Donald Trump’s first address to Congress was heavy on promises and light on policy. This shouldn’t be shocking. Trump’s always been a big “promise” guy without delving into details, but the Democratic response to Trump’s address was a lackluster rejoinder that won’t sway anyone on the fence or revitalize the party. So, perhaps Bernie Sanders was wise to go rogue with his own rebuttal, which he delivered via his Facebook page.
The Bern previously pledged to push his progressive agenda even after losing primary season, and he had no problem challenging the president. “Some of what Trump said tonight sounds good on the surface,” he stated “But it doesn’t sound so good if you dig just a little deeper.” As we mentioned, Trump claimed to be for clean water on the same day that he revoked an Obama-era order on the the same subject. The Bern admits that when he heard that, “I had a difficult time not laughing out loud.”
From there, the Bern slammed Trump’s decision to sharply increase military spending while neglecting to mention student debt, Social Security, or Medicare. He continued for quite some time and then urged his supporters to never give up. Essentially, his rebuttal was what the Democratic party needed to hear, and perhaps things would be different now, if they had chosen him as the nominee. Bern still has a message to deliver:
“Those of you who attended rallies or town hall meetings: Keep showing up, keep calling Congress, and continue to fight … If you haven’t taken action yet, we need your voice. Only together when millions of people stand up for economic justice, for social justice, for racial justice, for environmental justice, only then can we create a political revolution that will turn this country around.”
Maybe soon enough, we’ll see the glorious Bern laugh once more, but for now, he’s all fired up and hoping to help the Dems become contenders.