I will be doing town meetings in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday night and Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday morning. Further, we’re in the process of planning more events, coast to coast. Stay tuned.
Why, at this moment, are we doing town meetings around the country- especially in conservative areas? The answer is obvious.
Trumpism will not be defeated by politicians inside the DC beltway. It will only be defeated by millions of Americans, in every state in this country, coming together in a strong, grassroots movement which says NO to oligarchy, NO to authoritarianism, NO to kleptocracy, NO to massive cuts in programs that working people desperately need, NO to huge tax brakes for the richest people in our country. And that’s what these events are about.
Further, there are a number of congressional districts where Republicans won by only a small number of votes. With the Republican Party in the House having only a three vote majority we can defeat draconian, anti-working class legislation if just two Republican members of Congress vote NO. And they will vote NO if we rally their constituents to demand that they vote NO.
Can Trumpism be defeated? Absolutely! But, if we’re going to make that happen, we need to know exactly what we’re fighting and how we best go forward. Here’s just a little bit of what we need to know:
Trumpism has an unlimited amount of money to throw into their efforts. Elon Musk, the. wealthiest man on earth, put more than $270 million into Trump’s campaign.
Trumpism has significant control over large parts of the media where millions of Americans get their information. FOX and Musk’s Twitter platform, among others, are not normal media outlets. Their basic function is to spread right wing extremist ideology.
Trumpism is utilizing the concept of the Big Lie in a way that has never, in this country, been done before. Day after day, blatantly dishonest statements and conspiracy theories are propagated — and repeated over and over and over again.
Trumpism does not believe in democracy or the rule of law. Trump recently posted: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” In other words, Trump believes that he can do anything he wants for any reason. He can ignore Congress or the courts. He is above the law.
But, while Trump consolidates power into his own hands, there is another reality going on. Today, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, millions are earning starvation wages, 85 million are uninsured or under-insured, young people are unable to afford the cost of college, 25% of seniors live on $15,000 a year or less and we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth. Oh, and by the way, we’re losing the struggle against climate change – an existential threat to the future of the planet.
And here’s the kicker. While Trump moves us away from democracy, while the middle-class continues to decline, the wealthiest people in the country have never ever had it so good. Today, the three major oligarchs, Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, are worth $905 billion — that is more wealth than the bottom half of American society — 170 million people. And, incredibly, since Trump’s election their wealth has grown by $217 billion.
Our struggle, the American people’s struggle, is to protect democracy and the rule of law. Equally important, we must end oligarchy and create an economy that works for all, not just the few. We are the wealthiest country on earth and AI, robotics and other new technologies being developed will only make our country wealthier. It is absurd, unjust and inhumane that virtually all of that new wealth being created goes to the people who need it the least.
We must continue and expand the fight for basic human rights:
Healthcare is a human right and must be available to all regardless of income.
Every worker in America is entitled to earn a decent income. We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage and make it easier for workers to join unions.
We must have the best public educational system in the world, from child care to vocational training, to graduate school, available to all.
We must address the housing crisis and build the millions of units of low income and affordable housing that we desperately need.
We must create millions of good paying jobs as we lead the world in combating the existential threat of climate change.
Not only must we continue to fight for a nation based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice, we must also lead the effort against Trump‘s reactionary legislative agenda.
In the coming weeks the Republicans in Congress will be bringing forward a major piece of legislation, a “reconciliation” bill, that encapsulates their value system and their obedience to oligarchy. It is the economic essence of Trumpism.
At a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality, this legislation will provide trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the richest people in our country. It will make the rich even richer. At a time when the working class of this country is struggling to put food on the table and pay for housing, this legislation will make savage cuts to Medicaid, housing, nutrition, education and other basic needs. It will make the poor even poorer.
We cannot allow this to happen. This legislation is enormously unpopular. It is exactly what the American people do NOT want. It must not be passed by Congress.
It must be defeated and we CAN defeat it.
This is a perilous moment in American history. Let us go forward together.
In Solidarity,
Bernie
