Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke to a crowd of more than 10,000 fans Sunday night at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena, where Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) and Attorney General Keith Ellison warmed up the crowd.
Both Ellison and Omar endorsed the Vermont socialist ahead of Sunday night’s rally.
“America has never been richer than it is right this very minute and yet the distribution of wealth is so skewed to the very, very, very wealthy that you don’t feel rich, do you? You don’t feel it. It doesn’t feel that way,” Ellison said during his speech to the crowd. “Not when you’re carrying a big, fat load of debt on your back just because you went to school like us folks asked you to do.”
"America has never been richer than it is at this very minute, but you don't feel rich do you? Not when you're carrying a load of debt on your back, not when you're dealing with medical debt. Not when they're trying to break out unions" @KeithEllison #BerniesBackInMN pic.twitter.com/Pm9owvfZ27
— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) November 4, 2019
Ellison was followed by Omar, who said America needs a president who “will fight against Western imperialism.” The freshman congresswoman also addressed the Armenian Genocide after facing backlash for declining to vote in favor of a resolution acknowledging the atrocity.
“When we recognize injustices of the past and present – whether it is genocide against Jewish people, Armenians, or Rwandans or Bosnians or Native Americans or more – we realize that that recognition isn’t about punishing our political foes, but leading within a moral obligation,” she said. “I am beyond honored and excited for a president who will fight against Western imperialism and fight for a just world.”
Sanders touched on a number of radical campaign promises, including the cancellation of all student debt, free college for all, Medicare for all, a federal $15 minimum wage, and even a vow to end homelessness.
“We are going to pass the most comprehensive housing bill ever passed in the history of this country,” Sanders said. “We will build up to 10 million new housing units. We will eliminate homelessness. We will fight gentrification. We will create a national rent control standard.”
"We are going to pass the most comprehensive housing bill in the history of this country
We will build up to 10 mil new housing units
We will eliminate homelessness
We will fight gentrification.
We will create a national rent control standard" #HousingForAll #BerniesBackInMN pic.twitter.com/c6DOwt8que
— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) November 4, 2019
He also claimed that women make just “80 cents on the dollar” compared to men, saying they need “the whole damn dollar.”
"Every worker in this country deserves a living wage: At least $15 an hour. Women do not need 80 cents on the dollar, they need the whole damn dollar, and we are gonna make it easier, not harder, for workers to join unions" @BernieSanders #UnionsForAll #FightFor15 pic.twitter.com/QBZzGTW8su
— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) November 4, 2019
“Unlike Trump and his billionaire friends, we do not worship greed, selfishness, and corruption,” Sanders later said of the president.
Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan criticized Omar and Sanders for “their radical proposals for the future of our country.”
“While it is clear that Omar, Sanders and the squad have taken over the Democrat Party, Minnesotans deserve their elected officials to stand up against these dangerous policies,” she said in a statement. “Their extreme, socialist agenda will bankrupt America, all at the expense of middle-class families. It is time for Representatives Angie Craig, Dean Phillips and Collin Peterson to disavow Sanders’ radical agenda.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
