US Senator Sanders: Americans need to stand up and say, 'enough is enough'
"I think I'm the only candidate who's prepared to take on the billionaire class," Sanders said in an interview with ABC News broadcasted on Sunday. "We need a political revolution in this country involving millions of people who are prepared to stand up and say, 'enough is enough', and I want to help lead that effort."
On Thursday, Sanders announced that he was running for the White House as a Democrat, providing Hillary Clinton with her first official rival for the Democratic Party’s nomination.
The Vermont senator told ABC earlier this week the millions of dollars being transferred to the Clinton Foundation poses a "very serious problem."
"It's not just Hillary. It's the Koch Brothers. It is Sheldon Adelson," he said, referring to American billionaires who throw millions into US elections. "Can somebody who is not a billionaire who stands for working families actually win an election?"
The 73-year-old politician has been a forceful voice in the Senate against money in politics, economic disparity and other such ailments afflicting the United Sates.
He has suggested that an important point of his campaign would be to stand against income inequality.
"This campaign is not about Bernie Sanders," he said on Thursday. "It about a grassroots movement of Americans standing up and saying: ‘Enough is enough. This country and our government belong to all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.’”
He added that the middle class in the United States is at a tipping point, which “will not last another generation if we don’t boldly change course now."
"The people at the top are grabbing all the new wealth and income for themselves, and the rest of America is being squeezed and left behind,” he stated.
Political commentators say that the US political system is designed to prevent any substantial change, and that the US democracy is dominated by dollar and lacks the essential features of a real democracy.
Charles and David Koch wield significant financial and political influence on US politics, both directly and indirectly, via various advocacy and lobbying organizations.
The Koch brothers are the sons of Fred C. Koch, who founded Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held company in the United States.
The brothers have contributed heavily to conservative campaigns and think tanks. They are among the best-known Republican donors, and potential GOP candidates court their favor.
The pair has said they plan to spend about $900 million during the 2016 election cycle.
Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas-based casino tycoon and hawkish Israel backer, spent almost $150 million in the last presidential election and he is set to throw in millions more behind his favorite contender in 2016.
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