Why Bernie Sanders just picked up a historical endorsement from Occupy Wall St [View all]

[sabrina 1]

Last edited Fri May 1, 2015, 09:56 PM - Edit history (2)

Why Occupy is Endorsing Bernie Sanders

On Thursday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders became the second candidate to officially launch a 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination for president. Sanders, who is an Independent in the Senate who caucuses with Democrats, is the first to directly challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Sanders formally announced his candidacy with an email to supporters and the media, and he later held a press conference

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Though Occupy Wall Street has political aspirations -- such as campaign finance reform and solving the student loan debt crisis -- the group has so far been wary of directly engaging in the electoral process. "Unlike their Tea Party counterparts, activists from Occupy Wall Street largely wrote off electoral politics as a means for effecting change, rejecting partisan politics as hopelessly corrupt," the New Republic explained.

The endorsement, then, not only shows there is some grassroots support for Sanders, which could potentially force Hillary Clinton further left, but it is also marks a shift in Occupy to a more organized progressive movement.

"We are activists and organizers trying to build a broad, effective movement for democratic change," People For Bernie reads. "We come from different backgrounds, and were inspired by different issues and fights for peace, rights and the planet. Our goal is a government that carries out the will of the people, and not serve to increase the profits of the 1 percent at the expense of the rest of us."

"To that end we support Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party," it continues. "We stand firmly behind Senator Sanders as the strongest progressive challenger to Hillary Clinton in the race right now - the bold alternative."

At the bottom of the above article you can vote to support Bernie

There was some confusion about an OWS endorsement reported by Thom Harmann which was reported in this OP by DUer Bvar Thom Hartmann: Occupy Movement Has Endorsed Bernie

The confusion stems from the fact that Occupy has avoided endorsing Political Candidates and also because many who are part of the Movement, had not yet heard of the endorsement, such decisions are usually made in General Assemblies and rarely nationally.

Here is the site where those questions are answered and OWS members and other groups and individuals are hungry for real change across the country can sign up with this grassroots movement started by some of the original organizers of OWS, in their first endorsement of a Political Candidate, Bernie Sanders:

THE PEOPLE FOR BERNIE SANDERS

We Are People for Bernie

We are activists and organizers trying to build a broad, effective movement for democratic change. We come from different backgrounds, and were inspired by different issues and fights for peace, rights and the planet. Our goal is a government that carries out the will of the people, and not serve to increase the profits of the 1% at the expense of the rest of us.

To that end we support Bernie Sanders in his bid to become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. We stand firmly behind Senator Sanders as the strongest progressive possibility in the race right now. His commitment to our values is one of long standing commitment. Sanders is the bold alternative.

As a truly progressive candidate for the Democratic Party nomination, Senator Sanders has the chance to inspire millions of Americans with policy proposals that put the interests of the 99%, front and center.

Franklin D. Roosevelt called out the “economic royalists” of his day. Senator Sanders is picking up the banner. He answers to “We the People” and not to the corporate and financial sectors. Bernie brings the kind of leadership that is necessary to building a real, living democracy.

The initiators of this letter are veteran grassroots organizers of Occupy Wall Street, and are joined by many energized brothers and sisters we have met along the way. In September 2011, our efforts changed the narrative of American politics, helping to focus it on the issues of our time: inequality, surrender to the power of concentrated wealth, the corruption of our democracy by moneyed interests, and the need for solutions as radical as our problems.

We are signing as individuals hoping to kickstart a small ‘d’ democratic movement. People For Bernie won’t be a corporate-style, staff-driven, controlled-message, top-down enterprise. It will reflect diverse constituencies from a broad range of movements, which in many cases haven’t seen the Democratic Party as a home for their deepest aspirations. It will reflect our commitment to fundamental change, not just a change of faces at the top of the political pyramid. People for Bernie it will reflect the urgency of more and fiercer grassroots political activity at the base.

We call on all other progressive forces to unite behind Sanders so we can have a united front in this important campaign.

Grassroots for Bernie!



Thanks Occupy!

Edited to add (thanks Cali) Bernie's website where we can donate and sign up to help him win this race:

https://berniesanders.com/

I like his notation: Paid for by Bernie 2016/not the billionaires!