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It is an obvious truism to state that the future of this country rests with young people. Of course it does.

But what is not so obvious is that this election, the most important in the modern history of our country, also rests on the backs of the younger generation. It is my strong political view that if young people vote in large numbers Joe Biden will win this election. If they do not, we could be saddled with four more years of Donald Trump.

Given that reality I am doing all that I can to reach out to young people – Black, White, Latino, Native American, Asian American – to get them involved in the political process and to vote in this election.

On Monday, I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the University of Michigan – one of the largest campuses in that important battleground state.

For many months now I have been working with a number of well-known entertainers who are popular with young people and who are using their influence to increase voter participation.

And on Thursday, I will be doing a virtual political rally with the very successful Teen Vogue magazine and young political leaders which I believe will attract a large number of young viewers.

In other words you and I have got to work together to do everything possible to make our younger generation aware of the importance of this election and the need to vote.

In that regard I wanted to share with you my remarks on Monday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Condensed Remarks of Senator Bernie Sanders in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Now let me say a word to the young people of our country.

During the last year and a half I've had the opportunity to travel all across this country – in almost every state in the Union. And what I've learned is that the young generation in our country today – Black, White, Latino, Native American, Asian American – is an extraordinarily beautiful group of people.

It is the most progressive, the most compassionate, the most open-minded young generation in the history of this country. It is a generation that thinks big, not small, and is prepared to fight for a new vision as to what our country can become.

And that vision is based on justice – economic justice, racial justice, social justice, political justice and environmental justice.

This is a generation that is leading the fight against systemic racism and police brutality.

A generation that is leading the fight against xenophobia.

A generation that is leading the fight against sexism.

A generation that is leading the fight against religious bigotry.

A generation that is leading the fight against never-ending wars.

And this is a generation that is leading the fight against climate change, is prepared to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and knows that we are going to need bold action if we are going to have a planet that is healthy and that is habitable for their kids and their grandchildren.

But, as wonderful and idealistic as our younger generation is, it has one major political shortcoming. It does not vote in large enough numbers. The voter turnout among young people has improved in the last few years, but it still has a long way to go.

So today I say to young people, if you are worried about the outrageous level of student debt that many of you have incurred or are incurring, if you are upset about the high cost of college, if you are concerned about low-paying jobs, climate change, sexism, racism, homophobia and religious bigotry, it is not good enough to complain and moan and groan. That doesn't change anything. You have to DO something about it, you have to fight back and the first step forward is to vote.

All over this country, in many Republican controlled states, officials in a variety of ways are trying to suppress the vote. They are making it harder for working people, poor people, people of color and young people to vote. They want a low voter turnout. They think that helps them.

Fortunately, that is not the case here in Michigan. In Michigan, not only has early voting already begun in every township in the state but you can still register to vote online until October 19 and in person until Election Day. In other words, you can vote or register to vote right now no matter where you live in the state.

In addition, voting sites are opening today near three colleges: East Lansing near MSU, as well as on campus at Western Michigan University and Northern Michigan University. It has never been easier for students in Michigan to vote. Further, Detroit is opening 22 early voting sites across the city which will be open 7 days a week until Election Day.

My friends, this is the most important election in the modern history of our country. It is imperative that Joe Biden wins and that we have a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate – with Gary Peters continuing to represent Michigan in the Senate. I don't have to remind anyone that in 2016 Donald Trump won this state, and its 16 electoral votes, by two-tenths of one percent. We cannot allow that to happen again. The stakes are just too high. Yes. Your vote matters. In fact it can be decisive in determining the future not only of Michigan but of our entire country. Please vote.

Now let me say a word as to why this election is so very important.

I don’t have to tell anyone that the young people of our country have been dealt some extraordinary blows throughout their young lives.

In fact, young Americans have now lived through the two worst economic crises since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Twelve years ago, young people all over this country had to deal with the Wall Street crash that caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, lose their homes and lose their life savings. And many have never fully recovered from that crash.

And today, young people are being hit hard by the massive economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this pandemic:

54% of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have either lost a job or had to take a pay cut – more than any other age group.

52% of young Americans have been forced to move back home with their parents.

35% of young Americans have had problems finding enough money to pay for rent, medical care or other bills.

Unless we reverse course, everything being equal, this is a generation that will have, for the first time in modern history, a lower standard of living than their parents – because this country, in many respects, is experiencing massive downward mobility.

Young Americans today are making less money than their parents did when they entered the workforce.

They have smaller savings accounts.

They are less likely to own their own home – as the cost of housing has gone up and up and up.

They are drowning in student debt because they chose to get a college education.

And even though young workers are more likely than ever to have a college degree, the jobs they have are not paying them the wages or salaries they need to have an adequate standard of living – and many of the jobs they have have been hard hit by the pandemic.

A majority of bartenders in America are young. Half of all restaurant workers in America are young. A huge percentage of the retail sector is filled with young people. And these are precisely the industries that have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn.

In other words, while many millions of young Americans are struggling to pay off outrageously high levels of student debt, many of them are forced to work for wages that are much too low – if they have a job at all.

And, if we do not get our act together soon, this very bad situation will get even worse. According to the Department of Labor, the occupations that will create the most jobs in America over the next decade are home health care aides, fast food workers, and cooks – jobs that pay low wages and don’t require a college degree.

Let me be as clear as I can be. In the richest country in the history of the world we have got to do better than that. We need to create an economy and a government that works for all of us, not just the top 1% and the billionaire class, not just wealthy campaign contributors.

Now, it’s no secret that Joe Biden and I have differences of opinion and, as a United States Senator, make no mistake about it: I will continue to fight for the principles that I have advocated for a very long time.

But, in fairness to Joe, let me also be very clear. If his campaign proposals were implemented, they would significantly improve the lives of tens of millions of working families and Joe Biden would be the most progressive president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Let me tell you about just some of those proposals.

Colleges – When Joe Biden is president he will make public colleges, universities, and trade schools tuition free for working families and he will substantially reduce student debt in America. Under Joe’s plan if you went to a four-year public college or university and you earn less than $125,000 he will cancel your student debt. Joe understands that we must make sure that every working class person in America can get a higher education regardless of their income.

Climate Change – Unlike the current president, Joe Biden understands that climate change is real, that it is caused by human activity and that we have got to move aggressively to stop it. That is why Joe will invest $2 trillion to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and towards energy efficiency and renewable energy. And, by the way, when we do that, when we make massive investments in wind, solar, weatherization, and the clean energy of the future, we will create millions of good-paying jobs in the process.

Minimum Wage – When we talk about the need to raise wages in America, let’s be clear. When Joe Biden is president he will increase the federal minimum wage from a starvation wage of $7.25 an hour to a living wage of $15 an hour. Joe Biden also understands that we have got to guarantee that every woman in this country gets equal pay for equal work. Women in America should not be making 80 cents on the dollar compared to men.

Joe also knows that if we are going to expand the middle class in this country, we must make it easier for workers to join unions, engage in collective bargaining and end the heavy-handed corporate tactics that make it hard for workers to unionize in America.

And Joe Biden also understands that we have got to stop providing corporate welfare to companies that are throwing American workers out on the street and moving abroad.

When Joe Biden is president he will sign an executive order to prevent companies that ship American jobs overseas from receiving corporate welfare.

Paid Family and Medical Leave – I'll tell you what else Joe understands. Like most of us, he is embarrassed that the United States is the only major nation on earth not to guarantee paid medical and family leave. When a woman in this country gives birth, she should not be forced to go back to work after one or two weeks. When a kid gets sick, mom or dad should be able to stay home and not lose a day's pay. That’s why Joe has proposed at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for working families.

Childcare – When we talk about babies and young children, we all know that our current childcare system is totally inadequate. Our children and their parents deserve high quality, reliable and affordable childcare. That’s why Joe has proposed universal pre-K education for every 3 and 4 year old in the country.

Prescription Drugs – As some of you may recall, early in this campaign I traveled to Canada with a group of diabetics to buy insulin, a life and death drug for more than 30 million Americans. That trip began in Detroit, Michigan. And here's what we found. You can buy insulin in Canada, a few miles from our border, for 1/10th the price that it is sold here. No. You didn't mishear me. The same product, made by the same company, is sold for 1/10th the price that it's sold here. But it's not just Canada and it’s not just insulin. While the drug companies, through their collusion, price fixing and greed, make obscene profits, we pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Joe Biden understands that we must take on the pharmaceutical industry and significantly lower drug prices in this country.

Health Care – As many of you know the United States is the only major country not to guarantee health care for all people. Meanwhile, despite paying almost twice as much per capita for health care as the people of other countries, over 90 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured and over half a million Americans go bankrupt because they cannot afford to pay their medical bills.

While Joe and I disagree on the best path to get to universal coverage, I know that Joe will greatly expand access to health care and make it more affordable for tens of millions across this country. He will make sure that everyone in America has access to a public option – similar to Medicare. He will lower the eligibility age of Medicare from 65 to 60. He will expand Medicare to cover dental care, eyeglasses and hearing aids. And he will substantially increase funding for community health centers to make sure that millions of Americans get the primary health care and mental health care that they desperately need.

Systemic Racism – Joe Biden also understands that we must end systemic racism in this country and that we cannot continue to have more people in jail than any other country on earth. That is why Joe will end private prisons and private detention centers. That is why we will make sure that no one in America sits in a jail cell because they are too poor to afford cash bail. Instead of more jails and incarceration, Joe understands that we need more jobs and more education.

Immigration – Joe Biden also understands that we are a nation of immigrants and that we cannot continue to terrorize and demonize over 11 million undocumented immigrants in America. That is why Joe has proposed a comprehensive immigration reform plan and a path toward citizenship. That is why he will provide legal status to the 1.8 million young people eligible for the DACA program. That is why Joe will end the disastrous ICE raids and develop a humane border policy for those who seek asylum – no more snatching babies from the arms of their mothers.

My friends: In this unprecedented moment let us reject those who want to divide us up based on the color of our skin, our religion, our sexual orientation or the country of our birth. Let us come together – Black, White, Latino, Asian American, Native American, gay and straight, native born and immigrant.

Let us come together to elect a Democratic Congress.

Let us come together to enact the most progressive agenda in the modern history of America.

Let us come together to build an America that works for all of us, not just the one percent.

And let us elect Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.

Thank you all very much.


Bernie is working hard to expand voter turnout and elect progressive candidates to represent our movement in Congress. But he can't do it alone.

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