Bernie Sanders, widely considered to be the most progressive of the five Democratic candidates running to succeed Barack Obama as President of the United States, is bringing his people-powered campaign to the Pacific Northwest next week. Organizers working for the dynamic, inspiring Vermont senator have invited Washingtonians and Oregonians who support Bernie’s vision for the country to rally with him in Seattle and Portland next weekend.
The Seattle rally will take place at Hec Edmundson Pavilion at the University of Washington on August 8th, 2015. Doors will open at 6 PM; the program will begin around 7 PM and last till 8 PM. The campaign encourages attendees to carpool or take public transit. Unfortunately, University Link isn’t quite ready to carry the traveling public yet, or we’d recommend that anyone coming from the south take that. But the University District does enjoy frequent bus service. Take advantage.
The campaign requests that supporters RSVP for the Seattle rally here.
The Portland rally will take place the next day (Sunday August 9th), also from 6 — 8 PM, at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. As Portlanders know, the Coliseum is located in the Rose Quarter and is readily accessible via TriMet’s MAX light rail.
The campaign requests that supporters RSVP for the Portland rally here.
There is no charge for admittance to either event.
At the rallies, Sanders will discuss how we:
- Get big money out of politics
- Deal with obscene wealth and income inequality
- Combat climate change
- Make college education affordable
Sanders has already drawn big crowds in Phoenix, Arizona (following an appearance at Netroots Nation), Minneapolis, Minnesota, and numerous venues in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now he’s coming to the great Pacific Northwest to talk about his progressive vision with the people of our region.
Hec Ed has a seating capacity of 10,000 people, and the Coliseum has a capacity of nearly 13,000. Hec Ed was previously the site of a big rally for Patty Murray in 2010 headlined by President Barack Obama that completely filled the arena.
On Saturday, Sanders will also speak at an anniversary celebration for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, taking place from 1 to 3 PM at Westlake Center in downtown Seattle. Other speakers include labor leaders and local elected officials like Senator Pramila Jayapal and Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
“We are very excited to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid and the 80th anniversary of Social Security,” said Robby Stern of PSARA and Social Security Works – Washington. “We are particularly honored to welcome Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the national advocacy leaders for strengthening and expanding these three critical programs.”
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Bernie Sanders on Social Security:
“Before the creation of Social Security, about half of our nation’s seniors lived in poverty,” he said. “In other words, Social Security has had a profound impact on lower income benefits for seniors. Yet despite this enormous success, the Republicans in the House made a rules change that will make it easy for them to make huge cuts to this enormously important and successful program.”
“We’ve got to send a very clear and loud message. To the Republican leadership in the Senate and the House: stop manufacturing a crisis that does not exist in the Social Security Disability Insurance Program.”
“Stop trying to pit senior citizens on fixed incomes against the disabled. Stop rigging the rules for making it easier to cut Social Security — benefits for the most vulnerable people in this country, while providing even more tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires and the most profitable corporations in this country,” he added.
“Does anybody in America support that?” the senator asked. “Not really, but they get away with that, because many Americans don’t know what’s going on. The skyrocketing increase in wealth and income inequality over the past three decades has not only hurt millions of Americans, it caused the middle class to shrink, but it is also hurting Social Security.”
“One thing I do know damn well is that you don’t cut those benefits. You expand those benefits,” said Sanders.
When I hear Bernie speak, I feel hope. Haven’t felt this excited since the 2008 Obama campaign!
We need Bernie in the White House. Let’s get him elected!