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On Election Day, the American people, all across the country, sent a very powerful message to our country’s ruling class. In a loud and surprisingly unified voice, they said NO to Trump’s pathological lying, his contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law, his narcissism, his corruption and his disastrous policies. But they also said something more.
At a time when 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, when we have unprecedented income and wealth inequality, when we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any industrialized nation, when millions of seniors are unable to retire with dignity, and when our younger generation may end up having a lower standard of living than their parents, working families voted for change, REAL change. Despite billions of dollars in ugly and dishonest TV ads, Americans made it clear. They want an end to status quo politics and status quo policies that prop up a rigged economy and a corrupt campaign finance system.
And it wasn't just the election results. According to a recent AP poll, 80% of registered voters want either "complete and total upheaval" or "substantial change" in how this country is run, including 97% of Democrats, 90% of independents and 58% of Republicans.
BERNIE SANDERS WARNS DEMOCRATS NOT TO SPEND ALL THEIR TIME INVESTIGATING TRUMP
On Election Day, Democrats won a massive victory. When the new Congress convenes, Democrats will have more than 250 members in the House and at least 55 members in the Senate.
Democrats now have the votes to pass legislation that will greatly improve the lives of millions of working families. And that’s exactly what they must do. No more empty rhetoric and poll-driven messaging. No more telling people, over and over again, how terrible Donald Trump and the Republicans are. No more excuses. The new Democratic majority must deliver for a long-neglected working class.
Will Trump veto that legislation? Maybe, maybe not. If he signs the bills, the American people will benefit and be grateful. If he doesn’t, Republicans will pay a terrible political price.
In my view, here is some of what the new Democratic Congress must focus on:
HEALTH CARE: Our health care system is broken and wildly expensive. We spend twice as much per person as other major countries, yet more than 90 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, over half a million go bankrupt each year because of medical debt and more than 60,000 die unnecessarily because they cannot afford care.
Health care must be a human right, not a privilege. Democrats must pass Medicare for All, now supported by 66% of Americans. As a first step in a four-year transition, we must lower Medicare eligibility to 55, expand coverage to include dental, vision and hearing, and guarantee health care for every child from birth through age 19.
INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY: We have more income and wealth inequality in America today than at any time in our history. The top 1% now owns more wealth than the bottom 93%. Elon Musk alone owns more wealth than the bottom 53% of American households.
Democrats must pass a 5% wealth tax on billionaires, supported by 61% of Americans. The new funds raised would provide working-class families of four with a $12,000 direct payment, build 7 million affordable housing units, make public colleges and universities tuition-free, establish free child care for 13 million children and improve public education.
RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE: While the rich get richer, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is a starvation wage. We must raise it to at least $20 an hour and pass the PRO Act to make it easier for workers to organize unions. A job must lift people out of poverty, not keep them in it.
PROTECT SENIORS: One-third of seniors are struggling economically, and more than 20% try to survive on less than $15,000 a year. Nearly half of older Americans have no retirement savings. Meanwhile, billionaires pay the same amount into Social Security as someone earning $184,600.
THERE IS A WAY TO FIX SOCIAL SECURITY. AND THE SOLUTION MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
That is absurd. We must apply the Social Security payroll tax to all income above $250,000, including capital gains and dividends. This would increase benefits by $2,400 a year, lift millions of seniors out of poverty and extend Social Security's solvency for generations, without raising taxes on the bottom 91% of Americans. We must also restore guaranteed pensions so workers can retire with dignity.
AI AND ROBOTICS: Big Tech oligarchs are investing trillions in artificial intelligence and robotics with virtually no regulation. AI is the most transformative technology in the history of humanity. Left unchecked, it could destroy tens of millions of jobs, devastate children's mental health, eviscerate privacy, drive up electricity rates and strain water supplies. Uncontrolled superintelligence could even threaten humanity's existence. We cannot allow a handful of oligarchs to dictate our future. Democrats must enact a national moratorium on AI data centers, supported by 63% of Americans, pause advanced AI development and ban superintelligence.
THE AI REVOLUTION COULD BECOME A NATIONAL SECURITY DISASTER IF WE AREN'T CAREFUL
CLIMATE CHANGE: Rising temperatures, deadly heat waves, massive forest fires and extreme weather make it clear that we must act boldly. Democrats must create millions of good-paying jobs by moving our energy systems away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy.
MILITARY SPENDING: The wars in Vietnam, Iraq and now Iran were based on lies. We spend more on the military than the next six countries combined, yet the Pentagon repeatedly fails independent audits and cannot account for trillions in spending. Trump's illegal war in Iran is costing us hundreds of billions of dollars. We must end this disastrous war, cut off funding for the genocidal government in Israel and substantially reduce military spending.
ICE AND IMMIGRATION: Since Trump took office, ICE agents have shot American citizens, broken down doors and sent 5-year-old children to detention centers. These actions are immoral, unconstitutional and economically counterproductive. Democrats must rescind the $75 billion Republicans gave Trump for his ICE domestic army. Instead of terrorizing communities, we need comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT COMPARES TRUMP MIGRANT DETENTION POLICY TO JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM: Elon Musk and his billionaire friends poured a record-breaking $2 billion into recent elections. That is not democracy. Americans overwhelmingly want Congress to overturn Citizens United and abolish super PACs. Democracy must mean one person, one vote, not billionaires buying elections.
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Let's be clear: None of the policies I’ve articulated are "radical." They are now mainstream ideas supported by strong majorities of the American people.
At this extraordinary moment in our history, we must restore faith in democracy. One way we do that is by delivering tangible benefits for working families and showing every man, woman and child that their government can work for them and not just the 1%.
Election Day gave Democrats an extraordinary opportunity. Let’s not blow it.
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