I'm at GWU at the moment where Bernie sanders is telling a rapt audience of college students about he successful campaign to end the power of superdelegates. (Lots more to go in speech, just interesting how he started.)
Sanders on his work for Hillary in 2016: "It was clear to many of my supporters that on her worst day, she would have been a much better president than Trump."
On how he felt on election day: "My wife, who is smarter than me on most issues, thought Trump was going to win."
Sanders recounting how he skipped his usual election night post-results talk to the media. "I didn't leave the house, because I was, in fact, very very depressed."
Sanders recounts how many negative stories were written about him in 2016, with a special mention of the 24-hour period with 16 negative WaPo stories. "The media started out by ignoring us, then, even worse, it started paying attention to us."
Sanders emphasizing how his campaign pushed he national conversation to the left. "We kind of busted the discussion open. Maybe that was the most important accomplishment."
Sanders notes how many people are nodding along as he lays out health care, minimum wage, etc agenda. "Now, everyone nods their head. Three years ago, not a long time, people weren't."
"People are far more progressive than the media perceives them to be."
Sanders recalling a VA GOP leader's reaction to the party's 2017 debacle. "He said, 'We lost elections to people we had not ever heard of,' which I thought was beautiful."
"People turn on the TV and it's 'Who's gonna run in 2020. Who's gonna run in 2096. What's up with Nancy Pelosi."
Sanders says that the new House majority should protect Mueller and look into whether Trump violated emoluments clause. "Any interference with the Mueller investigation is an obstruction of justice, and in my view, obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense."
"We need to take a hard look at the Trump administration's disastrous response to the hurricane in Puerto Rico. But it would be a very very big mistake if that was all they did."
Q&A begins and our moderator informs us that most Qs were about climate change.
Obviously substantive questions are Good but these boil down to "please restate your views."
So far: Congress needs to take on fossil fuel industry, pass DREAM Act.
US needs to end participation in Yemen. "To have a president say, oh, we're selling them $100 million in military weapons, we have to ally with this, is an offense."
Sanders gives similar 2020 answer to the ones he's given so far: "talking to people all over the country to get an assessment of whether I am in fact the strongest candidate." Makes clear that there are other serious candidates "who are my friends."
