Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders, Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate, was in Cloverdale last Friday and took the time to speak with us just for a few minutes before his big speech at the Cloverdale Airport, in front of over four thousand people. Steve Jaxon began by asking about the race for the Democratic nomination and whether voter turnout would be the key factor for him.
Senator Sanders replied, “Yes, you got it, in one word. Here’s the story. If there is a large voter turnout, if the people of California understand that it is time to take on establishment politics and establishment economics, and create a government that works for all of us and not just the one percent, and if that turnout is high, we’re going to win and I think we’ll win big. If the turnout is low, we’ll probably lose. So I hope that as many people as possible come out to vote.”
With so many new voters attracted to the Bernie Sanders campaign, Steve asked how they plan to make sure that new voters actually follow through and turn out to vote on Election Day.
Senator Sanders offered, “…we have thousands of volunteers working on that as we speak. They’re on the telephone. They’re knocking on doors. We’re using social media. We’re doing everything that we can to make sure that not only young people but everybody, come out to vote. I think, again, if there’s a large voter turnout from working people, from young people, we’re going to win and win big.”
Asked whether he could have imagined how the campaign would have turned out, back when he started it a year ago, Senator Sanders replied, “The short answer is no. We have come a long way in the last year. I’ll just give you an example. When we began our campaign, we were 50 points down behind Secretary Clinton here in California, in the polls. Yesterday we had a poll that had us one point up. So I think we’ve made some progress in the last year.”
Steve then read a question submitted by a listener on Facebook: “Agriculture is such an important part of Sonoma County and Northern California, in many ways, both economically and environmentally, especially with the recent drought. What role does the small family farm play in growing the economy, in your opinion?”
The candidate’s answer covered some issues that fill in the bigger picture related to agriculture: “To me – I come from a small agricultural state, it’s mostly dairy and smaller family farms – agriculture obviously is essential to the future of this country. We need to make sure that we have a workforce that is legal and that is why among other things I believe in comprehensive immigration reform and a path towards citizenship. I also understand that here in California and increasingly in other parts of the country, a drought is a major concern. And that is why as President, I will be more aggressive than any President ever has been in taking on climate change, transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Climate change is one of the great planetary crises that we face. One of the differences between Secretary Clinton and myself, I believe in a tax on carbon.”
With less than a minute left, Steve asked Bernie Sanders about how the final stretch of the campaign has felt to him and he shared his personal satisfaction, saying, “It’s been an extraordinary experience. By the time we’re finished on Monday night, I think we will have broken some kind of California record. We will have had well over 30 rallies and will have spoken to over 250,000 Californians. I love that type of campaigning. That’s grass roots campaigning, going out among the people, face-to-face, talking to folks. That’s what I believe in and that’s what we’re doing here and that’s why I think we’re going to win.”
For more information about the Bernie Sanders campaign:
Get complete information about the Sanders campaign at the official website, www.berniesanders.com.