Sanders calls on RI voters to ‘think outside the box’

By Daniel Kittredge
Posted 4/28/16

Ahead of his victory in the state’s Democratic presidential primary, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders drew a crowd of more than 7,000 to Roger Williams Park’s Temple to Music on Sunday.

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Sanders calls on RI voters to ‘think outside the box’

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Ahead of his victory in the state’s Democratic presidential primary, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders drew a crowd of more than 7,000 to Roger Williams Park’s Temple to Music on Sunday.

The Vermont senator, who is challenging former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, delivered remarks for more than an hour.

He touched on familiar themes of his campaign – reforming Wall Street, addressing climate change, lowering student loan debt, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and providing universal health care coverage and free tuition for public colleges and universities.

“Think outside of the box. Do not accept the status quo,” he told the crowd, saying his campaign has been “talking about the real issues” – a “corrupt campaign finance system,” the “decline of the American middle class,” “grotesque levels of income and wealth inequality,” and a “broken criminal justice system.”

To cheers, Sanders spoke of a “rigged economy” in which the vast majority of the nation’s wealth is held by a small percentage of the population, and of the vision of a “moral economy.”

He urged Rhode Island to join previous states he has won in “saying we are going to go forward with a political revolution.” He also called on supporters – particularly young people – to head to the polls for the primary, saying: “What we have found throughout this campaign is when voter turnout is high … we often win.”

Sanders’ rally was the largest as four of the five remaining major party presidential hopefuls visited the Ocean State in the days leading up to the primary.

It was a bright, clear, cool day, and thousands made the trek by foot from Elmwood Avenue or the area of Park View Middle School in Cranston to the Temple to Music. Cars lined the roadways inside and nearby Roger Williams Park, and many out-of-state license plates – particularly from Massachusetts – were visible.

There were abundant displays of the “Feel the Bern” phenomenon Sanders’ candidacy has spurred, from T-shirts and homemade signs bearing that now-famous slogan to a large cutout of the senator’s head held by a spectator toward the back of the crowd.

Sanders referenced some issues specific to Rhode Island. He spoke of the state’s high child poverty rate, particularly in Providence. In calling for renewed investment in infrastructure improvements across the nation, he also cited the high number of Ocean State bridges deemed deficient and in need of repair.

“Here in Rhode Island, you have the highest percentage of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in America. Congratulations,” he said. “Why? Why? Half of the bridges in Rhode Island are in need of repair. What we have got to do as a nation is what used to be the case. We used to have the strongest, cutting-edge infrastructure in the entire world. We once had that, we can do it again.”

Sanders drew jeers from the crowd on several occasions when mentioning Clinton, although the Republican presidential hopefuls – and particularly Donald Trump – drew his sharpest criticism.

He recalled Trump’s involvement in the so-called “birther” controversy of several years ago, when the New York businessman raised discredited doubts about Barack Obama’s place of birth and eligibility for the presidency.

Sanders blasted Trump for participating in a “serious effort to try an de-legitimize the presidency of the first African American president in our nation’s history.”

The remarks also contained moments of levity, with the 74-year-old Sanders recalling a recent campaign stop in Pennsylvania.

“Just the other day I was at the battle of Gettysburg – area. I’m not that old,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Actress Shailene Woodley, star of the films “Divergent” and “The Fault in Our Stars,” introduced Sanders at the rally. His campaign manager, Providence native Tad Devine, was also at the event.

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