I’m very happy with the onerous work that the progressive group put into electing Joe Biden as our subsequent president.

And let’s be clear: This election was not only a regular election between two candidates. It was rather more essential than that. It was an election about retaining our democracy, preserving the rule of regulation, believing in science and ending pathological mendacity within the White Home. And with a record-breaking turnout, the American folks voted to reject President Donald Trump’s racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, non secular bigotry and authoritarianism. That is superb information.

Even so, fact be advised, the election leads to the Home and Senate had been disappointing. Regardless of Joe Biden successful the favored vote by greater than 5 million votes, the Democrats misplaced seats within the Home and, to this point, have solely picked up one seat within the Senate.

Now, with the blame recreation erupting, company Democrats are attacking so-called far-left insurance policies like Medicare for All and the Inexperienced New Deal for election defeats within the Home and the Senate. They’re lifeless improper.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Listed here are the info:

►112 co-sponsors of Medicare for All had been on the poll in November. All 112 of them gained their races.

►94 co-sponsors of the Inexperienced New Deal had been on the poll in November. Solely considered one of them have misplaced an election.

It seems that supporting common well being care throughout a pandemic and enacting main investments in renewable power as we face the existential menace to our planet from local weather change is not only good public coverage. It additionally is sweet politics. In line with an exit ballot from Fox Information, no bastion of socialism, 72% of voters favored the change “to a government-run well being care plan” and 70% of voters supported “rising authorities spending on inexperienced and renewable power.”

The lesson is to not abandon common insurance policies like Medicare for All, a Inexperienced New Deal, residing wage jobs, prison justice reform and common little one care, however to enact an agenda that speaks to the financial desperation being felt by the working class — Black, white, Latino, Asian American and Native American. Persons are hurting, and they’re crying out for assist. We should reply.

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Throughout America, voters permitted progressive insurance policies to enhance the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals:

►Florida voters handed an initiative to boost the minimal wage to $15 an hour.

►Colorado voted to supply 12 weeks of paid household depart.

►Arizona voted to extend taxes on these making over $250,000 to extend funding for public schooling.

►Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voted to maneuver away from the “struggle on medication” and permitted legalizing marijuana.

The American individuals are sick and bored with seeing billionaires and Wall Avenue turn out to be a lot richer, whereas veterans sleep out on the streets, our infrastructure crumbles and younger folks depart faculty deeply in debt.

They need a authorities that works for all, not simply the few. That’s the fitting factor to do, that’s the ethical factor to do and, for the Democratic Get together, that’s the solution to win elections.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.

This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Bernie Sanders: Do not blame so-called far-left insurance policies for election