Sanders After Vermont Victory: This Is About ‘Transforming America’

Tuesday after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won his home state Democratic primary in Vermont by a large margin, he gave a victory speech saying, “this campaign is not just about electing the president, it is about transforming America.”

Sanders said, “This campaign is, I think all of you know, this campaign is not just about electing the president, it is about transforming America. It is about making our great country the nation that we know it has the potential to be. It is about dealing in unpleasant truths and having the guts to confront the untruths. It is about recognizing that in our state, we have town meetings and people come out, they argue about budgets, and then they vote. one person, one vote. In Vermont, billionaires do not buy town meetings, and in America, we are going to end a corrupt campaign finance system. We can disagree in a democracy, and that’s what a democracy is about, but I hope all of us agree that we’re going to not allow billionaires and their super pacs to destroy American democracy. In our state, you all know that we have many, many thousands of Vermonters working not just one job, they’re working two jobs, they’re working three jobs. And you all know that while our people are working so hard, almost all of the new wealth and income generated in America is going to the top 1 percent.

“Well, together, what we are going to do is create an economy that works for all of us, not just the people on top,” he continued. “And together, we are going to end and reform a broken criminal justice system. This country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, should not be having more people in jail than any other country on earth. That’s wrong. So we are going to invest for our young people in education, in jobs, not jails or incarceration. Now, I know many of my Republican colleagues think that climate change is a hoax. Well, I believe that you don’t develop real public policy unless you listen to the science and the science is clear. Together, we are going to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Now, I know that Secretary Clinton and many of the establishment people think that I am looking and thinking too big. I don’t think so. So let me go on the record and say, as you have heard me say for years, health care is a right for all people. And let me also say that in the United States of America, when we talk about public education, it’s not just first grade through twelfth. That has got to be expanded to make public colleges and universities tuition free. What I have said from day one in this campaign and I suspect many of you went down on the lake with me when we announced on that beautiful day. What I have said is that this campaign is not just about electing a president.”

“It is about making a political revolution,” he added. What that revolution is about is bringing millions of millions of people into the political process. Working people who have been so disillusioned, they no longer vote. Young people have never been involved. The political revolution is about is bringing our people together. Black and white, Latino, Asian Americans, gay and straight. People born in America, people who have immigrated to America. When we bring our people together, when we do not allow the Donald Trumps of the world to divide us up. When we bring our people together and when we have the courage to stand up to the billionaire class and tell them they can’t have it all. That our government belongs to all of us, not just super pacs and wealthy campaign contributors.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN