Frankie Cordeira Jr.

Description: Sanders feels progressive burn over red state endorsements... Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders the face of the progressive movement in the United States and the most popular politician in the nation is defending his decisions to support two Democratic candidates this week. Sanders finally endorsed Democrat Jon Ossoff in his contestedelection in Georgias sixth congressional district after initiallyhesitating to call Ossoff a progressive. The Independent senator also defended his endorsement of a Democratic candidate in Nebraska who supports restrictions on abortion access. Let me be very clear Sander said in an interviewThursday night with the Huffington Post It is imperative that Jon Ossoff be elected congressman from Georgias 6th District and that Democrats take back the U.S. House. The raceto fill the seat vacated by Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price has attractednational attention and widespreadsupport on the left for the 30-year-old Democratic candidate. I applaud the energy and grassroots activism in Jons campaign Sanders added. His victory would be an important step forward in fighting back against Trumps reactionary agenda. These unequivocal words of support come in stark contrast to remarksSanders made about Ossoff in the past. Before the Huffington Post interview Thursday Sanders had barely even given Ossoffs campaign a lukewarm acknowledgment. The former Democratic presidential nominee even told The Washington Post that Ossoff was not a progressive and that he was more interested in candidates who were economically populist. While Sanders was hesitant to give his full support to Ossoff he has beenunafraid to wade into the mayoral election in Nebraska where he endorsed the Democratic candidate who co-sponsored a 2009 bill in the Nebraska state legislature requiring doctors to inform women seeking abortions about the availability of an ultrasound. The truth is that in some conservative states there will be candidates that are popular candidates who may not agree with me on every issue. I understand it. Thats what politics is about Sanders told NPR on Thursday.If we are going to protect a womans right to choose at the end of the day were going to need Democratic control over the House and the Senate and state governments all over this nation he said. And we have got to appreciate where people come from and do our best to fight for the pro-choice agenda. But I think you just cant exclude people who disagree with us on one issue. Sanders has been on a unity tour of sorts with Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez this past week. Perez released a statement on Friday signaling that every Democratic candidate backed by the DNC will need to embrace and support womens fundamental rights the Huffington Post reported. The Democratic Partys platform states clearly our support for every womans right to make their own choices about their reproductive health and to have access to safe abortion services Perez said in the statement. As DNC Chair I stand by that position unequivocally as I have my entire life.
By Frankie Cordeira Jr.
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