The People for Bernie Sanders (also known as People for Bernie) is a grassroots movement that arose to support the candidacy of
Bernie Sanders during the
Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign
In the 2016 presidential campaign, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders sought the Democratic Party's nomination in a field of six major candidates and was the runner up with 46% of the pledged delegates behind former Secretary of State Hillary C ...
. People for Bernie, independent from the official campaign and largely organized via social media, grew to over 1 million followers on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
. Founded by
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to t ...
participants, People for Bernie Sanders became a major organizing force for progressive figures during the
2016 presidential campaign
This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*7 January: Kiri ...
, responsible for coining the hashtag #feelthebern.
People for Bernie is closely linked to other progressive groups like
National Nurses United
National Nurses United (NNU) is the largest organization of registered nurses in the United States. With more than 225,000 members, it is the farthest-reaching union and professional association of registered nurses in the U.S. Founded in 2009 th ...
and
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
.
Origins
People for Bernie was founded in early 2015 by Charles Lenchner and Winnie Wong, several months before the official campaign announcement on April 30, 2015.
Their strategy and goals were heavily influenced by lessons learned during
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to t ...
, particularly the need for activist groups to demonstrate impact on electoral politics
Lenchner was a founder of Ready for Warren, a grassroots movement that aimed to convince
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
to run for president in 2016, and eventually endorsed Sanders. Many early supporters of People for Bernie emerged from the same group.
People for Bernie officially launched with an open letter released the same day Sanders declared his candidacy for president. The letter was co-signed by notable representatives from progressive groups like
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to t ...
,
Progressive Democrats of America
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is a progressive political organization and grassroots political action committee operating primarily within the Democratic Party of the United States. The group has established chapters in 32 states and t ...
,
Coffee Party USA, ''
Jacobin'' magazine, and
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
.
Around the same time, People for Bernie created a number of constituency groups to support Sanders's candidacy, notably Millennials for Bernie Sanders. These groups were entirely volunteer-run with little oversight from the main group. Activists including Moumita Ahmed (Millennials for Bernie Sanders), Stan L. Williams (African-Americans for Bernie), and Kat Brezler (National Digital Director) had leadership roles.
Activities
2016 primary
Early in the 2016 primary campaign, People for Bernie helped mobilize over 100,000 people in house parties and grassroots events across the country.
Building on the success of #feelthebern, People for Bernie began networking with groups around the country to build support for Sanders's candidacy, organizing conference calls and social media collaborations.
Organizers Charles Lenchner, Kat Brezler, and Moumita Ahmed were Sanders delegates at the
2016 Democratic National Convention
The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
.
Other People for Bernie supporters became formally involved the Sanders campaign, including Max Cotterill, who worked on Sanders's Digital Organizing team,
and Shana East, who went on to become the Illinois Digital and Volunteer Coordinator.
The deepening relationship between the Sanders campaign and People for Bernie (and other similar groups) was credited with helping Sanders break small-donor fundraising records.
People's Summit
In June 2016, People for Bernie Sanders was instrumental, together with National Nurses United, in organizing the People's Summit in Chicago. This was the first time that Sanders supporters from across the country came together to coordinate efforts.
National Nurses United also funded People for Bernie, through a
PAC called Progressive Kick, to expand their social media efforts.
2016 general election
People for Bernie never formally endorsed
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, as Sanders did on July 12, 2016. The movement had as members Sanders supporters who later campaigned actively for Clinton, as well as some who actively opposed her. The latter were sometimes known as the "Bernie or Bust" movement.
It was widely recognized that social media played much more significant role during the 2016 election than in any previous election.
Post-election
After the November 8, 2016, election, People for Bernie Sanders began working with other progressive groups to organize against President-elect Trump. Wong helped organize the
Women's March on Washington, and People for Bernie collaborated with
Fight for 15, supporters of
single-payer healthcare
Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer").
Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from ...
, environmental activists like
350.org
350.org is an international environmental organization addressing the climate crisis. Its stated goal is to end the use of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy by building a global, grassroots movement.
The 350 in the name stands fo ...
, and immigrants rights groups, among other local groups.
People for Bernie also publicly supported
Keith Ellison for Chairman of the
Democratic National Committee.
On November 8, 2017, Wong reportedly refused to participate in a
European United Left–Nordic Green Left
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...
panel at the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
in Brussels because CIA
whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
John Kiriakou
John Chris Kiriakou (born August 9, 1964) is an American author, journalist and former intelligence officer. Kiriakou is a columnist with Reader Supported News and co-host of ''Political Misfits'' on Sputnik Radio.
He was formerly an analyst and ...
had been invited to join it.
Kiriakou spent two and a half years in prison for revealing the use of
waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboard ...
. According to Kiriakou, Wong did not want to appear with him because he hosted a radio show on the
Sputnik network, and the organizers of the panel removed him. Kiriakou participated in a later panel.
Decentralized organizing model
The People for Bernie Sanders claims a decentralized organizing model that descends from the Occupy Movement. Their core operating principle is a "permission machine" – volunteers bring ideas to the group, and the group helps them achieve their goals without any centralized decision making process.
References
External links
*
{{Bernie Sanders
People for Bernie Sanders