Let me define for you, simply and straightforwardly, what Democratic socialism means to me. It builds on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he … - Bernie Sanders

Further, we can create millions more jobs by taking the global leadership in combating climate change – the existential threat to our planet – and transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels. By extending the child tax credit, we can cut childhood poverty nearly in half and end the international embarrassment of the US having one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the industrialized world. By having the federal government negotiate drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry, we can not only lower the outrageous cost of prescription drugs but we can raise the necessary funds to expand Medicare to finally cover dental, vision and hearing needs and improve the lives of millions of struggling seniors. We can also provide good quality health coverage to millions of older workers by lowering the eligibility age of Medicare to 55. By passing universal child care and Pre-K legislation, we can make sure that every child in America, regardless of income or zip code, gets a good start in life. We can also strengthen the economy by enabling parents to go to their jobs knowing that their young children are safe and well taken care of. By passing paid family and medical leave, we can join every other wealthy country in making certain that workers can stay home with their sick kids or spend precious time with a new born baby. By making public colleges and universities tuition free, and substantially lowering student debt, we can create the best educated workforce in the world and provide support to a younger generation which, otherwise, will likely have a lower standard of living than their parents. By passing progressive tax legislation that finally asks the wealthy and large corporations to begin paying their fair share of taxes, we can begin to address the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality and raise trillions of dollars to address the needs of working families. By passing universal voting rights, ending outrageous levels of gerrymandering and moving forward on campaign finance reform, we can end voter suppression, increase voter turnout and strengthen our democracy. By passing new criminal justice reform, we can reduce the rate of incarceration and make certain that all of our citizens, regardless of the color of their skin, can safely walk the streets of this country without fear of abusive, illegal or lethal police action. By passing comprehensive immigration reform we can, after years of inaction, finally give Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients and temporary protected status holders the stability they deserve, and create a path toward citizenship for 11 million undocumented people, many of whom are doing the critical work that keeps our economy going. Relying on the same budget process we used to pass the American Rescue Plan in March, we can improve the lives of working families with just 50 votes in the Senate and a simple majority in the House of Representatives. In other words, if the Democrats in the House and Senate are able to stand together, have the courage to take on powerful special interests and do what so many working families of this country want us to do, we can create an economy that works for all and not just the few, we can help save the planet from the ravages of climate change and we can strengthen American democracy. These are no small accomplishments. They are transformational.

The majority of Americans today are outsiders, especially in the halls of power where decisions about our economy are being made. And we will remain outsiders for as long as the political balance is tipped against the great mass of Americans, for as long as the status quo is characterized by inequality and injustice. It will take all the energy of the new movements of

Terrorism is a very real threat, which requires robust diplomatic efforts, intelligence cooperation with allies and partners, and yes, sometimes military action. But as an organizing framework, the global war on terror has been a disaster for our country. Orienting U.S. national-security strategy around terrorism essentially allowed a few thousand violent extremists to dictate the foreign policy of the most powerful nation on earth. We responded to terrorists by giving them exactly what they wanted. The war on terror has also been staggeringly wasteful. According to the most recent study by the Costs of War Project at Brown University, it will have cost American taxpayers more than $4.9 trillion through the end of this fiscal year. Factoring in the future health-care costs of veterans injured in post-9/11 wars, the bill will be closer to $6 trillion. And even after this enormous expense, the world has more terrorists now, not fewer. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, there were nearly four times as many Sunni Islamic militants operating around the world in November 2018 as on September 11, 2001. That is no coincidence: the way the United States and its partners have prosecuted this war has caused widespread resentment and anger, which helps those terrorists recruit.