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Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to the election campaign by calling for an independent electoral commission to prevent Donald Trump from challenging the will of the people and plunging the United States into a constitutional crisis.
The independent senator also urged social media companies to “act together” and the media to prepare the American people to understand that “there is no longer a single election day.”
Sanders, whose losing campaign against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary left wounds on both sides, has earned praise this time for rallying his army of progressive supporters around Joe Biden, who defeated him in his nominations contest. year.
In Washington on Thursday, at his first in-person event since suspending his campaign in the spring, Sanders reiterated that he is “strongly supporting” Biden. But his focus was on the unprecedented threat Trump posed to the oldest continuing democracy in the modern world.
“No matter how rich and powerful you may be, no matter how arrogant and narcissistic you may be, no matter how much you think you can get whatever you want, let me make this clear to Donald Trump,” Sanders said. “Too many people have fought and died to defend American democracy and you are not going to destroy it.”
The 79-year-old Vermont senator echoed former President Barack Obama’s grim warning at the Democratic national convention that democracy is in danger.
Standing before four American flags and blue velvet curtains at George Washington University, Sanders said: “This is not just a choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. This is a choice between Donald Trump and democracy, and democracy must win. “
Sanders warned that the 45th president threatens a peaceful transition of power like no other president has. He noted that Trump said at the Republican convention last month: “The only way they can take this election away from us is if it is a rigged election.” And at a press conference at the White House on Wednesday night, Trump became “the first president in the history of this country to refuse to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the election.”
Sanders cited several studies and experts who have debunked Trump’s obsession with voter fraud, particularly voting by mail. He continued: “Trump’s strategy to delegitimize this election and remain in office if he loses is not complicated. By finding himself behind in many polls, he is attempting mass voter suppression. “
He accused Trump and his Republican colleagues of making it difficult for the people to vote and “sowing the seeds of chaos, confusion and conspiracy theories by calling into question the integrity of this election and, if he loses, justifying why he should stay in. The charge”. .
Sanders continued: “Trump has also urged his supporters to become, citing, ‘election watchers,’ but what he is really saying is that he wants his supporters, some of whom are members of armed militias, to intimidate voters. We are already seeing this in Virginia, where early voters were confronted by Trump supporters, and election officials in Fairfax County said some voters and voting staff were intimidated. “
He warned of a scenario where, on election night, Trump is ahead in many battle states based on the votes of those who voted in person on Election Day. As more and more mail-in ballots are counted, Biden moves on. But Trump then announces, without proof, that there has been massive mail ballot fraud and that these votes should not be counted.
The senator endorsed a New York Times article last week by Dan Coats, Trump’s former director of national intelligence, calling for a high-level, nonpartisan, bipartisan commission to oversee the elections to assure all Americans that they have taken out fairly.
“I couldn’t agree more,” the senator said. “I strongly support Director Coats’ call for this electoral commission.”
And he called on the American people to produce the largest voter turnout in American history. “As someone who strongly supports Joe Biden, let’s be clear: a landslide victory for Biden will make it virtually impossible for Trump to deny the results and is our best means of defending democracy.”
With a record mail ballot expected due to the pandemic, Sanders called on state legislatures to take immediate action to allow mail-in votes to be counted before Election Day. He added: “Third, the media must prepare the American people to understand that there is no longer a single election day and that we may not know the results on November 3.
Fourth, social media businesses must finally get going and stop people from using their tools to spread disinformation and threaten and harass election officials. Fifth, in Congress and state legislatures, hearings should be held as soon as possible to explain to the public how the process will be handled on Election Day and the following days. “
Sanders cautioned: “As we count every vote and avoid voter intimidation, every effort must be made to avoid chaos, misinformation and, yes, even violence.”
