In 2012 Bernie has held dozens of campaign dinners and rallies throughout Vermont to discuss what’s at stake in this election.  On October 19th, over 250 people attended this rally in Putney, VT.

Dear Friends,

I want to thank many of you for the strong support that you have given my Senate re-election campaign in Vermont. It is very much appreciated. Let me take this opportunity to keep you informed as to what our campaign is up to.

As of today, we have held 22 campaign rallies in large and small communities throughout the state — bringing out thousands of Vermonters. By the time the campaign is over we will have done more than 50 such events. The format is simple: I speak. Local activists speak. We take questions. We have discussions. We often provide food and music, trying to bridge the gap that so many Americans sense between political issues and the world of community and togetherness that they inhabit every day. That’s called grass-roots democracy and is something I believe in very strongly. Thirty-second TV ads have their place, but I much prefer investing in people, education and organizing.

Further, tonight and every night, we have staff and volunteers knocking on doors in communities throughout the state, engaging Vermonters in political discussion. By the end of this campaign we will have knocked on over 30,000 doors — not bad for a small state. In my view, the antidote to Fox News and right-wing media is talking to people, face to face, about the real issues they confront. And that’s what we’re doing.

Your help has made all this grass-roots activity possible. I am writing now to once again request your support so that we can expand these activities as we head toward Election Day. My hope is to make Vermont a model for what a progressive grass-roots campaign can be. You are making that possible and I thank you very much for that. I look forward to your continued support.

Please donate today to support our progressive grass-roots campaign!

Let me say a word about the national campaign.

In the midst of all of the campaign hoopla, media superficiality, negativity and downright lies, it’s important for progressives not to forget what this election is all about.

Today we are confronted with a Republican Party which, in the last few years, has become a right-wing extremist party. This is a party which, as a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, is significantly financed by a small number of extremely wealthy individuals.  Billionaires like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson have pledged to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat President Obama — and Senate and House candidates throughout the country who are fighting to protect middle-class and working families.

These billionaires own coal companies, oil companies, gambling casinos and much of Wall Street. Now, they want to own the United States government.

At a time when we have a grotesquely unfair distribution of wealth and income, these billionaires want more tax breaks for the rich. As we continue to suffer from this horrendous Wall Street caused recession, the billionaires want more de-regulation of the giant financial institutions. Despite the fact that we have lost over 50,000 factories in the last ten years and millions of good-paying jobs, these corporate tycoons want more unfettered free trade to send our jobs to China and other low-wage countries.

Today, 50 million Americans lack health insurance, and some 45,000 will die this year because they don’t get to a doctor when they should. The Republican response: convert Medicare into a voucher program and make huge cuts in Medicaid.

The simple truth is that today’s Republican Party wants to undo virtually every piece of legislation passed in the last 80 years that was designed to provide dignity and security to ordinary Americans. It’s not just that many of them want to destroy Social Security; it’s that some leading Republicans are so opposed to government serving the needs of working families that they actually believe that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the minimum wage are “unconstitutional.”

In short, the Republican Party of today wants to move this country into an oligarchic form of society in which a handful of very wealthy people control the economic and political life of the nation.

WE MUST NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!

But it’s not just economic issues. Take a hard look at their position on women’s issues. The recently passed Republican Party platform supports a constitutional amendment to prohibit abortion even in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. In other words, the Republican Party, the party of “freedom,” believes that a woman must have a rapist’s baby even at the cost of her own life. Talk about extremism!

And then there’s global warming. Some 98 percent of all scientists who have written peer-reviewed articles on climate change believe that global warming is real, that it is significantly caused by human activity, and that it is already causing severe damage to our planet. These scientists believe that if global warming is not reversed it could have a disastrous impact upon the lives of billions of people. What is the Republican Party’s position on global warming? Republican Senator Jim Inhoff, who will become Chairman of the Environmental Committee if the Republicans gain control of the Senate, has recently written a book in which he expresses the view that global warming is a hoax, perpetrated on the American people by Al Gore, the United Nations and the “Hollywood elite.” No kidding! That’s really his view.

So that is where we are today.

We have a Republican Party that is at war against the middle class, that looks out only for the wealthy, that denies both global warming and the rights of women to control their own bodies and is — if you can believe this — moving even further to the right. That same Republican Party despises equality, welcomes oligarchy, demeans democracy by preventing millions from exercising their right to vote, and panders more and more to its extreme right-wing base.

What about the Democrats?  While President Obama and the Democrats can take pride in some important and positive accomplishments over the last four years, I recognize that many progressives are disappointed in some of what the President has done — and in what he has not done.  I share that disappointment.

Have the Democrats been as strong as they should be in opposing right-wing extremism and the reactionary Republican agenda? No, they haven’t. Have they been as strong as they should be in standing up to the Wall Street executives whose greed, recklessness and illegal behavior drove us into this horrendous recession? No, they haven’t. Have they been as strong as they should be in taking on the Big Money interests and making it clear that they will not do deficit reduction on the backs of the sick, the elderly, the children or the poor? No, they haven’t. Have they done all that they could to move forward on overturning the disastrous Citizens United decision? No, they haven’t.  Are they much too heavily influenced by moneyed interests?  Yes, they are.

In my view, the course of action now for progressives is pretty simple.  First, we have to do everything we can to defeat right-wing extremism, re-elect President Obama and as many Democrats as possible to the House and Senate.  (It would be an unmitigated disaster if the Republicans gained control of the Senate.)  Second, the day after the election we must greatly accelerate our efforts in strengthening the kind of grass-roots progressive movement that has the capability of holding the Democrats accountable as we demand that they stand up vigorously for the middle class and working families of our country.

These are tough and frightening times for our country.  Despair is not an option.  The fight continues.

Thanks again for your support.

Sincerely,

Senator Bernie Sanders

PS: Our grass-roots campaign is bringing our shared progressive message to all corners of Vermont and the country.  Please support these efforts and my re-election campaign today!

Dear Friend,

Thank you very much for the political and financial support you have given my campaign for re-election to the United States Senate from Vermont. It is very much appreciated.

As the longest serving Independent in U.S. congressional history I want to take this opportunity to share with you my views about what I consider to be the most serious crisis we face: the need to defeat the effort of the wealthiest people in our country to convert our American democracy into an oligarchic form of government where virtually all economic and political power rests in the hands of a small number of enormously rich families.

The history of this country has been the drive towards a more and more inclusive democracy — a democracy that would fulfill Abraham Lincoln’s beautiful phraseology at Gettysburg in which he described America as a nation “of the people by the people for the people.”

We all know American democracy has not always lived up to this ideal. When this country was founded, only white male property owners over age 21 could vote. But people fought to change that and we became a more inclusive democracy. After the Civil War we amended the Constitution to allow non-white men to vote. We became a more inclusive democracy. In 1920, after years of struggle and against enormous opposition, we finally ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote. We became a more inclusive democracy.

In 1965, under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, the great civil rights movement finally succeeded in outlawing racism at the ballot box and L.B.J. signed the Voting Rights Act. African Americans could not be denied the right to vote. We became a more inclusive democracy. One year after that, the Supreme Court ruled that the poll tax was unconstitutional, that people could not be denied the right to vote because they were low-income. We became a more inclusive democracy. In 1971, young people throughout the country said; “we are being drafted to go to Vietnam and get killed, but we don’t even have the right to vote.” The voting age was lowered to 18. We became a more inclusive democracy.

Today, after centuries of seeing this country move toward a more democratic and inclusive society, we are now witnessing the most severe attack on our democratic foundations, both economically and politically, that has been seen in the modern history of our country. In terms of the distribution of wealth and income, in terms of concentration of economic ownership and in terms of political power, fewer and fewer Americans are determining the future of our country. This is a trend we must reverse.

Economically, the United States today has, by far, the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on earth and that inequality is worse today in America than at any time since the late 1920s. Today, the wealthiest 400 individuals own more wealth than the bottom half of America — 150 million people. Today, one family, the Walton family of Wal-Mart fame, with $89 billion, owns more wealth than the bottom 40 percent of America. Today, the top one percent own 40 percent of all wealth, while the bottom 60 percent owns less than two percent. Incredibly, the bottom 40 percent of all Americans own just three-tenths of one percent of the wealth of the country.

In terms of income distribution, the top one percent earns more income than the bottom 50 percent. Between 1980 and 2005, 80 percent of all new income created in this country went to the top one percent. In 2010 alone, 93 percent of all new income went to the top one percent.

In terms of economic power and concentration of ownership, the six largest financial institutions in the country (JP MorganChase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Metlife) own assets equivalent to two-thirds of the GDP of this country — more than nine trillion dollars. These giant Wall Street institutions produce half the mortgages in this country and two-thirds of the credit cards. Three of the top four are larger today than they were when we bailed them out four years ago because they were “too big to fail.”

That is what is going on economically in this country. A handful of billionaires own a significant part of the wealth of America and have enormous control over our economy.

In my view the Citizens United Supreme Court decision was one of the worst and most anti-democratic decisions in the history of our country. What the Supreme Court did in Citizens United was to give enormous new political power to the wealthiest people in our country, in addition to all of the economic power they have. That decision allowed corporations and the super-rich, without disclosure, to spend as much money as they want to buy candidates and elections. In essence, the Supreme Court said to America’s billionaires: “You own and control the economy, you own Wall Street, you own the coal companies, you own the oil companies. Now, for a very small percentage of your wealth, we’re going to give you the opportunity to own the United States government.” That is what Citizens United is all about.

Why should we be surprised that one family, worth $50 billion, is prepared to spend $400 million in this election to protect their interests? That’s a small investment for them and a good investment. But it is not only the Koch brothers or Sheldon Adelson. There are at least twenty-three billionaire families who have contributed $250,000 or more into the political process up to now. My guess is that number is really much greater because many of these contributions are made in secret.

From one end of this country to the other, hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent by the very wealthy to defeat candidates who represent the needs of working people. Not content with controlling the economy, they also want to dominate our political system as well.

Please support my re-election campaign today to counter the unlimited resources of the right-wing and to bring our progressive message to all corners of the country.

There is only one antidote to the plans of Big Money. We must fight back. We must educate and organize the working families of our country around a progressive agenda. We must build a strong grass-roots movement which demands that government work for all the people, and not just the wealthy and corporate interests. We must demand that the President and Democrats end their timidity, forcefully stand with struggling families and take on the greed of Wall Street and the top one percent.

As part of our progressive agenda not only must we resist cuts in Social Security, we must lift the cap on high income earners so that Social Security will be strong for the next 75 years.

Not only must we oppose cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, we must see health care as a right of all and continue the struggle for a Medicare for All Single Payer health care system.

Not only must we oppose placing the burden of deficit reduction on the backs of working families, we must demand a progressive tax system in which the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.

Not only must we oppose those who deny the reality of global warming, we must demand the transformation of our energy system away from fossil fuels into energy efficiency and such sustainable energies as wind, solar, geo-thermal and bio-mass.

Not only must we oppose cuts in unemployment compensation, we must fight for a jobs program that creates the many millions of jobs our country desperately needs.

These are pivotal times in the history of our country. I have been extremely proud to have represented Vermont in the Senate for the last five years and to have worked with many of you in the fight to protect and expand our progressive vision.

Today, as the political situation heats up in Vermont, I am writing to request your support. As, perhaps, the most progressive member of the U.S. Senate, there is no one that the Big Money interests in Washington would prefer to see defeated. Whether it is Wall Street, the oil companies, the insurance and drug companies, the coal and nuclear industries or the military-industrial-complex, I’ve helped lead the opposition against all of them and their never-ending greed. Now, with the absurd Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowing billionaires and corporations to spend unlimited sums of money on campaigns, this could be payback time for them. Please help me be prepared to withstand the type of attacks that could well be coming.

I would very much appreciate your support in my re-election effort. Please contribute today.

Sincerely,

Senator Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders took on the Senate’s biggest global-warming skeptic on Monday in a speech aimed at prodding Congress to stop ignoring the issue.

Sanders, I-Vt., called on Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and other conservatives to rethink their views on global warming. Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and its former chairman, is famous for dismissing global warming as “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”

“Sen. Inhofe has some very radical views regarding global warming, and I believe he is dead wrong and dangerously wrong on this issue,” Sanders said in a speech from the Senate floor. “Because many Republicans follow Sen. Inhofe’s lead, it means we are making very little progress here in Congress in combating what most of the scientific community sees as a global environmental crisis.”

Sanders, who is up for re-election this year, noted that Inhofe is in line to head the environment committee again if Republicans retake control of the Senate. Sanders serves with Inhofe on the panel, which is led by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

The committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on the latest science supporting the existence of global warming and the role humans play by burning fossil fuels. Congress, bitterly divided along partisan lines, has reached a stalemate on the issue and is not expected to agree on any legislation in this session.

Read the whole article >>

Pity the poor senator or representative trying to stay alive in the political jungle. At every turn there’s a danger: a constituent who actually wants something done. Or worse, a campaign donor who might be offended by that something.

And so over time, our representatives have developed protective drab coloration and become expert at keeping a low profile. If they’re not on recess, they’re using some trick or another (the filibuster!) that muddies the waters sufficiently so that it’s hard to tell exactly who’s for what.

We’ve got the classic case this summer. A coalition of environmental and good-government groups have come together to demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies — Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Keith Ellison, both of them bold exceptions to the drab rule — have introduced a bill that would remove $113 billion in gifts to the coal, oil and gas industries over the next decade. Not surprisingly, it has wide support: polling shows that around 70 percent of Republicans, independents, and Democrats think it’s a poor idea to give tax dollars to the richest industry on earth.

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Unless Congress acts soon, the wind industry will have to trim its sails–and its workforce.

An essential federal tax break for the fledgling industry, scheduled to expire at the end of the year, has become a victim of Washington gridlock. President Obama was in Newton, Iowa, yesterday at TPI Composites, a leading wind blade manufacturer, to again ask Congress to extend the production tax credit, which provides a credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by wind turbines–as well as geothermal, biomass and underwater turbines–for the first 10 years of production.

The president also urged Congress to expand a 30 percent tax credit instituted in 2009 for investments in companies manufacturing renewable energy components. The package, called the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit, provided $2.3 billion in credits for solar panel parts, “smart” electric meters, fuel cell components and wind turbines.

Over the last decade, wind power has become one of the fastest growing energy sources around the world. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in the United States alone wind generated 120 billion kilowatt hours last year, 20 times more than in 2000 and enough to light up more than 20 million households. That 32 percent average annual growth rate is due to a number of factors, mainly improved technology, state standards requiring utilities to ramp up their reliance on renewables–and the federal production tax credit.

The production tax credit, which debuted in 1992, helps level the playing field between wind and coal and natural gas and is critical for financing new projects. Although most wind power developers don’t pay taxes because they’re not yet turning a profit, they can raise capital by selling the credits to companies that do.

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In a joint statement the senators said:  “The economic links between Canada and the states of Vermont and New York are vital, and there is great potential to make them stronger still.  A smoother customs experience in Montreal will spur job creation and economic opportunities on both sides of the border.”

The senators are pressing their case in a letter sent Thursday to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Read the whole article >>

Yesterday I had the honor of joining a 200-strong peloton on the last leg of Climate Ride’s five-day cycling journey from New York City to Washington, raising money and awareness for the cause all along the way. The organization I work for, NRDC, is one of more than 30 terrific transportation and environmental groups sponsoring the event, and quite a few colleagues and friends rode all 300 miles. Each had raised at least $2400 in order to do so. That’s not an easy thing to do, and they all earned every bit of enjoyment they could find on the ride – which, from observation, seemed to be quite a bit.

The journey had hills and beautiful scenery – and some rain. After a mostly spectacular spring, we’ve been having a rainy and “unsettled” week. But no one’s spirits were dampened as the ride, which began with a ferry ride from Manhattan to New Jersey, finished on the National Mall near the US Capitol.

According to a story by Ron Cassie for Urbanite Baltimore, Climate Ride was founded in 2008 by experienced bicycle tour guides Caeli Quinn, whom I enjoyed meeting yesterday, and Geraldine Carter. Its mission “is to inspire and empower citizens to work toward a new energy future,” using “sport as a means to change lives and build an effective, citizen-based sustainability movement.” Quinn told Cassie that at least 60 percent of the contributions go to benefit environmental, bicycle advocacy, and sustainability groups, with the other 40 percent used to offset the cost of producing the event.

Read the whole article >>

Over the next ten years, the oil, gas and coal industries are slated to receive $113 billion in taxpayer subsidies—that’s six times the rate at which clean energy initiatives are subsidized. Americans will fund everything from development research for the industry to loan guarantees. There are all kinds of absurd tax breaks—for example, since 1951 the coal industry has been allowed to treat income from coal mines as capital gains, which is now taxed at a 15 percent maximum, instead of as regular income like most other businesses in the country.

Democrats have often presented bills to end a various portions of these subsidies, but a new bicameral bill—introduced by Bernie Sanders in the Senate and Keith Ellison in the House—would wipe out every last subsidy and tax break the industry receives.

“In these difficult economic times, it is imperative that we support the taxpayers of this country, the working people of this country, and not the fossil fuel industry—one of the most powerful and profitable industries in the world,” said Sanders at a rally Thursday morning outside the Capitol building.

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WASHINGTON — Government subsidies for oil, gas and coal companies would end under legislation Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced Thursday.

The fossil fuel industry has led a “decades-long smear campaign” against climate change and successfully lobbied for “government handouts” despite making impressive profits, Sanders, I-Vt., said at a press conference outside the Capitol.

“When we have a $15.6-trillion national debt, we cannot afford it,” he said to cheers from dozens of environmental and tax policy activists. “When the five largest oil companies have made over $1 trillion in profits in the last decade, they don’t need it.”

Sanders said his bill, the End Polluter Welfare Act of 2012, would save $113 billion in taxpayer dollars over ten years by ending tax breaks and eliminating special financing arrangements, royalties and federal research and development subsidies for big oil companies.

Read the whole article >>