>> JERRY FALWELL: David, David they do that
chant a lot better than you do, but thank
you for the warm introduction and welcome
to convocation this morning.
We are so honored and humbled to welcome a
very special guest this morning in Senator
Bernie Sanders.
He's a democratic candidate for president
of the United States, and Senator Sanders,
we made room for a lot of your supporters
locally here in the front row, so you've got
a fan club here.
But we, in 2006 Senator Sanders was elected
to the US Senate for the first time after
serving for 16 years as the sole congressman
from Vermont, and went on to be re-elected
in 2012.
He was born in Brooklyn NY; he attended Brooklyn
College and the University of Chicago.
He later moved to Vermont where he became
a documentary filmmaker and a carpenter, and
in 1981 he was elected Mayor of Burlington,
Vermont by 10 votes.
Under his leadership, he helped transform
Burlington into one of the most exciting and
livable cities in the nation.
Under his administration, the city made strides,
major strides in affordable housing, environmental
protection, childcare, youth programs and
the arts.
In Congress, Bernie has fought tirelessly
for working families, focusing on the shrinking
middle class, and he's been called a practical
and successful legislator.
He was dubbed the Amendment King in the House
of Representatives for passing more minutes
than anyone else in congress.
Bernie lives in Burlington, Vermont now, and
people have been asking since we announced,
since David came to me and told me that Senator
Sanders had agreed to speak at Liberty, and
I said that's great.
People have been asking, "Well, are you gonna
be able to find any common ground with the
Senator?"
And I think I did.
I think this morning, Senator Sanders if you
could come up.
I think - I think in the future, he's going
to be a fan of the Liberty Flames.
So we've already found some common ground
I hope.
But Senator Sanders, we welcome you to Liberty
University, we're humbled and honored that
you would come here and please give him a
warm welcome, thank you.
>> SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: President Fallwell
and David, thank you very much for inviting
my wife, Jane, and me, to be with you this
morning.
We appreciate the invitation very much.
And let me start off by acknowledging what
I think all of you already know.
And that is, the views that many here at Liberty
University have, and I, on a number of important
issues are very, very different.
I believe in women's rights, and the right
of a woman to control her own body.
I believe in gay rights and gay marriage.
Those are my views, and it is no secret.
But I came here today, because I believe,
from the bottom of my heart, that it is vitally
important for those of us who hold different
views, to be able to engage in a civil discourse.
Too often, in our country, and I think both
sides bear responsibility for this, there
is too much shouting at each other.
There is too much making fun of each other.
Now in my view, and I say this as somebody
whose voice is hoarse because I've given dozen
of speeches in the last few months, it is
easy to go out and talk to people who agree
with you.
I was in Greensboro, North Carolina just last
night.
All right, we had 9,000 people out.
Mostly they agreed with me and tonight we’re
going to be out and have thousands out that
agreed with me.
That's not hard to do!
And that's what politicians do: we go out
and we talk to people who agree with us.
But it is harder, but not less important,
for us to try and communicate with those who
do not agree with us on every issue.
And it is important to see where, if possible,
and I do believe, it's possible, we can find
common grounds.
Now, Liberty University is a religious school,
obviously.
And all of you are proud of that.
You are a school, which as all of us in our
own way tries to understand the meaning of
morality.
What does it mean to live a moral life?
And you try to understand in this very complicated
modern world that we live in, what the words
of the Bible mean in today's society.
You are a school which tries to teach its
students how to behave with decency and with
honesty, and how you can best relate to your
fellow human beings.
And I applaud you for trying to achieve those
goals.
Let me take a moment, or a few moments, to
tell you what motivates me in the work that
I do as a public servant, as Senator from
the state of Vermont.
And let me tell you that, it goes without
saying, I am far, far from being a perfect
human being, but I am motivated by a vision
which exists in all of the great religions,
in Christianity and Judaism, in Islam, in
Buddhism and other religions.
And that vision is so beautifully and clearly
stated in Matthew 7:12.
And it states, "So in everything, do to others
what you would have them do to you.
For this sums up the law and the prophets."
That is the golden rule.
Do unto others what you would have them do
to you.
That is the golden rule, and it is not very
complicated.
Let me be frank, as I said a moment ago, I
understand that the issues of abortion and
gay marriage are issues that you feel very
strongly about.
We disagree on those issues.
I get that.
But let me respectfully suggest that there
are other issues out there that are of enormous
consequence to our country, and in fact to
the entire world, that maybe, just maybe,
we do not disagree on.
And maybe, just maybe, we can try to work
together to resolve them.
Amos 5:24: “But let justice roll on like
a river.
Righteousness like a never failing stream."
Justice: treating others the way we want to
be treated.
Treating all people, no matter their race,
their color, their stature in life, with respect
and with dignity.
Now here is my point.
Some of you may agree with me and some of
you may not.
But in my view, it would be hard for anyone
in this room today, to make the case that
the United States of America, our great country,
a country which all of us love - it would
be hard to make the case that we are a just
society, or anything resembling a just society
today.
In the United States of America today, there
is massive injustice in terms of income and
wealth inequality.
Injustice is rampant.
We live, and I hope all of you know this,
in the wealthiest country in the history of
the world.
But most Americans don't know that.
Because almost all of that wealth and income
is going to the top 1%.
Now that's the truth!
We are living in a time, and I want all of
you if you would; put this in the context
of the Bible, not me, in the context of the
Bible, we are living in a time where a handful
of people have wealth beyond comprehension.
And I'm talking about tens of billions of
dollars, enough to support their families
for thousands of years.
With huge yachts and jet planes and tens of
billions.
More money than they would ever know what
to do with.
But at that very same moment, there are millions
of people in our country, let alone the rest
of the world, who are struggling to feed their
families.
They are struggling to put a roof over their
heads, and some of them are sleeping out on
the streets.
They are struggling to find money in order
to go to a doctor when they are sick.
Now when we talk about morality, and when
we talk about justice, we have to, in my view,
understand that there is no justice when so
few have so much, and so many have so little.
There is no justice - and I want you to hear
this clearly - when the top one tenth of 1%,
not 1%, the top one tenth of 1%, today in
America owns almost as much wealth as the
bottom 90%, and in your hearts, you will have
to determine the morality of that and the
justice of that.
In my view, there is no justice when here
in Virginia, or Vermont, and all over this
country, millions of people are working long
hours for abysmally low wages of $7.25 an
hour, or $8 an hour, $9 an hour.
Working hard, but unable to bring in enough
money to adequately feed their kids.
And yet at that same time, 58% of all new
income generated, is going to the top 1%.
You have got to think about the morality of
that, the justice of that, and whether or
not that is what we want to see in our country.
In my view, there is no justice when, in recent
years, we have seen a proliferation of millionaires
and billionaires, while at the same time the
United States of America has the highest rate
of childhood poverty of any major country
on earth.
How can we - I want you to go into your hearts,
how can we talk about morality - about justice,
when we turn our backs on the children of
our country?
And you've got to think about it - you have
to think about - you have to feel it in your
guts.
Are you content?
Do you think it's moral, that 20% of the children
in this country, the wealthiest country in
the history of the world, are living in poverty?
Do you think it is acceptable that 40% of
African American children are living in poverty?
In my view, there is no justice and morality
suffers when in our wealthy country, millions
of children go to bed hungry.
That is not morality.
And that in my view is not what America should
be about.
In my view, there is no justice when the 15,
15 wealthiest people in this country, in the
last two years saw their wealth increase by
$170 billion.
Two years.
Wealthiest 15 people in this country saw their
wealth increase by $170 billion.
My friends, that is more wealth acquired in
a two-year period, than is owned by the bottom
130 million Americans.
And while the very, very rich become much
richer, millions of families have no savings
at all - nothing in the bank!
And they worry every single day that if their
car breaks down, they can't get to work.
And if they can't get to work they lose their
jobs.
And if they lose their jobs, they don't feed
their families.
In the last two years, 15 people saw $170
billion increase in their wealth; 45 million
Americans live in poverty.
That, in my view, is not justice.
That is a rigged economy designed by the wealthiest
people in this country to benefit the wealthiest
people in this country at the expense of everybody
else.
In my view, there is no justice when thousands
of Americans die every single year because
they don't have any health insurance, and
don't go to a doctor when they should.
I have talked personally to doctors throughout
Vermont, and physicians all over this country,
and without exception they tell me that there
are times when patients walk into their office
very, very sick.
And they say why didn't you come in here when
you were sick.
And the answer is, I don't have any health
insurance, or I have a high deductible - I
thought the problem would get better.
And sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes they
die because they lack health insurance.
That is not justice.
That is not morality.
People should not be dying in the United States
of America, when they are sick!
What that is, is an indication that we are
the only major country on earth that does
not guarantee health care to all people as
a right.
And I think we should change that.
And I think - I think that when we talk about
morality, what we are talking about is all
of God's children, the poor, the wretched
- they have a right to go to a doctor when
they are sick.
You know there is a lot of talk in this country
from politicians about family values.
You've all heard that.
Well let me tell you about a family value.
In my view there is no justice when low-income,
and working-class mothers are forced to separate
from their babies, one or two weeks after
birth, and go back to work because they need
the money that their jobs provide.
Now I know everybody here, we all are, maybe
in different ways, but all of us believe in
family values.
Jane and I have four kids; we have seven beautiful
grandchildren.
We believe in family values.
But it is not a family value when all of you
know that the most important moments in time
of a human being's life, is the first weeks
and months after that baby is born.
That is the moment, when mother bonds with
the baby, gets to love and know her baby,
and the dad is there as well.
That is what a family is about, and those
of you, at least those of you who are parents
- you know what an unforgettable moment that
is, what an important moment that is.
And I want you to think, whether you believe
it is a family value that the United States
of America is the only, only major country
on earth, that does not provide paid, family
and medical leave.
Now in English what that means is that all
over the world, when a woman has her baby,
she is guaranteed the right, because society
understands how important that moment is,
she is guaranteed the right to stay home,
and get income in order to nurture her baby.
And that is why I believe, when we talk about
family values, that the United States government
must provide at least 12 weeks of paid, family
and medical leave.
In my view, there is no justice in our country
when youth unemployment exists at tragic,
tragically high levels.
I requested a study last month from a group
of economists, and what they told me is that
51% of African American high school graduates,
between the ages of 17 and 20 are unemployed
or underemployed.
51%!
We have in this country, sufficient amounts
of money to put more people in jail, than
any other country on Earth.
The United States has more people in jail
than China, a communist authoritarian country.
But apparently, we do not have enough money
to provide jobs and education to our young
people.
I believe that's wrong.
I am not a theologian.
I am not an expert on the Bible, nor am I
a Catholic.
I am just a United States Senator from the
small state of Vermont.
But I agree with Pope Francis, who will soon
be coming to visit us in the United States.
I agree with Pope Francis when he says, and
I quote, "The current financial crisis originated
in a profound human crisis.
The denial of the primacy of the human person.”
And this is what he writes, "We have created
new idols!
The worship of the ancient, golden calf has
returned in a new and ruthless guise: in the
idolatry of money, and the dictatorship, and
the dictatorship of a personal economy lacking
a truly human purpose," end of quote.
And the Pope also writes, quote, "There is
a need for financial reform along ethical
lines that would produce, it its turn, an
economic reform, to benefit everyone.
Money has to serve, not to rule."
End of quote.
Now those are pretty profound words, which
I hope we will all think about.
In the Pope's view, and I agree with him,
we are living in a nation and in a world - and
the Bible speaks to this issue - in a nation,
and in a world, which worships, not love of
brothers and sisters, not love of the poor
and the sick, but worships the acquisition
of money and great wealth.
I do not believe that is the country we should
be living in.
Money and wealth should serve the people.
The people should not have to serve money
and wealth.
Throughout human history, there has been endless
discussion - it is part of who we are as human
beings; people who think and ask questions,
endless discussions and debate about the meaning
of justice, and about the meaning of morality.
And I know that here at Liberty University,
those are the kinds of discussions you have
everyday, and those are the kinds of discussions
you should be having.
And the kind of discussions we should be having
all over America.
I would hope, and I conclude with this thought:
I would hope very much that as part of that
discussion, and part of that learning process,
some of you will conclude, that if we are
honest in striving to be a moral and just
society, it is imperative that we have the
courage to stand with the poor, to stand with
working people, and when necessary, take on
very powerful and wealthy people, whose greed
in my view is doing this country enormous
harm.
Thank you all very much.
>> DAVID NASSER: Thank you, Senator.
We’re so grateful for you, sir.
You can have a seat here, thanks.
Obviously, just a few minutes here with some
questions, uh, these questions sir are from
our student body.
I think you're going to - we opened up to
our student government, the opportunity for
questions to come your way, and a lot of questions
poured in.
I think this uh, these few questions just
in the few minutes that we have with you will
represent the main thoughts on the hearts
of our students, the main things they wanted
to know.
I think that you're going to find a lot of
commonality, obviously, in wanting to see
someone go to work and get paid more for it,
wanting to see children not be hungry, or
wanting to see the reality of racism being
erased out of this country.
You're going to find a lot of commonality
in, obviously for college students to hear
from you that public higher education can
be free in this country, so anybody who is
19 is gonna be excited about free college.
Uh, the question isn't so much the commonality
of wanting to see those things, but how do
we get there.
And so in that kind of mindset, just a little
bit about how we would get there, as far as
race inequality is concerned, uh this question
from one of our students, "If you were, sir,
elected president, what would you do to bring
healing and resolution to the issue of racism
in our country?"
We want to - we both want to see that go away,
what steps would you begin to take, if you
were our leader in seeing that result?
>> SANDERS: That is an excellent question,
thank you for it.
I would hope and I believe that every person
in this room today understands that it is
unacceptable to judge people, and discriminate
against people based on the color of their
skin.
And I would also say, that as a nation, the
truth is that a nation which in many ways
was created, and I'm sorry to have to say
this, from way back on racist principles,
that's a fact, we have come a long way as
a nation.
Now I know, my guess is that probably not
everybody here is an admirer or a voter for
Barack Obama.
But the point is that in 2008, this country
took a huge step forward, David, in voting
for a candidate based on his ideas, and not
the color of his skin.
And whether you like Obama or not, and I do,
he is a friend of mine and I work with him
on many issues; that is a step forward for
America.
But let me also say what everybody here knows,
and my thoughts having just returned from
South Carolina, we all know to what degree
racism remains alive in this country.
I cannot understand, I really can't.
I think about it, I try to understand it.
How a sick man can walk into a Bible study
class, discuss the Bible, pray with people
in the room, and then take out a gun and kill
nine of them because the color of their skins
were different than his.
And I cannot understand, for the life of me,
how there can be hundreds of groups in this
country, whose sole reason for existence is
to promote hatred.
These are hate groups!
And they say, “join us” so we can hate
African Americans, or gays, or Jews, or immigrants,
or anybody that is different from us.
I cannot understand that.
But let us be clear, that when you have unarmed,
African Americans shot by police officers,
something which has been going on for years,
that is also institutional racism and cries
out for reform.
I am a former mayor who has worked closely
with police officers - vast majority of them
are honest, work hard and do a very good job.
But when a police officer breaks the law,
as is the case with any other public official,
that officer must be held accountable.
That's justice.
And there is a lot to be done in terms of
our criminal justice system, in terms of minimal
sentencing; in terms of local police departments,
which look like armies that are invading a
community.
But to answer your question, I think what
we have got to do, is when we see instances
of racism, when we hear political leaders
appealing to the worst elements of us by making
racists attacks against people from another
country, or people whose color may be different
than most of us, we have got to stand up and
say, in America, we are not going to do that.
Racism is unacceptable.
>> NASSER: We couldn't agree with you more
on that thought, but just, uh, we would say,
and I think I speak for many of our students
that it's not so much a skin issue, as it
is a sin issue.
That we could change the... we could change
the behavior of police, and could put cameras
on them all day long but behavior modification
can only stop so short as identity change.
And so um, I think we want what you want.
>> SANDERS: Well let me just say this, the
answer is obviously we have got to change
our hearts.
But everybody here should know... 50, 60,
70 years ago in this country we had segregated
schools, and segregated restaurants.
And it took a supreme court, it took Martin
Luther King Jr, it took millions of people
to mend public policy, which ended segregation.
>> NASSER: That's right.
Well, I think where you're going to find commonality
is at Liberty University we're not interested
in making sure people of color are invited
to sit in the bus, or even sit at the restaurant
table, we want to see them own the bus and
own the restaurant, so we're with you on that.
On protecting the vulnerable, I think our
students were more passionate about that sir
than any other thing.
The questions that they wanted to know, went
way beyond just um, wealth inequality, went
way beyond, we certainly had those kind of
things, but um, on protecting the vulnerable,
this was probably the number one type of question
that we got here, Senator.
Senator Sanders, "You've talked in your campaign
about how it's immoral to protect the billionaire
class at the expense of our most vulnerable
in society," obviously, “children,” you
just mentioned that even in your talk with
us earlier, "A majority of Christians would
agree with you, but would -” here's the
question: “the majority of Christians would
agree with you, but would also go further
and say that children in the womb need our
protection even more.
How - how do you reconcile the two in your
mind?"
So the question sir, is, obviously you can
see this is what they want to ask, how do
you reconcile the two?
And again, I know that you have a different
view, I know that um, you sir, and I don't
have to be eye to eye on it, but I sense a
real sincerity in you in wanting to see our
children protected.
You, can you see, sir, how we see the child
in the womb as the most vulnerable that needs
protection?
>> SANDERS: I do.
And I do also understand this as an area where
we disagree.
I do understand, and I do believe that it
is improper for the United States government,
or state government, to tell every woman in
this country the very painful and difficult
choice that she has to make on that issue.
And I honestly, don't want to be too provocative
here, but very often conservatives say, you
know, “get the government out of my life!
I don't want the government telling me what
to do.”
But on this very sensitive issue, of which
this nation is divided, a lot of people agree
with you, a lot of people agree with me.
But my view is, I respect absolutely, a family
that says no, we are not going to have an
abortion.
I understand that; I respect that.
But I would hope that other people respect
the very painful and difficult choice that
many women feel they have to make and don't
want the government telling them what they
have to do.
But, but - I want to take that question a
step further, David.
We do disagree on that issue, no ifs or buts
about it.
I respect your point of view, I hope you'll
respect my point of view, but here is where
I hope we have common ground.
Now I'm not trying to be partisan during my
remarks, I am not, but I'm going to be partisan
for a moment because I'm going lay this on
your shoulders.
I am the ranking member of the US Senate Budget
Committee; that means I lead the Democrats
in opposition.
Republicans control the House and the Senate.
Now I want to tell you, what was in the Republican
budget that passed a number of months ago
- check it out!
You think I'm not telling you the truth.
When you talk about issues of children, understand,
Republican budget threw 27 million people
off of health care, including many children,
at a time when many families cannot afford
to send their kids to college.
And I am running on a program, by the way,
that says every public college and university
in America should be tuition-free!
But at a time when families cannot afford
to send their kids to college, Republican
budget cut $90 billion in Pell Grants over
a 10-year period.
At a time when children in America are going
hungry, Republican budget cut billions of
dollars in nutrition programs, including money
for the WIC program which goes to low income
pregnant women, and their babies.
And to add insult to injury in that budget,
the Republicans provided over $250 billion
over a 10-year period in tax breaks to the
top 2/10s of 1%.
I don't think that is a moral budget.
>> NASSER: I'm not - I don't pretend to be
an expert on budgets but I think a lot of
us would be very interested in our government
budgeting for Planned Parenthood.
I think a lot of us would be very interested
in looking at those budgets, and I think they'd
get a lot more complex because, well we are
in for just one more question here sir, for
one last question of religious freedom.
A lot of our questions from our students who
are really, I think um, who are just very
peppered with concern and broken-heartedness
when they see the world around them.
I think this is where I genuinely sense in
you, you’re a lot like a father figure.
When you watch...
>> SANDERS: A Grandfather figure, I get older
every day...
>> NASSER: ... and I sense that same concern
in your heart as we would have, but here's
the question in that frame, "We're watching
on the news a refugee crisis in Syria, and
religious minorities facing persecution in
the Middle East.
How do you feel the United States should respond?"
How do you feel, do you feel that as the United
States that we should be obligated, more than
we even are now, in responding and that there
would be a stewardship of responsibility on
the greatest nation in the world, to step
in even at a greater level than in those kind
of...
>> SANDERS: Well obviously, David, the answer
is yes, but I don't know quite what the word
“step in” means.
If the question is, do we have a moral responsibility,
not just alone, but to work with Europe, and
by the way to work with some of these very,
very wealthy gulf region countries like Saudi
Arabia, very, very United Arab, Kuwait, to
help stem this human tragedy which all of
us are seeing.
Can you imagine people leaving their homes
in Syria or Iraq with simply the clothes on
their back, dragging their kids with them?
Do we have a moral responsibility to work
with the rest of the world in providing help,
bringing some of those people into this country?
The answer is absolutely yes.
Absolutely, yes.
But, this is where it gets tricky.
That's in a sense, the reasonably easy response.
We should do that.
Here’s where it becomes hard.
All of you know that the Middle East and other
parts of the world are a real quagmire; we're
living in a pretty crazy and dangerous world.
We see horror stories every single day of
ISIS and people doing barbaric things, we
all know that.
This is where it really gets tough.
I voted against the war in Iraq.
And I voted against that war because I worried
very much - and if you read what I wrote at
that time, you'd find what I'm telling is
the truth, about the instability and destabilization
that that would bring about.
So the question of US military force, you
know, becomes part of this discussion, and
let me just say this.
I am the former chairman of the United States
Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs.
And I hope that all of us can agree on that
we are going to provide all of the healthcare
and benefits that our veterans need.
>>NASSER: We have to take care of our own,
absolutely.
>>SANDERS: But the cost of war, David, is
something that is far greater, I fear, than
most people know.
And before we go off to war, we have got to
make certain that we have explored every other
possible option.
People may not know this, but as the former
chairman, I do.
In Iraq, and Afghanistan we lost 6,700 brave
men and women.
Many came home without legs and arms and eyesight.
Five hundred thousand of them came home with
post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic
brain injury.
Their lives have been totally disrupted.
Families have been separated; children have
suffered.
A great nation like the United States of America
with the most powerful military on earth,
in my view, should use every possible opportunity
to resolve international conflict without
going to war.
War should be the last resort.
>> NASSER: Senator this is uh, it's just been
an honor sir to have you with us.
We on occasion have the opportunity to have
questions and answers with some of our guests,
and the one thing that we always end with
is the very last question of how can we, and
it's not just a statement, we - I really believe
that our students are wanting to know, how
can we lean in here, how can we, we know that
you were in North Carolina last night, you're
going to be Manassas this afternoon.
You continue to go from place to place, just
meeting your staff that are just incredibly
hard working people in this very fast pace
where you and your wife are on the campaign
trail with grandkids and uh, you're the liveliest
73-year-old I've ever met sir, and I uh, how
can we, how can we pray for you and your family?
How can we be thinking of you?
What can we, when we think of you and we see
you on TV, what can we say, Bernie Sanders
asked us to pray for him, he asked us to,
what can we?
>> SANDERS: David, thank you very much for
that thought.
I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
But this is what I would like prayers to be
for: Not just for me, but far more significantly
are prayers for our country, prayers for how
we bring our people together, prayers for
how we can create in the wealthiest country
in the history of the world, a beautiful country
- a country where all people have health care,
where all kids who have the ability can go
to college, where we have wiped out childhood
poverty - those are the prayers that I want
to join with you in making.
>> NASSER: Let's do that.
Let's do that now.
Let's pray together.
Can we do that?
Father we thank you for, the fact that, God,
you own the cattle on a thousand hills.
That you are the great provider, Father.
In this very moment we come to you as the
God of this universe, God, who is able to
provide.
And we pray, God, that your provisions would
flow down for all people, all races, all nations.
We thank you that, Lord, where morality stops
short, spirituality can go further, and so
we lean in on you.
We thank you where government fails, God,
that your kingdom prevails.
We pray, Father, for a greater nation.
We thank you that we already are blessed by
you, God, but we pray for justice and compassion
and mercy to be the greatest thing that we're
known for, as a nation.
That our power be known, as a power that is
spent, Father, for the least of these.
We love you, Lord.
Thank you for this opportunity to come together.
I thank you for this man.
I pray for his family.
I pray for his team; give them sustainable
pace God as they're on the road, I pray that,
Father in this very moment that he would know
that he has made friends today.
That he has come into an environment where
people show grace, show appreciation and show
humility, Father.
And that also, gratitude is in our hearts,
that he would take the time out of his schedule
to come so just bless him in this season.
All of God's people said, amen.
Can we thank our Senator, just for being here?
