Letter from Bernie Sanders

[Karl Frederick]

On New Years' Day I was talking with a friend about how neither of us had been willing to vote for the candidate whom we disliked less in the last national election. We both wanted to vote FOR a candidate (rather than against his or her opponent(s).

I just received this letter today from Bernie Sanders, who, at this time seems to be the one person in the presidential race who might actually try to do what he says he'll do.

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Dear Karl,

Today we are very proud to announce some extraordinary news: our supporters have made 2.5 million contributions to our campaign totaling $73 million, including $33 million in the last three months.

There were very few people in the world who would have believed you one year ago if you said that Bernie Sanders' supporters would raise $73 million by the end of the year for our presidential campaign. And yet here we are.

More important than how much money we've raised is how we have raised these funds. Incredibly, the vast majority of all the money we have raised comes from small-dollar contributions. You won't see that from our opponent. I don't go around asking a handful of millionaires and billionaires for big checks and call it a day.
The truth is our campaign finance system is nothing short of a national disgrace. Elections should be determined by the power of good ideas, not who can hustle the most money from the rich and powerful.

Real change comes when large numbers of Americans get involved in the democratic process. We have shown that is possible in terms of competing financially against the interests of the billionaire class. And now it is time to show that we can organize in our communities too.

With the first people voting for our next president in less than a month, we have an obligation right now to do all we can to bring as many people into the democratic process as we can. We have a real path toward victory if we all come together for in our communities.

Tell us how you can volunteer for our campaign, and we'll connect you with volunteer opportunities to build our movement.

Our supporters are organizing thousands of events in communities all across the country as well. You can find those here.

When we talk about a "political revolution," we are not just talking about tinkering around the edges of American society. We are talking about transforming our country in many respects — the economy, health care, education, the environment, criminal justice, immigration and many other areas.

Powered by more than 2.5 million contributions from 1 million people donating less than $30 a piece, we have shown that our political revolution should not be underestimated.

I am excited to see what comes next. Thank you for all of your support.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Volunteer