonated strongly with the people of New York City.
If you thought that the Democratic leadership was happy, you'd be very wrong.
Instead of embracing Zohran and building on his success, the major Democratic Party leaders in New York are refusing to endorse him — the candidate who won the Democratic primary. Some of you may think I’m kidding. I’m not. As of today, not one of the five major Democratic Party leaders in New York State has endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party candidate for mayor.
Pathetic. It appears that many of these “leaders” are more interested in standing with their wealthy campaign contributors than with the working class of New York.
So that's where we're at. A progressive movement not only taking on Trump and the entire Republican Party, but the Democratic Party establishment at the same time.
Big stuff.
With the events of last week, we have now completed 35 Fighting Oligarchy events in 21 states that have brought out more than 300,000 people. Thank you for making that happen.
This is a pivotal moment in American history. What we do now will not only impact our lives, but the lives of our kids and future generations. In terms of climate change, it will determine the well-being of the entire planet.
Now is not the time for despair. It’s not the time to hide under the covers. It's time to organize and fight back. We are making progress. Much more to be done.
Let’s go forward together.
In Solidarity,
Bernie
WE participate in primaries.
WE elect representatives and senators.
WE canvass, mail postcards, call people, spread the word to family and friends.
WE vote for president.
The party takes out ineffective ads based on "wag the dog" polls that shift like a leaf in a windstorm.
Let's have that peaceful revolution.
It's what this country needs, and everyone knows it
Springtime for people and America.
Winter for kings of finance.
Everyone knows it
except the power brokers.
Broke the brokers.
Peace
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