As Bernie Sanders delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention, we share two vital goals with progressives nationwide. First and foremost, we must defeat Donald Trump in November. That is essential. At the same time, we remain committed to working with our allies in the progressive movement — before and after the election — to press for the agenda advocated by the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign.
The Sanders campaign, and the movements that propelled it, created a groundswell of momentum for such proposals as Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, a $15 minimum wage, tuition-free public college, police reform and much more. Some of this momentum is reflected in the forthcoming Democratic Party platform — which, although a compromise document, does move our country in a good direction. But, even while acknowledging the importance of this progress, we also know that most platforms are ignored and remain words on paper unless movements effectively demand implementation.
In addition to defeating Trump and advancing our progressive agenda, we must also be resolved to transform the Democratic Party. If the party is to defend the interests of working people, then it cannot remain indebted to contributions from corporate PACs representing the very interests we oppose (fossil fuels, big pharma, banks, etc.). We will continue to push to free the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates from these funding sources. Meanwhile, we remain committed to making the party more transparent, more accountable to its membership, and more democratic in its decision-making.
In short, our goals as Sanders delegates are: to defeat Trump; to continue the work led by Bernie to advance and implement a progressive agenda; and to organize to make the Democratic Party worthy of its name.