A transformational progressive President

Dear Friend of America's Survival,

Fearful of losing to Trump, the Democratic establishment, including CNN, have mobilized against Bernie Sanders. Now, a group called Progressives Unite 2020 is partnering with 17 other national organizations in "calling on progressives to work together to win." Democracy for America says:

• The progressive movement has the chance of a lifetime to defeat Donald Trump and elect a truly transformational progressive President of the United States, but it won't happen if we fight each other instead of working together to win.

The Bernie Sanders campaign says:

"Bernie did great at last night’s debate, but that does not change the fact that he did not get a fair shake.

• Hey Bernie, how would you keep your plans from bankrupting the country?

 

• Hey Bernie, in the wake of the Iran crisis, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei has again called for all U.S. troops to be pulled out of the Middle East, something you've called for as well.

And those questions are to say nothing of post-debate coverage stacked with people who have long histories attacking or working against Bernie.

And now that our campaign is doing so well, it will only get worse. So Bernie needs your help to fight back — to elevate our voices and reach the people we need to WIN...We’ve said from the start that we aren’t just taking on the political and financial establishment in this country, but we would be taking on much of the corporate media and pundit class, as well." 

The "National Progressive Groups’ Unity Statement on Democratic Primary" represents six national organizations representing "millions of progressive activists" --  Our Revolution, the Sunrise Movement and RootsAction.org (all supporting Sanders); the Working Families Party (supporting Warren); and Justice Democrats and Democracy for America (currently not supporting any presidential candidate).

JEFF COHEN,  co-founder of RootsAction.org., said today: “When RootsAction initiated this statement a few months ago, Sanders and Warren were ‘playing nicely together.’ And the thrust of the ‘Progressive Unity’ statement is as true today as it was then: if supporters of Sanders and Warren don’t cooperate in the Iowa caucuses and before July’s national convention, neither of these two progressive candidates will likely be the Democratic nominee. Instead, a corporate Democrat will get the nomination, which could lead to re-election of faux-populist Trump.”

From the statement: “In 2016, mainstream conventional wisdom asserted that Hillary Clinton would easily triumph over Trump. Today, some still argue for a return to pre-Trump policies and politics as the safest path to victory. We disagree. Going ‘back to the future’ does not offer the best path to Trump’s defeat. Nor does it move our country forward in terms of the enormous challenges and inequities facing the American people.

“We offer this statement as independent organizations. Some support Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren or are not currently supporting any candidate for president. For those with a declared preference, this statement in no way signals the slightest decrease in that commitment. Instead, this statement is a shared declaration of our belief that the surest way to defeat Trump is for the Democratic Party to nominate either Warren or Sanders, as these are the candidates best able to energize voters by providing a vision of a decent society and a fair economy. This vision is sorely needed, as is an administration that will implement far-reaching reforms toward a more just society.

“Sanders and Warren, as well as their campaigns and supporters, will need to find ways to cooperate. The crossfire amplified by the media is unhelpful and does not reflect the relationship between two Senate colleagues who broadly worked well together for most of the last year. We hope to build solidarity between delegates affiliated with these two candidates prior to the convention and will encourage the campaigns to work towards a unified convention strategy after the final primaries on June 2nd.“