Friends of Bernie Sanders

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the people across the country who supported my successful campaign for the United States Senate in 2006. Without your support, and the help I received from tens of thousands of other Americans, I would not have been able to become the first real Independent ever elected to the United States Senate. I certainly would not have been able to defeat my Republican opponent who spent three times more money than any candidate in Vermont history and more money per vote than any Senate candidate has ever spent.

Given the reality that I was a leader in opposition to the disastrous policies of the Bush Administration, and am currently taking on virtually all of the powerful special interests in Washington, there is no question but that Big Money interests will be targeting me when I come up for re-election. It’s imperative that we be prepared for that certain onslaught – starting now.

I believe our country today faces the most difficult set of problems that we have had to confront since the Great Depression. Let me briefly describe some of what I see in front of us:

Economically, we are hemorrhaging jobs at a faster rate than since the 1930s. Millions of Americans are losing their homes, their savings and their dreams. As a result of the incredible greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street, our banking system is on the verge of collapse. We have a record-breaking national debt of $10.5 trillion, our middle class is shrinking and the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider.

In terms of foreign policy, we are currently engaged in two wars and have an enormous way to go to restore our credibility with the international community. Incredibly, we are now spending over $540 billion a year on defense spending, in addition to what we are spending in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda is gaining strength throughout much of the world

Global warming is a growing crisis not only for the United States, but for the entire planet. If we do not lead the world away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy, our planet will see a huge increase in drought, floods, extreme weather conditions, mass population migration, hunger and political instability. And that, of course, is in addition to environmental crises we face in terms of the degradation of our air, land, water and food.

In terms of our national priorities, we remain the only major nation without a national health care program, we have the highest rate of childhood poverty and, in a not unrelated manner, more people in jail than any other country. As a result of past Bush Administration policies, we also face major challenges with regard to civil liberties and our constitutional rights.

And those are just a few of the problems that we face!

As Vermont’s Senator and, according to The Nation magazine, the most progressive member of the U.S. Senate, I have been a leader and active in every one of the issues that I’ve mentioned. And I will continue to lead. As President Obama unfolds his policies and priorities, it is my intention to work closely and supportively with him when he moves in a progressive direction, and respectfully oppose him when he does not. For example, I voted against Timothy Geithner for Secretary of Treasury because I think he represents the same-old failed Wall Street policies. On the other hand, I strongly supported the stimulus package, and worked to make it better, because I believe that it could represent a major change in our national priorities and the rebuilding of our economy.

I thank you for your support. I would very much appreciate your continued financial and political support. Together, I believe that we are at a moment in history when we can turn our country around and create the kind of future that will make our children and grandchildren proud.

Thank you again for your support.
 
Senator Bernie Sanders