During Friday’s ‘Fight Oligarchy’ event in McAllen, Texas, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke about Democratic party ideals.
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00:00Let's stay on immigration for a moment if we can.
00:03Anyone else want to say a word?
00:04I see a woman straight in front.
00:06Yes, thank you.
00:07Let's get a mic.
00:07We'll get you a mic.
00:21Just let her have it.
00:22Hello.
00:23Senator Sanders, thank you for coming to South Texas.
00:26My name is Gabby Zabaleta, and I would like to ask the Democratic Party to take the narrative of immigration and to stand for us, because we are workers, we're good people, and if they do not take the narrative and start writing immigration reform, the Republicans are going to continue to call us names and berate us, and that's not fair.
00:52So please tell the Democratic Party to stand up and also take some of the risk along with us.
01:03Thank you very much.
01:11I mean, I am, as it happens, I am an independent, the longest-serving independent in congressional history.
01:19But I caucus with the Democrats, and I'm part of the Democratic leadership.
01:28I will convey your feelings to the leadership.
01:33But I'll tell you, there is, let me just say a word on this one, and maybe Kendall, the new chair of the Democratic Party here, has spoken about it.
01:42It is no great secret that 40, 50 years ago, if you went out on the street in Texas or Vermont, and you said to people, which political party represents the working class of America, no matter what their views are, so what's the Democratic Party?
01:56Who represents the wealthy and the powerful?
01:58Oh, it's the Republican Party.
01:59But the Democratic Party, many decades ago, had the brilliant idea that they would start accepting corporate money.
02:08And over the years, while they were strong on issues like women's rights and civil rights and gay rights and the environment, they, in many ways, turned their backs on working families.
02:19And all over this country, people are looking at the Democrats, and they say, we don't believe a word you say anymore.
02:27You talk and you talk, but you don't deliver.
02:30And then they vote, maybe they'll throw the dice and say, I'm going to vote for a Trump.
02:35What I am trying to do is two things.
02:38We are trying to bring about fundamental reform of the Democratic Party.
02:43And right now, right now, the Democratic Party, it is no great secret, is a top-down party controlled by billionaires and controlled by these consultants who live in another world.
03:03They don't know a clue what's going on.
03:05And our job is to force open.
03:08You know, the Democratic Party is not supposed to be a private club.
03:14And we've got to break open that door and come marching in as working people, as young people, as people of color, and say, you know what, this party belongs to us, not just billionaires.
03:32All right, look, I want to again thank everybody for coming out.
03:37And I appreciate Danny's point that we probably would have had twice as many people here tonight if people weren't afraid.
03:43And I hate the idea of people in this country being afraid, being afraid to express their views in Congress, being afraid to walk the streets of McAllen.
03:53That is not what this country is about.
03:55But we have gone.
03:58And let me just conclude by saying this.
04:00Again, these are tough times.
04:03These are the most difficult times in my lifetime, and I'm older than most of you.
04:08All right?
04:09So I'm not going to sugarcoat it.
04:11These are tough times.
04:13But despair is not an option.
04:16That is what they want us to do.
04:18All right, if we stand together, look, you know, the American people are decent people.
04:26They care about each other.
04:28The vast majority are not greedy people who want it all.
04:33Go around Texas.
04:35People think that health care is a human right.
04:36People think the minimum wage should be raised.
04:39People think we get billionaire money out of campaigns.
04:42That's what most people think.
04:44Our job is to stand together right now.
04:48It's to take over the Democratic Party.
04:50It's to take on the greed of the billionaire class.
04:54It's to create a country of compassion and, dare I say, of love.
05:05Rather than one of greed.
05:08And I hate you because you came from a different country or you're a different religion.
05:13That is not what this country is supposed to be about.
