Sanders Likely to Run for President in 2016

The longest serving independent ever to serve in the United States Congress, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has announced he is seriously considering a run for the White House in 2016. Sanders says if no other progressive enters the race, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), he will likely launch a campaign. Yesterday the Senator responded to a question from Chris Jansing of MSNBC about him possibly running for President:

"It will be a great disservice to the political process and the American people if someone is not standing up for working class people and the middle class. Am I the only person talking about those issues? Absolutely not...It’s not the individual, Chris, it’s the issues. The collapse of the middle class and growing wealth and income inequality must be discussed. Can other people do it? Absolutely. If nobody else is going to do it? You know what, I would be prepared to do it."

Last week Sanders told the Burlington Free Press he was considering a run:

"Under normal times, it's fine, you have a moderate Democrat running, a moderate Republican running. These are not normal times. The United States right now is in the middle of a severe crisis and you have to call it what it is.  One of the difficulties for someone like me running is ... I'm not going to get any money from Wall Street or corporate America. We have been successful, but it's one thing to talk about raising money for a Senate campaign in a small state, another thing running for president of the United States."

Current frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican Parties, former Secertary of State Hillary Clinton and Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, have strong connections and support from Wall Street.

Bernie Sanders on the Independent in Politics

Bernie Sanders on the Independent in Politics from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

"First, You've Got To Get Mad!"

Will Bernie Run?

"I think it would do this country a good deal of service if people started thinking about candidates out there to begin contrasting a progressive agenda as opposed to what Obama is doing..." -Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), 7/22/11

Here's a few sites around the web calling for Senator Sanders to run for President:

Sanders for President

Draft Bernie Sanders 2012

Draft Sanders Facebook Petition

The 14th Amendment

Sanders strongly opposes Reid debt plan

Senator Sanders just issued the following statement:

The Republicans have been absolutely determined to make certain that the rich and large corporations not contribute one penny for deficit reduction, and that all of the sacrifice comes from the middle class and working families in terms of cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, LIHEAP, community health centers, education, Head Start, nutrition, MILC, affordable housing and many other vitally important programs. 

I cannot support legislation like the Reid proposal which balances the budget on the backs of struggling Americans while not requiring one penny of sacrifice from the wealthiest people in our country.  That is not only grotesquely immoral, it is bad economic policy.

Call Senator Sanders today at 202.224.5141 and encourage him to run for President in 2012.  We need leadership in the White House that will represent the people, not just Wall Street.

When is Enough, Enough?