A near-standing crowd filled Sheboygan’s Emil Mazey Hall Thursday morning, well ahead of the main event — an appearance by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The senator was making his local stop as part of a six-city tour of Wisconsin, which has been identified as a swing state for the upcoming presidential election. But the passion for the views of the longest-serving independent member of Congress crossed party lines, with the attendees’ approval.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was greeted Thursday morning at Emil Mazey Hall in Sheboygan and received a warm welcome and several standing ovations from a large audience. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
The senator was warmly applauded when he addressed the issue of abortion, saying that “women, not the government, have the right to control their own bodies,” adding that “we cannot go back.” by electing Donald Trump in November. Sanders also warned of losing progress in combating the threat of climate change if Trump were elected president again, saying that “anyone who tells you that climate change is a hoax is completely wrong…they threaten good -be of our children and future generations forever.”
Sanders appeared to hit all the important points for the audience, largely a blue-collar gathering of loyal Democrats, as he blamed an increasingly corrupt political system that allowed billionaires to buy an election, as he castigated pharmaceutical companies and lobbyists for Americans paying the highest prices in the world for drugs, and praising Canada’s nationalized health care system for charging more for hospital parking than for a hospital stay. -even.
After his largely spontaneous speech, Sanders fielded questions from the audience, which ranged from the Supreme Court’s bias to the shortage of skilled workers and affordable housing…which he called “big questions!” » Ultimately, Sanders said the example set by unions can also apply to politics, ensuring that the will of the people, not corporate greed, guides policy in Washington. He has repeatedly admitted that such change takes time and that corruption exists in both parties. But he urged the crowd not to give up, but to continue the fight. And Sanders’ clear message was that to achieve that, Democrats must first win in November.
