Sanders: ‘The Right-Wing Republicans We Oppose Must Not Be Allowed to Gain the Presidency’

Tuesday night, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gave an emotional speech after his decisive victory in the New Hampshire Democratic primary over his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Thanking her he said, “We will need to come together in a few months and unite this party and this nation because the right wing Republicans we oppose must not be allowed to gain the presidency. ”

Partial transcript as follows:

Together we have sent the message that we’ll echo from Wall Street to Washington from Maine to California. That is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACs. Nine months ago we began our campaign here in New Hampshire. We had no campaign organization. We had no money. We were taking on the most power powerful political organization in the United States of America. Tonight, with what appears to be a record breaking voter turn out out — because of a huge voter turn out, and I say huge, we won because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic party will need to succeed in November. What happened here in New Hampshire in terms of an enthuse enthusiastic and aroused electorate of people who came out in large number, that is what will happen all over this country. Let us never forget Democrats and progressives win when voter turn out is high. Republicans win when people are demoralized and voter turn out is low. Tonight, we serve notice to the political and economic establishment of this country that the American will not continue to accept a corrupt campaign finance system that is undermining American democracy and we will not accept a rigged economy in which ordinary Americans work longer hours for lower wages while almost all new income and wealth go to the top 1 percent.”

I want to take this opportunity again to congratulate Secretary Clinton and her organization and supporters for waging a vigorous campaign. I hope in the days ahead we can continue to wage a strong issue oriented campaign and bring new people the political process. I also hope that we all remember and that is a message not just to our opponents but to those who support me as well that we will need to come together in a few months and unite this party and this nation because the right wing Republicans we oppose must not be allowed to gain the presidency. As we all remember, the last time Republicans occupied the White House, they trickle down economic policies drove us into the worst economic downturn since the depression of the 1930s. No, we will not allow huge tax breaks for billionaires. We will not allow pack huge cuts to social security, medicare, medicaid and education. No, we will not allow back into the White House a political party that’s so beholden to the fossil fuel industry that they cannot even acknowledge the scientific reality of climate change. The people of New Hampshire have sent a profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and by the way to the media establishment. What the people here have said is that given the enormous crises facing our country, it’s just too late for the same old, same old establishment politics and establishment economics. The people want real change. What the American people have saying, and by the way, I hear this not just from progressives but from conservatives and from moderates is that we can no longer continue to have a campaign finance system in which wall street and the billionaire class are able to buy elections. Americans no matter what they’re political view may be, understand that that is not what the democracy is about.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN