Bernie Sanders urges thousands at UW-Madison to vote and assures change is possible
‘What was thought to be impossible has happened because people stood up and fought back’
At his third and final appearance in Madison, Sen. Bernie Sanders rallied an estimated crowd of 4,000 at the Kohl Center Sunday night to address important issues and get people to vote at the Tuesday poll.
Greeted by an incredible energy and chants of his name from the crowd, Sanders discussed a variety of major domestic issues with which America is facing during his one-hour speech.
Topics that were focused on ranged from healthcare and income inequality to public education. Sanders spent nearly the first half of the speech criticizing Gov. Scott Walker and Republican front runner Donald Trump, saying that he is the “opposite.” He specifically called out Walker on his voter ID policy.
“The United States today has one of the lowest voter turnouts of any major countries,” Sanders said. “You cannot deny people the right to vote. That is un-American.”
When speaking of the current national healthcare system, Sanders called it a “disgrace.” He repeatedly stressed that healthcare is a right to all people.
“We are the only major country on Earth that does not guarantee healthcare for all people,” Sanders said.
Regarding income inequality, besides his usual comments on Wall Street and the billionaires who are the top one percent that gets 58 percent of all new income generated today, Sanders made it clear that he also stands with women in the fight for equal pay.
“They want the whole damn dollar,” Sanders said regarding to women making 75 cents for every dollar earned by men.
The D-Vermont senator received several applauses and standing ovations from students when he addressed the issue of public education tuition fee. To back up his plan to relieve students of student debt, Sanders explained two methods he would like to implement once elected. The first would be free tuition at all public universities and institutions. The second is to allow students to pay their loans at the lowest interest rate possible.
Toward the end of his speech, Sen. Bernie Sanders showed his faith in the possibility of change in the country. He advocated for the people’s power to demand change and make a difference.
Sanders spoke of the progresses the U.S. has made over the course of history, all of which happened as a result of the American people’s effort. He talked about how women did not have the right to vote and education 100 years ago and how 10 years ago gay marriage was a crazy idea. He also mentioned how increasing the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour to $15 was considered radical just five years ago. Yet, today states like Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles are paying workers $15 an hour.
“What was thought to be impossible has happened because people stood up and fought back,” Sanders said. “The status quo is not working. It’s not good enough. It has got to change. We don’t have to accept the status quo.”
Before he ended the speech and had actresses Shailene Woodley and Rosario Dawson joined him on stage for a final goodbye, Sanders urged people to vote at the Tuesday poll and invite as many people as possible to get involved in the political process.
“Let us have the largest voter turnout in Wisconsin primary history,” Sanders said.