Bernie Asks Us To Run for Office
Sisters and Brothers,
We are living in an unprecedented moment in modern American history. Under the Trump administration, we are witnessing oligarchs taking over our government, a rapid movement towards authoritarianism, blatant kleptocracy and a massive attack on programs that working people desperately need -- such as Medicaid, Social Security, the Veterans Administration, housing and nutrition.
As we determine all the best ways to fight back, one thing is certain. Now is NOT the time for thinking small. Now is NOT the time to rely on the same old ideas, the same old politics, the same old establishment politicians.
Now IS the time for people all across this country to go outside of their comfort zone and do the hard work necessary to revitalize American democracy, end the collapse of the American middle class and to make certain that our children and grandchildren are able to enjoy a quality of life that brings them health, prosperity, security and joy.
Today, I am writing to ask you to go outside your comfort zone.
I am writing to ask you to run for office.
Yes, you.
We need people in every state, county and town in this country to raise their hand and say they are prepared to run for city council, school board, mayor, state legislature, Congress and more. We need to elect progressives at every level in this country who are prepared to side with the working class in America and fight for an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the few.
All you have to do is tell us that you are interested, and we will connect you with an organization that will provide you the tools, the training and the information you need to get the process started and to be successful.
That's the first step. I am asking you to take it now.
When I talk about the need for a political revolution to transform this country, a lot of pundits believe that is an acknowledgement of impossibility.
It's not.
It's a statement of what is necessary to undo the damage that has been done and to reclaim our country from the oligarchs.
It is the need for millions of working people -- black and white, Latino and Native American, gay and straight -- to come together, to revitalize American democracy.
Let’s be clear. The ruling class of this country understands this point very well.
They fully understand the implications of expanded participation by working people in the electoral and political process. That is precisely why they work so hard, in so many ways, to prevent it from happening. That is their nightmare.
Their goal is to constantly remind you that they have all the power. They control the government and the economy. They own the media. “You want to take us on? Good luck,” they will say. “There's nothing you can do about it.”
That mindset of powerlessness is what we have to break through.
As Nelson Mandela perceptively stated: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Well. We have to do it because there’s no one out there who can do it for us. We’re all we got. We’re in this together.
If that's you -- if you are ready -- I want to help:
In these difficult times, despair is not an option. We’ve got to fight back in every way we can. Whatever we can do is what we must do. And if we do, I believe we can revitalize American society and create the kind of government and economy that works for all of us, not just the ruling class.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders