Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
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 Bernie Sanders |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2007) U.S. Representative (1991-2007) |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
| CANDIDATE SUMMARY | |
Judiciary
- On March 16, 2016, Bernie Sanders issued a statement on the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. “Judge Garland is a strong nominee with decades of experience on the bench. My Republican colleagues have called Judge Garland a ‘consensus nominee’ and said that there is ‘no question’ he could be confirmed. Refusing to hold hearings on the president’s nominee would be unprecedented. President Obama has done his job. It’s time for Republicans to do theirs. I call on Sen. Grassley to hold confirmation hearings immediately and for Leader McConnell to bring the nomination to floor of the Senate if Judge Garland is approved by the Judiciary Committee,” he said.[2]
- Bernie Sanders released the following statement on Scalia's death on February 13, 2016: "While I differed with Justice Scalia’s views and jurisprudence, he was a brilliant, colorful and outspoken member of the Supreme Court. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his colleagues on the court who mourn his passing."[3]
- In response to oral arguments earlier this week in the Supreme Court case, Evenwel v. Abbott, Sanders' campaign released a December 9, 2015 statement: “We need to preserve a fair system of representation in this country that does not disadvantage communities of color and our children. Evenwel tragically makes invisible a large segment of the American people, including young people under 18. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Latinos are the nation’s youngest ethnic group. As a result, areas with large Latino populations will be adversely impacted when it comes to representation in state legislatures. Evenwel could result in 55 percent of the Latino population nationwide being underrepresented. Once again, we have people trying to rig the electoral system to try to dictate an outcome in favor of the right wing.”[4]
- On September 28, 2015, Sanders said that one measure for a potential Supreme Court nominee would be whether he or she would prioritize overturning Citizens United. "I do not exaggerate when I tell you that the foundations of American democracy are being undermined," Sanders said. "American democracy is not supposed to be about billionaires buying elections."[5]
- In December 2011, Sanders said, "In my view, history will record that the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision is one of the worst decisions ever made by a Supreme Court in the history of our country."[6]
- In August 2010, Sanders voted to confirm Elena Kagan as a United States Supreme Court Justice.[7]
- In August 2009, Sanders voted to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as a United States Supreme Court Justice. He said, "I sincerely hope and have every confidence that Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court will help curb this corporatist trend and put the court back on a path of respecting the rights of individual Americans and the environmental and other laws passed by Congress."[8]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On July 28, 2015, Bernie Sanders said he supported unionization and neutrality checks for the media. “It is hard to have a vibrant democracy, where people are hearing all kinds of ideas from different perspectives, when you have a handful of multinational corporations controlling the flow of information. And to a very significant degree, that is the case right now. For example, there have been studies out there taking a hard look at how the Trans-Pacific Partnership was covered and to the degree that it was covered. And the result is there was almost no coverage on network news about the most important trade agreement in the history of this country. Is that an accident? Who determined that the TPP, covering 40 percent of the world’s economy, was not a significant issue? So I very much worry about media consolidation. I think all workers in whatever area — it’s not just the media — do have a right to form a union without harassment on the part of their employers,” Sanders said.[9]
- In December 2011, Sanders "proposed an amendment to the Constitution to exclude corporations from First Amendment rights to spend money on political campaigns," according to The Hill. Sanders said, "In my view, corporations should not be able to go into their treasuries and spend millions and millions of dollars on a campaign in order to buy elections. I do not believe that is what American democracy is supposed to be about."[6]
- In 1998, Sanders voted against H.J.Res.78 - Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States restoring religious freedom, which proposed securing "the people's right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience, neither the United States nor any State shall establish any official religion, but the people's right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, or traditions on public property, including schools, shall not be infringed; and (2) neither the United States nor any State shall require any person to join in prayer or other religious activity, prescribe school prayers, discriminate against religion, or deny equal access to a benefit on account of religion."[10]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
- During an April 1 interview with Bloomberg Politics, Bernie Sanders criticized Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said, "I think that [Pence] is on the wrong side of history. This country has made huge progress in ending discrimination toward the gay community. Legislation like what he’s supporting is outrageous."[11]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On April 6, 2016, Bernie Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs issued a statement on Sanders’ gun control policy after the candidate received sharp criticism from a family member of a Sandy Hook school shooting victim and others for saying that Sandy Hook families should not be permitted to sue gun manufacturers. Erica Smegielski, the daughter of the school’s principal, requested that Sanders offer an “apology for putting the gun lobby above our families.” Briggs said that Sanders “supports President Obama's efforts to end gun violence. He voted for the legislation considered by the Senate after Sandy Hook. He has a clear and consistent record on the issue.”[12]
- Hillary Clinton commented in an interview on CNN, “When it comes to guns we have a really serious difference and I was appalled that Sen. Sanders said he really didn't see any reason for the parents children massacred at Sandy Hook in Connecticut to try and be able to sue the gun makers.”[13]
- In response, Sanders told reporters that “maybe Sec. Clinton might want to apologize to the families who lost their loved ones in Iraq or to the massive levels of destabilization we’re seeing in that region.”[14]
- At the seventh Democratic debate on March 6, 2016, Sanders discussed whether firearms distributors should be held legally responsible for how their product is used. He said, “Well, this is what I say, if I understand it — and correct me if I’m wrong. If you go to a gun store and you legally purchase a gun, and then, three days later, if you go out and start killing people, is the point of this lawsuit to hold the gun shop owner or the manufacturer of that gun liable? If that is the point, I have to tell you I disagree. I disagree because you hold people — in terms of this liability thing, where you hold manufacturers’ liability is if they understand that they’re selling guns into an area that — it’s getting into the hands of criminals, of course they should be held liable. But if they are selling a product to a person who buys it legally, what you’re really talking about is ending gun manufacturing in America. I don’t agree with that.” [15] On March 7, 2016, the National Rifle Association sent out a tweet praising Sanders' stance on this issue, saying, “Sen. Sanders was spot-on in his comments about gun manufacturer liability/PLCAA.”[16]
- During the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate on January 17, 2016, Bernie Sanders reacted to Hillary Clinton calling him "a pretty reliable vote for the gun lobby” and his record on guns: “Well, I think Secretary Clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous. I have a D-minus voting record from the NRA. I was in 1988, there were three candidates running for congress in the state of Vermont, I stood up to the gun lobby and came out and maintained the position that in this country we should not be selling military style assault weapons. I have supported from day one and instant background check to make certain that people who should have guns do not have guns. And that includes people of criminal backgrounds, people who are mentally unstable. I support what President Obama is doing in terms of trying to close the gun show loop holes and I think it should be a federal crime if people act as dormant.(ph) We have seen in this city a horrendous tragedy of a crazed person praying with people in the coming up and shooting nine people. This should not be a political issue. What we should be doing is working together. And by the way, as a senator from a rural state that has virtually no gun control, I believe that I am in an excellent position to bring people together to fight the sensible. … What I have said, is that gun manufacturer's liability bill has some good provisions among other things, we've prohibited ammunition that would've killed cops who had protection on. We have child safety protection work on guns in that legislation. And what we also said, ‘is a small mom and pop gun shop who sells a gun legally to somebody should not be held liable if somebody does something terrible with that gun.’ So what I said is, ‘I would re-look at it.’ We are going to re- look at it and I will support stronger provisions.”[17]
- On January 11, 2016, Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver dismissed Clinton’s criticism of Sanders’ record on gun control because she “has been all over the map on guns.” He said, “I think her argument would be much more compelling if she had a consistent record on this issue."[18]
- On January 5, 2016, Sanders praised President Obama’s plan to prevent gun violence, saying "a vast majority of the American people, including responsible gun owners who are sickened by the deaths of so many innocent people, agree with the common sense reforms announced today."[19]
- On January 3, 2016, Sanders voiced support for President Obama’s plan to implement executive action regarding gun control. “I would prefer that we could have bipartisan support, but the truth is Republicans are not interested in doing anything about gun safety,” he said.[20]
- During a wide-ranging interview on December 15, 2015, with Killer Mike, an Atlanta-based rapper and activist, Sanders addressed the criticism from Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley of his record on guns. He said, "I've been criticized by my opponents, that I'm a hack of the NRA. So I have gotten criticized as you may know, that I'm a hack of the NRA and all of that stuff." He also said that people who "have a criminal record or a record of beating up his wife" should not be able to own guns.[21]
- Sanders called for funding a study on the causes and effects of gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on December 3, 2015. As a member of the House of Representatives in 1996, Sanders voted against an amendment to authorize such research funding.[22]
- Sanders is scheduled to meet with the parents of a woman who was killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colo. movie theater shooting after they requested a discussion on his vote in favor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005. That law prevents gun manufacturers and dealers from being named in civil liability lawsuits.[23]
- At the first Democratic primary debate, on October 13, 2015, Sanders said he did not believe that gun shop owners, who abide by the law, should be held accountable for the acts of their purchasers. Sanders said, "Do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that sells legally a gun to somebody, and that somebody goes out and does something crazy, that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don't. On the other hand, where you have manufacturers and where you have gun shops knowingly giving guns to criminals or aiding and abetting that, of course we should take action.”[24]
- In June 2015, Sanders said the following on gun control: "I can understand that if some Democrats or Republicans represent an urban area where people don't hunt, don't do target practice; they're not into guns. But, in my state, people go hunting and people do target practice. Talking about cultural divides in this country, you know, it is important for people in urban America to understand that families go out together and kids go out with their parents and they hunt and they enjoy the outdoors and that is a lifestyle that should not be condemned." Sanders went on, "If anyone thinks that gun control itself is going to solve the problem of violence in this country, you're terribly mistaken. So, obviously, we need strong, sensible gun control and I will support it. But some people think it's going to solve all of our problems. It is not."[25]
- In 2005, Sanders voted for S.397 - the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which, among other things, "Prohibits a qualified civil liability action from being brought in any state or federal court against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages, punitive damages, injunctive or declaratory relief, abatement, restitution, fines, penalties, or other relief resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm." It became public law on October 26, 2005.[26]
- In 1999, Sanders voted for H.Amdt.216 to H.R.2122, which proposed requiring "individuals who wish to purchase firearms at a gun show to submit to a background check before they are able to complete their purchase; and require a three business day period for completion of the background check."[27]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Bernie Sanders said on February 18, 2016, that there has to be a “middle ground” between the government and Apple on the issue of gaining access to a San Bernardino, Calif. terrorist’s iPhone data. “I am very fearful in America about big brother. And that means not only the federal government getting into your emails or knowing what books you're taking out of the library, or private corporations knowing everything there is to know about you in terms of your health records, your banking records, your consumer practices. … Clearly all of us would be very dismayed if we learned that we could've picked up information about a potential terrorist act and we didn't do that. … But count me in as somebody who is a very strong civil libertarian, who believes that we can fight terrorism without undermining our constitutional rights and our privacy rights,” Sanders said during a televised town hall on MSNBC.[28] Apple argued against cooperating with the government in a February 16, 2016, open letter citing concerns that the move would render all iPhones vulnerable by creating a master key that would be able to open other phones.[29]
- A spokesman for Sanders' campaign raised concerns about government surveillance of private citizens, including “the lack of privacy consumers have, and how their information is often unwittingly collected, shared, and sold,” Vice reporter October 20, 2015.[30]
USA FREEDOM Act of 2015
On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Sanders voted with 30 Republicans and one Democrat against the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015.[31][32]
Territories
- On May 20, 2016, Bernie Sanders criticized the U.S. House bill proposed last week to address the Puerto Rican debt crisis. “We cannot allow Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan to determine the fate of Puerto Rico by handpicking a majority of the control board’s members, while the people of Puerto Rico would be in charge of choosing none. That may make sense to groups representing Wall Street, but it makes absolutely no sense to me. Among other efforts, what Congress should do is to act immediately to give Puerto Rico the same authority granted to every municipality in this country to restructure its debt under the supervision of a bankruptcy court,” he said in a statement.[33] [34]
- While campaigning in Puerto Rico on May 16, 2016, Sanders said that it was “unacceptable to me for the United States government to treat Puerto Rico like a colony during a time when its people are facing the worst fiscal and economic crisis in its history.” He said that he opposed calls from “the vulture capitalists on Wall Street” for more austerity. Sanders argued that the Federal Reserve should use its emergency authority to allow for the restructuring of Puerto Rico’s debt. “I believe that Congress should act immediately to give Puerto Rico the same authority granted to every municipality in this country to restructure its debt under the supervision of a bankruptcy court,” he added.[35]
- On March 15, 2016, Bernie Sanders released a policy paper on Puerto Rico and its debt crisis. “As president, Bernie would fight to empower the people of Puerto Rico to determine their own destiny. As president, Senator Sanders would fight for a US congressionally sanctioned and binding referendum where the Puerto Rican people would be able to decide on whether to become a state, an independent country, or to reform the current commonwealth agreement,” according to his campaign website. He also argued in favor of giving Puerto Rico access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy protections to restructure its debt.[36][37]
Crime and justice
- The Huffington Post reported on May 25, 2016, that Bernie Sanders objected to capital punishment for the accused South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs wrote in an email, “Sen. Sanders opposes the death penalty. He believes those who are convicted of the most horrible crimes should be imprisoned for the rest of their lives without the possibility of parole.”[38]
- Sanders appeared to express support for the Adult Use of Marijuana Initiative Act during a rally in East Los Angeles on May 23, 2016. He said, “I have introduced legislation and will implement as president, taking marijuana out of the federal controlled substance act. Now all you know, all you know, that the legalization of marijuana, that decision is made on the statewide level. You know that four states plus D.C. have already made that decision. You all know there's going to be a ballot item on in California in November. And I think it makes sense to legalize marijuana at this particular point. So if I were here in your state, I would vote yes on that issue.”[39]
- During the ninth Democratic debate on April 14, 2016, NY1 political anchor Errol Louis asked Bernie Sanders how he will reduce the number of individuals who are incarcerated. Sanders responded, “We’re going to work with state governments all over this country. And you know what? In a very divided Congress, and a very divided politics in America, actually the one area where there is some common ground is conservatives understand that it’s insane to be spending $80 billion a year locking up 2.2 million people. With federal and presidential leadership, we will work with state governments to make sure that people are released from jail under strong supervision, that they get the kind of job training and education they need so they can return to their communities. On this one, Errol, actually I think you’re going to see progressive and conservative support. We can do it, if we’re prepared to be bold.”[40]
- While speaking at an event in Minneapolis, Minn. on February 12, 2016, hosted by Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, Bernie Sanders addressed problems facing the black community and the economically disadvantaged. A woman attending the event said to Sanders, “So the question, specifically, my black son—O.K. I know you’re scared to say ‘black.’ I know you’re scared to say ‘reparations.’ But it seems like every time we try to talk about black people and us getting something for the systematic oppression and the exploitation of our people, we have to include every other person of color, so today can we please talk about, specifically, black people and reparations?” Sanders replied, “What I just indicated in my view is that when you have—and you and I may have disagreements about this, because it’s not just black. It is Latino. There are areas of America, in poor rural areas, where it’s white. So I believe that in a country which has more income and wealth inequality than any other country, then yeah, the time is long overdue to start investing in poor [communities].” When someone yelled, “say black,” Sanders shot back, “I’ve said ‘black’ 50 times. All right, that’s the 51st time, but this is a national issue. What we want, and what I believe we should do is invest most heavily in those communities most in need.” Sanders also addressed allowing people who have served time in prison to regain their voting rights. He said, “This is just part of the whole business of voter suppression …my view is, people serve the time, that’s it. They have the right to vote, period.”[41][42]
- At the sixth Democratic presidential primary on February 11, 2016, Sanders talked about reducing the incarceration rate of black men: “This is one of the great tragedies in our country today. And we can no longer continue to sweep it under the rug. It has to be dealt with. Today a male African-American baby born today stands a one-in-four chance of ending up in jail. That is beyond unspeakable. So what we have to do is the radical reform of a broken criminal justice system. What we have to do is end over-policing in African- American neighborhoods. The reality is that both the African-American community and the white community do marijuana at about equal rates. The reality is four times as many blacks get arrested for marijuana. Truth is that far more blacks get stopped for traffic violations. The truth is that sentencing for blacks is higher than for whites. We need fundamental police reform, clearly, clearly, when we talk about a criminal justice system. I would hope that we could all agree that we are sick and tired of seeing videos on television of unarmed people, often African-Americans, shot by police officers. What we have got to do is make it clear that any police officer who breaks the law will, in fact, be held accountable.”[43]
- Sanders said in an interview on December 28, 2015, that a federal investigation should “take a look” at the failure to indict two Cleveland police officers in the shooting death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, last year. He added that “as a nation, we have got to recognize that lethal force should be the last response, not the first response — and we’re seeing too much, I think, [shootings] in this country.”[44]
- In response to the grand jury decision not to indict any police officers in the death of Sandra Bland, Sanders released the following statement on December 22, 2015: “Sandra Bland should not have died while in police custody. There’s no doubt in my mind that she, like too many African-Americans who die in police custody, would be alive today if she were a white woman. My thoughts are with her family and her loved ones tonight. We need to reform a very broken criminal justice system.”[45]
- At a forum on criminal justice in Columbia, S.C. on November 21, 2015, Sanders called for the end of for-profit prisons. He said, “It is wrong for corporations to be making profits from the incarcerations of their fellow American. … I want to see incentives to get people out of jail or prevent people from going into jail.” He added, “By and large, we do a pretty bad job in making sure that when people are released from jail, they don’t end up in jail again. There needs to be a path back from prison.”[46]
- Sanders introduced legislation November 4, 2015, in the Senate that would end federal prohibition of marijuana. The Senate bill would remove marijuana from the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of the most dangerous drugs and strike marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, allowing states to decide whether they want to legalize pot for recreational or medical use without federal intervention.[47]
- Speaking at George Mason University on October 28, 2015, Sanders said that “the time is long overdue for us to remove the federal prohibition on marijuana.” He said states should regulate the sale of the drug as it does alcohol and tobacco. “That means that recognized businesses in states that have legalized marijuana should be fully able to use the banking system without fear of federal prosecution,” Sanders added.[48]
- Sanders met with a number of Black Lives Matter leaders on September 16, 2015, to discuss racial justice. One of the leaders, Johnetta Elzie, said that Sanders was “open to being pushed” and that she “made it very clear that he has not won over a large demographic of black people in this country no matter how progressive he seems and that his policy platform, that his past history of dealing with black people, from his place of power in VT is also a concern in our community.”[49]
- Sanders criticized the disparity between the treatment of individuals who kindled the financial crisis with risky and illegal trades and juveniles charged with drug possession in a statement to The Huffington Post on September 10, 2015. Sanders wrote, “One of the biggest mistakes our government made after the financial crisis was not prosecuting the people responsible for the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior that crashed our economy and ruined the lives of millions of Americans. It is not acceptable that many young people have criminal records for smoking marijuana, while the CEOs of banks whose illegal behavior helped destroy our economy do not."[50]
- Sanders released a statement on September 8, 2015, calling for an end to private prisons and for more prison reform. “We need to end the tragic reality that the United States has more people in jail than any other country on earth, and that the people being incarcerated are disproportionately black and Hispanic. We need to take a hard look at why the rate of recidivism in this country is so high and why we are not developing successful paths back to civil society for those who serve prison time. Further we need to end, once and for all, the disgraceful practice of corporations profiting from the incarceration of Americans,” wrote Sanders.[51]
- Speaking at a rally in Louisiana in July 2015, Sanders cited the arrest of Sandra Bland as an example of why criminal justice reform is necessary. “When an African-American woman gets yanked out of her car, when we all know that would not have happened to a middle-class white woman, we know we need some serious change in criminal justice in this country,” Sanders said.[52]
- In 1994, Sanders voted for HR 3355 - Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which reformed the criminal justice system by providing funds for police officers, prison services, alternative punishments for juvenile offenders and crime prevention programs. The law increased sentences for repeat sex offenders, expanded the death penalty, provided assistance to victims of sexual assault and barred the manufacturing of certain "assault weapons," among other things. It became public law on September 13, 1994.[53]
Executive powers
- Bernie Sanders voted against S.Amdt.499 to S.679, which proposed ending "the appointments of presidential Czars who have not been subject to the advice and consent of the Senate and to prohibit funds for any salaries and expenses for appointed Czars."[54][55]
Black Lives Matter movement
Netroots Nation
- Bernie Sanders followed Martin O'Malley at the Netroots Nation conference on July 18, 2015. As Sanders began to deliver prepared remarks, Black Lives Matter protesters chanted "save our men" and "say her name." Sanders responded, "Black lives of course matter. I spent 50 years of my life fighting for civil rights and dignity, but if you don’t want me to be here that’s OK. I don’t want to out-scream people.” He remained on stage for 20 minutes to briefly discuss criminal justice reform and racial inequality.[56][57]
Seattle rally
- On August 8, 2015, Sanders' Seattle, Washington, rally ended before it began after two Black Lives Matter activists took control of his microphone. Although organizers promised they would be given the opportunity to speak after Sanders addressed the crowd, they refused to relinquish control of the podium. Sanders waited for 20 minutes before he left the stage while the women spoke about unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and the death of Michael Brown.[58]
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That same day, Sanders issued the following statement on his website: "I am disappointed that two people disrupted a rally attended by thousands at which I was invited to speak about fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare. I was especially disappointed because on criminal justice reform and the need to fight racism there is no other candidate for president who will fight harder than me.”[59]
Symone Sanders
- On August 9, 2015, Symone Sanders, a Black Lives Matter activist, introduced herself at a Sanders rally in Portland, Oregon, as the candidate's new national press secretary. "I am joining the campaign this week as the national press secretary. I have some good information that says there might be a little disruption tonight. So: I wanna be very clear. This campaign is about bringing people together," she said. To counteract any potential disruptions from demonstrators, Symone Sanders led the crowd in a chant of "We stand together."[60]
- Symone Sanders came to Bernie Sanders' campaign from Public Citizen, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing representation in government for all Americans. According to Essence, "[She] met Bernie Sanders [in July 2015]. During their initial meeting, the two had an hour-long conversation about how he can stay in touch with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. She told him that there was a strong link between racial inequality and economic equality, which he has since integrated into his campaign. Bernie offered Symone the job at the end of their meeting."[61]
Apology
- BuzzFeed reported on August 15, 2015, that Sanders' director of African-American outreach, Marcus Ferrell, sent an email to Black Lives Matter to apologize for not reaching out sooner. "I am reaching out to you on behalf of our campaign because you are the folks doing the work for Black Lives Matter. I apologize it took our campaign so long to officially reach out. We are hoping to establish a REAL space for REAL dialog between the folks on this email and our campaign," Ferrell wrote.[62]
- Sanders claimed the letter had been sent "without [his] knowledge" during an appearance on CNN's "Meet the Press" on August 16, 2015. He added, "Let me be very clear: the issue that they’re raising is a very, very important one. And there’s no candidate for president that would be stronger in fighting against institutional racism and, by the way, reforming a broken criminal justice system.”[63]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Bernie + Sanders + Government
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ VPR, "Bernie Sanders Is Streaming His Presidential Announcement On Periscope," April 30, 2015
- ↑ Slate, "How Washington and Everyone Else Is Reacting to President Obama’s SCOTUS Pick," March 16, 2016
- ↑ Bernie Sanders for President, "Statement on Justice Scalia," February 13, 2016
- ↑ Bernie 2016, "Sanders Campaign Statement on Evenwel vs. Abbott," accessed December 11, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Bernie Sanders' Supreme Court litmus test: Overturn Citizens United," September 29, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Hill, "Sanders proposes amendment to the Constitution that would limit free speech," accessed April 9, 2015
- ↑ GovTrack.us, "On the Nomination (Confirmation Elena Kagan of Massachusetts, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S.)," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Sanders.Senate.gov, "Sotomayor," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Politico’s Mike Elk presses Bernie Sanders on Politico unionization," July 28, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.78," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg Politics, "Democrats Turn Against Religious Freedom Laws. Voters Don't Agree With Them," accessed April 15, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Sandy Hook family member wants Bernie Sanders apology over gun stance," April 6, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Clinton to Sanders: 'I'm still considerably ahead'," April 6, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Sanders: Clinton should apologize to victims of Iraq War," April 6, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Transcript of the Democratic Presidential Debate in Flint, Mich.," March 6, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "NRA praises Sanders in tweet," March 7, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The 4th Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 17, 2016
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Sanders campaign manager: 'Clinton has been all over the map on guns'," January 11, 2016
- ↑ USA Today, "Republican 2016 candidates bash Obama's gun plan," January 5, 2016
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders Defends Obama's Planned Executive Action On Gun Control," January 3, 2016
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Killer Mike interviews Sanders: 9 moments," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Reuters, "Sanders calls for gun study funding after 1996 vote against similar research," December 3, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders To Discuss Gun Law With Parents Of Aurora Shooting Victim," October 20, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 13, 2015
- ↑ NPR News, "NPR NEWS INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS," June 24, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.397," accessed April 9, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Amdt.216 to H.R.2122," accessed April 9, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Transcript: MSNBC and Telemundo's Clinton-Sanders Town Hall," February 18, 2016
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Trump calls for Apple boycott," February 19, 2016
- ↑ Vice, "Bernie Sanders Is Very Worried About Your Data," October 20, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 2048)," accessed June 2, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Clinton backs Puerto Rico debt bill," May 20, 2016
- ↑ Bernie Sanders for President, "Press Release: Sanders Sides with People of Puerto Rico," May 20, 2016
- ↑ The Nation, "Bernie Sanders Says the US Must End Its ‘Colonial-Type Relationship’ With Puerto Rico," May 16, 2016
- ↑ Latin Times, "Bernie Sanders: Puerto Rico Can Become An Independent Nation," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Bernie Sanders for President, "Ending the Humanitarian Crisis in Puerto Rico," accessed March 16, 2016
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders Opposes Death Penalty For Dylann Roof," May 25, 2016
- ↑ Reason, "Bernie Sanders Encourages Californians to Legalize Marijuana This Fall," May 23, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Transcript: Democratic Presidential Debate in Brooklyn," April 15, 2016
- ↑ Star Tribune, "Sen. Bernie Sanders fires up hundreds at forum in north Minneapolis," February 12, 2016
- ↑ TIME, "Bernie Sanders Spars Over Reparations at Race Forum," February 13, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: The Democratic debate in Milwaukee, annotated," February 11, 2016
- ↑ Raw Story, "Bernie Sanders wants federal probe of Tamir Rice case: ‘We need to take a hard look’ at police use of force," December 28, 2015
- ↑ Bernie 2016, "Sanders Statement on Grand Jury Decision in Sandra Bland Case," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Sanders: 'We need to end prisons for profit’," November 21, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill Ending The Federal Ban On Marijuana," November 4, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, " Bernie Sanders Calls for an End to Federal Prohibition on Marijuana," October 28, 2015
- ↑ HuffPost Politics, "Black Lives Matter Activists Meet With Bernie Sanders To Make Sure He's On Board," September 16, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders: 'Not Acceptable' To Jail Young Pot Smokers And Let Big Bank CEOs Walk," September 10, 2015
- ↑ Bernie2016, "Sanders: Our Criminal Justice System is Broken, Ending Private Prisons is a Good First Step Forward," September 8, 2015
- ↑ The Christian Science Monitor, "Bernie Sanders talks guns, racism at Louisiana rally," July 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.3355," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.499 to S.679," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "S.Amdt. 499 to S. 679 (Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011)," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ The Guardian, "O'Malley and Sanders interrupted by Black Lives Matter protesters in Phoenix," July 18, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Here's How Hillary Clinton Says She Would Have Answered The 'Black Lives Matter' Protesters," July 21, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSandersAP - ↑ Bernie Sanders for President, "Sanders Statement on Seattle Protesters," August 8, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Bernie Sanders’ ambassador to black voters hits the ground running," August 10, 2015
- ↑ Essence, "6 Things to Know About Bernie Sanders' New Press Secretary, Symone Sanders," August 12, 2015
- ↑ BuzzFeed, "Sanders Campaign Reaches Out To Black Lives Matter Activists: 'I Apologize It Took Our Campaign So Long,'" August 15, 2015
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Sanders: I Do Not Need To Apologize To Black Lives Matter," August 17, 2015
