Photo: ''Look who just paid our Drop-In Center a visit--@BernieSanders! ''

FYI: Join the VTdems as we welcome TulsiGabbard to Burlington, this Friday 6PM!

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the 37-year-old Democrat from Hawaii who some think could have national ambitions, is making a swing through New Hampshire and Vermont this weekend.

Gabbard, who served with the Army National Guard in Iraq in 2005, will headline a Vermont Democratic Party fundraiser on Friday evening in Burlington. On Saturday, Gabbard, who rose to national prominence in part from her early endorsement of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, will be a featured speaker at a daylong summit in Keene hosted by Rights & Democracy and the Monadnock Progressive Alliance.
https://www.vnews.com/Ayotte-Reflects-on-Court-Nominations-Trumpism-20300492

''I'll be doing three events in Vermont this Saturday with progressive candidates ... ''

Bernie Boost: Sanders Giving Plenty of Help to Vermont Democrats

By JOHN WALTERS

Excerpt:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has had a sometimes rocky relationship with the Democratic Party. But he's making considerable efforts this year to support the Vermont Democrats' coordinated campaign, including direct financial support and a host of personal appearances between now and November 6. The coordinated campaign is just that: a joint effort to support the entire ticket. Candidates benefit from the coordinated effort and are expected to contribute accordingly. The size and nature of the contribution is subject to negotiation with the party.

The Sanders reelection campaign has pledged $150,000 to the coordinated campaign this year, nearly 50 percent more than he contributed in 2012, the last time he was on the Senate ballot. On top of that, Sanders is paying for two statewide mailers promoting early and absentee voting. The first went out before the August 14 primary; the second is scheduled for next week.

The next events are on Saturday, September 22. At 9:30 a.m., Sanders will appear in Stowe with Democrat Marina Meerburg, who's challenging 12-year incumbent Rep. Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe). In the afternoon, he'll be in Troy on behalf of Rep. Cindy Weed (P/D-Enosburg Falls), who's in a tough reelection battle. On Saturday evening, Sanders will host a rally in St. Johnsbury that will feature House hopefuls Scott Campbell, Dennis Labounty and Martha Allen, Democrats who are hoping to win Republican seats in the Northeast Kingdom. (Allen served as a Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention.)

Jackson said there will be "three to four more" events the first weekend in October, with more likely to follow later in the month. There will also be a repeat of 2016's tours on behalf of the entire ticket in the closing weeks of the campaign.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/bernie-boost-sanders-giving-plenty-of-help-to-vermont-democrats/Content?oid=20697562

I sat down with my friend @SarahKSilverman to explain what democratic socialism means to me ...

My Turn: Sanders - We're going to expand Social Security, not cut it

Sen. Bernie Sanders
Published 10:31 a.m. ET Sept. 17, 2018

Excerpt:

If Trump were serious about saving Social Security, which he is not, he would support the first bill I introduced this Congress. This legislation would expand Social Security benefits and extend its solvency for the next 60 years by requiring the wealthiest American households – those who make over $250,000 a year – to pay their fair share of Social Security taxes. Today, because of the earnings cap on Social Security taxes, a CEO making $20 million a year pays the same amount of money into Social Security as someone who makes $128,400 a year. That is absurd. At a time of massive income inequality, we need to lift this cap.

Under this bill, 98.4 percent of American workers would not see their taxes go up by a nickel while Social Security benefits would go up by about $1,300 a year a year for low-income seniors. Importantly, this bill would increase Cost-Of-Living-Adjustments (COLA) by more accurately measuring the spending patterns of seniors. Older Americans, by and large, are not going out on spending sprees buying big screen TVs, laptops, or the latest high-tech gadgets. Rather, they spend a disproportionate amount of their income on health care and prescription drugs and that should be reflected in the formula for calculating COLAs.

The vast majority of Vermonters understand that a moral society does not give tax breaks to billionaires, and then cut back on the needs of struggling seniors or people with disabilities. In fact, 72 percent of Americans “support increasing, not cutting Social Security benefits by asking millionaires and billionaires to pay more into the system.”

Our job now is to rally the American people to get our priorities right. At the top of that list is making sure that everyone in Vermont and throughout this country can retire with the dignity they have earned and all those struggling with a disability can live with the security they need.

Bernie Sanders, of Burlington, is the independent U.S. senator for Vermont.

https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/opinion/2018/09/17/my-turn-sanders-were-going-expand-social-security-not-cut/1333993002/

Burlington Town Hall Featuring Bernie Sanders Draws New American Crowd

POSTED BY KYMELYA SARI ON SUN, SEP 16, 2018 AT 8:13 PM

Excerpt:

The gathering at the Old North End Community Center specifically targeted New Americans and was intended to teach them the nuts and bolts of voting; to inspire them to become politically engaged and to give them an opportunity to make their concerns known to Sanders. It attracted a crowd of about 150 people, most of whom were members of the Burmese, Bhutanese, Iraqi, Somali and Sudanese communities.

Staffers from the Burlington School District, Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont were among those in attendance. State Sen. Chris Pearson (P/D-Chittenden) and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive/Democrat, also mingled at the event. Both politicians are seeking reelection this November.

The event kicked off with an introduction from Sandrine Kibuey, the associate director of Chittenden Community Action at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. A former asylee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kibuey shared her own immigration story before urging attendees to go to the polls and hold elected officials accountable.

Quoting civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., City Councilor Ali Dieng (D/P-Ward 7) told the crowd that "silence is betrayal.'' He urged the crowd to step up and run for office. Dieng said he's part of a network of New American leaders who will send candidates to run in future state legislative, mayoral and congressional races. He went on to introduce Sanders as the "most progressive senator of our time" who fights for "the most vulnerable."



https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2018/09/16/burlington-town-hall-featuring-bernie-sanders-draws-new-american-crowd

With @BernieSanders speaking with @AftVermont nurses and faculty at Contois auditorium, Burlington

Flashback 2006: Bernie Sanders ''Honky Tonk the Vote'' Senate Campaign

''The Bernie Sanders for Senate Campaign went looking for a fun way to bring together young Vermont voters and build awareness of the importance of Bernie's bid for U.S. Senate. What better way to do it than to get together some of Vermont's best musicians and have a honky tonk party. After receiving enthusiastic responses from Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Grace Potter, the wheels were set into motion. Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont would host ''Honky Tonk the Vote.''

Within hours of their launch tickets were sold out, and those lucky enough to get their hands on some were in for a real treat - Jon Fishman joined Ramble Dove backing the band with two hard driving drummers. Page McConnell showed up bringing three quarters of Phish together. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals rocked for several songs and then joined the all star line-up for a final encore leaving the crowd begging for more.

It was a great night and for those who did not catch the show, we have put together some of the highlights in this short video.''

Bernie Sanders: A new authoritarian axis demands an international progressive front

Thu 13 Sep 2018


Excerpts:


There is a global struggle taking place of enormous consequence. Nothing less than the future of the planet – economically, socially and environmentally – is at stake.

At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, when the world’s top 1% now owns more wealth than the bottom 99%, we are seeing the rise of a new authoritarian axis.

While these regimes may differ in some respects, they share key attributes: hostility toward democratic norms, antagonism toward a free press, intolerance toward ethnic and religious minorities, and a belief that government should benefit their own selfish financial interests. These leaders are also deeply connected to a network of multi-billionaire oligarchs who see the world as their economic plaything.

In order to effectively combat the rise of the international authoritarian axis, we need an international progressive movement that mobilizes behind a vision of shared prosperity, security and dignity for all people, and that addresses the massive global inequality that exists, not only in wealth but in political power.

In a time of exploding wealth and technology, we have the potential to create a decent life for all people. Our job is to build on our common humanity and do everything that we can to oppose all of the forces, whether unaccountable government power or unaccountable corporate power, who try to divide us up and set us against each other. We know that those forces work together across borders. We must do the same.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/ng-interactive/2018/sep/13/bernie-sanders-international-progressive-front