VPR News has learned from several sources that Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday.
Sanders will release a short statement on that day and then hold a major campaign kickoff in Vermont in several weeks.
Audio from this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 29.
Sanders' entry into the Democratic race ensures that Hillary Clinton will face a challenge to win the support of the liberal wing of the party.
Sanders' basic message will be that the middle class in America has been decimated in the past two decades while wealthy people and corporations have flourished.
His opposition to a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (T.P.P.) shows how he plans to frame this key issue of his campaign.
"If you want to understand why the middle class in America is disappearing and why we have more wealth and income inequality in America than we have had since the late 1920s, you have to address the issue of trade,” Sanders said in a phone interview on April 23.
As the longest-serving Independent member of Congress, Sanders has been a vocal critic of the influence that large corporations have on the political process.
"All of the major corporations want to continue with this trade policy. Wall Street wants to continue this trade policy. The drug companies want to continue this trade policy. But organizations representing American workers and the environment do not want to continue the trade policy. They want new trade policies,” he said.
And Sanders says it is imperative that all the Democratic presidential candidates address the issue of trade and income inequality.
"So, I think that Hillary Clinton and every candidate out there should in fact address whether or not they support this T.P.P.," Sanders said.
In the past few months, Sanders has been actively visiting many of the early presidential primary states. Just last weekend he traveled to South Carolina to address the state Democratic Party and news reports indicate that his economic message drew a lot of support at the state meeting.
November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!
3. "He has zero chance of winning, but I'm glad he's running" In response to Reply # 0
Maybe we can see him and Raplh Nader throw darts at one another somewhere down the line. That would make for quite the entertaining debate.
__________________________________________ CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!! ------------------------------------ Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this
love that dude....him and Elizabeth Warren running together (he would make a better VP) would be my dream team of candidates.
I don't think he has a chance of winning....but I hope that by having him in the race he will help draw a line in the sand that will force other Dem candidates to have to face some of the tougher issues that they would rather brush under the rug.
5. "I would kinda rather he ran as an independent, but it depends" In response to Reply # 0
If he could get the money and steam behind him to actually get a sliver of the vote, then his presence would be huge at the later debates and stuff. As it is, he will just be a leftist foil to the inevitable nominee, Clinton, and the actual election will be business as usual.
And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
13. "My special wish was for Bernie and Warren to actually find " In response to Reply # 0
another ultimate populist candidate for them to both get behind and endorse, thus combining their pull into one unified populist campaign while maintaining their spots in Congress
PoppaGeorge Member since Nov 07th 2004 10384 posts
Wed Apr-29-15 12:13 AM
14. "Is it bad that I read this as "Barry Sanders"???" In response to Reply # 0
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"Where was the peace when we were getting shot? Where's the peace when we were getting laid out? Where is the peace when we are in the back of ambulances? Where is the peace then? They don't want to call for peace then.
25. "we don't vote for prez based on their VP." In response to Reply # 24 Wed Apr-29-15 11:14 AM by SoWhat
who voted for Obama b/c of Biden?
or Bush b/c of Cheney?
or Clinton b/c of Dole?
or Bush I b/c of Quayle?
et al.
we don't vote for co-presidents.
i too seriously doubt Hillary will choose a star like Warren for VP - like Obama didn't choose Hillary. instead she'll offer Warren some cabinet position or nominate her for SCOTUS justice or som'n like that. but not VP.
30. "see also: Dan Quayle." In response to Reply # 26 Wed Apr-29-15 02:53 PM by SoWhat
we don't vote for co-presidents.
prez candidates rarely select a strong VP - at least these days.
McCain chose Palin in part b/c he was pandering - and that choice backfired b/c she was TOO visible and TOO vocal. a good VP candidate is one who won't embarrass the prez candidate and provides decent photo ops. yeah, it might be a good idea to choose one who has some of the qualities the prez candidate lacks - so Obama chose an old white guy, for example. Bush II chose an old white guy (b/c Bush II was a youngish guy). Bush I chose a youngish guy. so maybe Hillary will choose an old white guy or a youngish white guy. or she may choose another minority. but i doubt she'll choose a woman and i seriously doubt she'll choose anyone who's particularly ambitious or well-known.
33. "Palin was also coming off Cheney" In response to Reply # 30
Who for a time, kind of re-defined how active and powerful a VP's role is in an administration. Biden took it back to normal... photo ops at funerals and burger joints, etc..
39. "Bernie Sanders as a VP won't get Hilary anything in a general election" In response to Reply # 18
Yes, people don't REALLY vote one way or the other because of a VP candidate, but they generally appeal to a base or a state/region that the Pres. candidate might not normally appeal to or experience the candidate might not have. Like, one of the reasons Obama had Biden on the ticket because he needed someone with a lot of foreign policy experience and political experience in general. Clinton is going to get the Liberal and Vermont vote in the general election with or without Sanders.
Some people say her VP will be Webb, just to make sure she has Southern white male representation. I still think it's going to be one of the Castro brothers, because she's going to want "reach out" to the Latino vote, especially since I imagine Rubio is going to be the GOP VP candidate.
20. "my favorite political factoid is that blue ass VT has only had 1 Dem sen..." In response to Reply # 0
in the state's entire history.
with that being said, i'm glad Sanders is running. competition is always healthy.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
34. "Well, it's not impossible. Not likely, but why not?" In response to Reply # 23
I'll vote for him as long as I can, unless i get a better option.
His voting record and political agenda serve the interests of the large majority of Americans. Maybe people will catch on to that? If people start voting in their own interests, he's got a good chance.
I know all the reasons why he's not supposed to win, and clearly the odds aren't great. I'm just going to pass on the stupid game of 'electability' and 'branding'.
I'd rather rally for the guy who most closely mirrors my views. I want no part of this pre-ordained Bush vs. Clinton showdown.
In a generation of swine, the one-eyed pig is king. -Hunter S. Thompson
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