IT'S NOT OVER, BECAUSE YOUR VOTE COUNTS

The Illinois primary, among others, is March 17.  That's when you can vote to nominate Bernie Sanders for President, and make America the country we were brought up to believe in.  The New Deal saved the elderly from poverty by creating Social Security.  Bernie wants to protect it, expand it and make sure it is properly funded.  Franklin Roosevelt believed that every human being was entitled to four basic freedoms:  the freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear.  Bernie Sanders wants to fulfill that vision.  

Bernie supports a Green New Deal that will save our children and grandchildren from the ravages of a changing climate.  This is a plan that protects workers who work in affected fossil fuel industries.

At a time when the nation is rocked by a pandemic, it is clear that we need a leader with a plan big enough to tackle the problem.  Bernie supports Medicare for All, a single-payer, national health insurance program to provide everyone with comprehensive health care coverage.  No networks, no premiums, no deductibles, no copays, no surprise bills.

Bernie proposes College for All, and the elimination of student debt.  He also proposes Fair Banking for All.  Consumer loans and credit cards rates would be capped at 15 percent across all financial institutions.  Every post office could offer basic and affordable banking services.  (I remember when the post office was where you went to purchase money orders!),  If the Democratic Party really still wants to help the poor and marginalized of society, this is a simple but vitally important solution to those at the mercy of predatory lending institutions and without the liquidity to maintain bank accounts.

Now, I know, the media and a bunch of politicians have told you that the race is over.  It's not.  Some, in the last couple of days have called for the DNC to end the debates because they want to protect one of the candidates from scrutiny.  Some are even pretending that Bernie should just drop out and support Joe Biden.  Um, no.  Joe Biden only leads by 153 delegates. He is short by 1,113 delegates from the nomination.

The Democratic convention will have 3,979 delegates eligible to vote on the first ballot.  At this point, only 1,754 of them have been pledged to a candidate.  That's only 44%.  There are still 2,225 delegates still to be picked.  Voters in many states have not yet had the opportunity to have their say.

It was just three weeks ago that party leaders, and Joe Biden, were saying that if no one had yet earned a majority of delegates, after the primaries were all over, then the delegates should select the nominee, at a brokered convention.  Now, with no one within even a thousand delegates of a majority, they'd like the Sanders campaign to just stipulate Mr. Biden a victory?  No.

Either Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden will have a formidable opponent in Donald Trump.  This primary is about what we want, not what we don't.  None of us want Donald Trump.  But, what do we want to happen after January 20, 2021?  We can't simply go back to the days of Barack Obama.  The past is gone.  Damage has been done.  Climate change has to be tackled.  Urgently.  All Americans need affordable health care immediately.  Our children must be freed from the choice between higher education and future home ownership.  We owe them a clean, healthy, vibrant future.  There is one candidate with the energetic vision to offer us the America of our dreams.  This is a once in a lifetime chance.  Please.  Vote for Bernie Sanders and his down ballot delegates!