[ America has long faced structural economic crises. Democrats
must win on the economy and present a pro-worker agenda. Now is the
time for Democrats to take the fight to the reactionary Republican
party and expose their anti-worker views]
[[link removed]]

DEMOCRATS SHOULDN’T FOCUS ONLY ON ABORTION IN THE MIDTERMS.
THAT’S A MISTAKE  
[[link removed]]


 

Bernie Sanders
October 10, 2022
The Guardian
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ America has long faced structural economic crises. Democrats must
win on the economy and present a pro-worker agenda. Now is the time
for Democrats to take the fight to the reactionary Republican party
and expose their anti-worker views _

Bernie Sanders at the LDJ5 Amazon center in Staten Island in April.
‘You can’t win elections unless you have the support of the
working class of this country.’,

 

As someone who has a lifetime 100% pro-choice voting record, and is
outraged by the supreme court’s horrific decision to overturn Roe v
Wade, there is no question but that Democrats
[[link removed]] must continue to
focus on the right of women to control their own bodies. This is a
fight that most Americans want us to wage and, given the
Republicans’ extremist position on the issue, makes them genuinely
vulnerable.

But, as we enter the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, I am
alarmed to hear the advice that many Democratic candidates are getting
from establishment consultants and directors of well-funded Super Pacs
that the closing argument of Democrats should focus only on abortion.
Cut the 30-second abortion ads and coast to victory.

I disagree. In my view, while the abortion issue must remain on the
front burner, it would be political malpractice for Democrats to
ignore the state of the economy and allow Republican lies and
distortions to go unanswered.

This country has, for decades, faced structural economic crises that
have caused the decline of the American middle class. Now is the time
for Democrats to take the fight to the reactionary Republican party
and expose their anti-worker views on the most important issues facing
ordinary Americans. That is both the right thing to do from a policy
perspective and good politics.

We have more income and wealth inequality than at any time in the
modern history of this country, with three people owning more wealth
than the bottom half of our nation. Is there one Republican prepared
to raise taxes on billionaires, or do they want to make a bad
situation worse by extending Trump’s tax breaks for the rich and
repealing the estate tax?

Today, 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and millions
work for starvation wages. Is there one Republican in Congress who is
prepared to raise the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour?

The United States pays, by far, the highest prices in the world for
prescription drugs. Is there one Republican prepared to allow Medicare
to immediately begin negotiating prescription drug prices with the
pharmaceutical industry and cut the cost of medicine by half?

We have a dysfunctional healthcare system which, despite being the
most expensive in the world, allows 85 million Americans to be
uninsured or underinsured. Is there one Republican who believes that
healthcare is a human right and supports universal coverage?

We remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee time off
for moms who have babies or need to take care of sick children.

Is there one Republican who supports at least 12 weeks of paid family
and medical leave?

The list goes on: childcare, housing, home health care, college
affordability. On every one of these enormously important issues the
Republican party has virtually nothing to say to address the desperate
needs of low and moderate income Americans. And what they do propose
will most often make a bad situation worse.

Nevertheless, in poll after poll Republicans are more trusted than
Democrats to handle the economy – the issue of most importance to
people. I believe that if Democrats do not fight back on economic
issues and present a strong pro-worker agenda, they could well be in
the minority in both the House and the Senate next year.

And it’s not only the long-term structural crises that Democrats
must address. It is the outrageous level of corporate greed that we
now see every day that is fueling the inflation hurting so many
people.

While the price of gas has soared over the last year, the five big oil
companies made $59bn in profits during the 2nd quarter of this year
alone, and are spending $88bn on stock buybacks and dividends to
benefit their wealthy shareholders.

While global food prices soared by over 33% last year and are expected
to go up another 23% this year, billionaires in the global food and
agri-business industry became $382bn richer during the pandemic.

While we continue to pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for
prescription drugs, 3 of the largest pharmaceutical companies in
America – Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and AbbVie – increased their
profits by 90% last year to $54bn.

You can’t win elections unless you have the support of the working
class of this country

While 46% of Americans either skipped or delayed the healthcare they
need because they could not afford it, the six largest health
insurance companies in America last year made over $60bn in profits.

What do Republicans have to say about corporations that are charging
Americans outrageously high prices, while enjoying record breaking
profits? They talk a lot about inflation. But what are they going to
do about it? Does one of them have the courage to consider a windfall,
profits tax? Absolutely not.

You can’t win elections unless you have the support of the working
class of this country. But you’re not going to have that support
unless you make it clear that you’re prepared to take on powerful
special interests – and fight for the millions of Americans who are
struggling economically. Whether it is extending the $300 a month
child tax credit that expired in December that slashed the child
poverty rate by over 40%, or increasing social security benefits, or
expanding Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision or making
childcare affordable, the Democrats must stand with the working class
of this country and expose the Republicans for the phonies that they
are.

None of what I am suggesting here is “radical”. It is, in fact,
extremely popular. It is what the American people want. If we close
this critical midterm campaign with a clear, unified vision to meet
the needs of working families, to take on corporate greed, and protect
a woman’s right to choose, we will begin to rebuild the trust
between Democrats in Washington and the working families of this
country.

And we’ll win the election.

_[BERNIE SANDERS is a US senator, and the chair of the Senate budget
committee. He represents the state of Vermont.]_
 

_In recent polls, American voters ranked “threats to democracy” as
the most important issue facing the country. At a time of climate
collapse, inflation and a pandemic, this is a remarkable statement on
the fragility of America’s fundamental rights and freedoms._

_The country is seeing a dizzying number of assaults on democracy,
from draconian abortion bans to a record number of book bans.
Politicians who spread lies and sought to delegitimize the 2020
election are pursuing offices that will put them in control of the
country’s election machinery. Meanwhile, the supreme court is
enforcing its own agenda on abortion, guns and environmental
protections – often in opposition to public opinion. _

_With so much on the line, journalism that relentlessly reports the
truth, uncovers injustice, and exposes misinformation is absolutely
essential. We need your support to help us power it. Unlike many
others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner.
Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global
reporting, always free from commercial or political influence.
Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand
better from the powerful._

_We provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this
because we believe in information equality – that everyone needs
access to truthful journalism about the events shaping our world,
regardless of their ability to pay for it. _

_Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and
sustains our future [[link removed]]_

* 2022 Elections
[[link removed]]
* Economy
[[link removed]]
* Economic Crisis
[[link removed]]
* abortion
[[link removed]]
* abortion rights
[[link removed]]
* Women
[[link removed]]
* war on women
[[link removed]]
* Democrats
[[link removed]]
* Democratic Party
[[link removed]]
* Bernie Sanders
[[link removed]]
* Minimum Wage
[[link removed]]
* Healthcare
[[link removed]]
* anti-worker agenda
[[link removed]]
* Working Class
[[link removed]]
* GOP
[[link removed]]
* MAGA
[[link removed]]
* Republican Party
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]

Manage subscription
[[link removed]]

Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]