John,
We are engaged in many struggles right now for the future of our country and our planet. We are trying to save the planet from the ravages of climate change. We're trying to create an economy that works for all and not just the billionaire class. We're trying to defend our democracy against those who are moving us toward authoritarianism. And that's just to name a few.
But it is not all doom and gloom, John. One thing that makes me optimistic about the future is that there are more really strong young progressives — often people of color — in the House now than ever before.
But we cannot stop here.
We need to continue electing candidates who will take on corporate greed, authoritarianism, and bigotry and who are prepared to fight for justice. And in order to do that, we must bring our people together in a multi-generational, multi-racial movement to take on the big-money interests that have so much political and economic power in our country.
In 1991, I co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus alongside 5 of my colleagues because I believed that working people needed more of a voice in Congress. And today, I’m proud to see that it has grown to more than 100 members, including Summer Lee, and is now one of the largest caucuses in Congress.
In the midst of all the struggles facing our nation and our planet, we cannot simply remain on the defensive. We need to continue building our movement to transform this country. And that means electing progressive leaders who will fight to protect social security, raise the minimum wage, get big money out of politics, and guarantee health care as a human right.
But it is not going to be easy.
Big Pharma, Big Oil, and other corporate interests have in past election cycles spent many millions of dollars attacking progressive candidates.
The good news is that despite the avalanche of right-wing spending, we have still been able to elect many strong candidates like Summer Lee.
The bad news is that some excellent progressive candidates have been defeated by this right-wing money.
It should not be a radical proposition to say that the very wealthiest people in this country should not be able to control our political system and who represents us in government.
This great nation and its government belongs to ALL of our people, not just right-wing billionaires and their Super PACs.
All across the country, people are coming together and saying “enough is enough.” They are tired of tinkering around the edges of the problem — on climate change, on racial justice, on economic justice.
We’ve already shown what’s possible when working people stand together — and if we continue to do so, together we will elect a Congress that works for all of us, not just the 1%.
Thank you again for supporting Summer Lee and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC if you can afford to do so.
In solidarity,
Sen. Bernie Sanders
