To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden tries to calm his supporters as demonstrators disrupt his rally at Renaissance High School on March 9, 2020 in Detroit on the eve of Michigan's primary election. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
At a Monday night campaign rally in Detroit on the eve of Michigan's primary election, former Vice President Joe Biden called protesters drawing attention to his record on trade and climate policies supporters of his rival in contest for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"The Bernie bros are here!" Biden declared in between urging the crowd to let the demonstrators go and reminding them that the rally wasn't for President Donald Trump, whose campaign events leading up to the 2016 election featured some violent clashes between Trump protesters and supporters.
"This is what's wrong with American politics," Biden said. "I'm not worried about it. It's just a reflection of what's wrong with American politics today... This is one of the things that Donald Trump has generated. This is not who we are. This is not who we are as a party. This is not who we are as a people. We got a lot of crazy folks around."
The first group to interrupt Biden's rally was protesting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the 1994 trade deal that Biden supported as U.S. senator representing Delaware. The demonstrators at the Detroit rally unfurled banners that read "NAFTA Killed Our Jobs" and "Biden Betrayed Workers."
\u201cProtesters against NAFTA disrupted Joe Biden\u2019s rally tonight in Detroit. Biden voted for NAFTA and other free trade deals. \nBernie Sanders, who opposed NAFTA, spoke out against NAFTA during his campaign rallies in metro Detroit. Trump also opposed NAFTA.\u201d— Niraj Warikoo (@Niraj Warikoo) 1583807835
In recent television advertisements targeting Michigan and other March primary states, Sanders has highlighted Biden's vote for NAFTA and broader trade record. The senator has also slammed Biden's position on NAFTA and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China in statements to the press.
"I vigorously opposed these agreements; I helped lead the opposition to these agreements," Sanders said last week. "Joe Biden supported those agreements. And that is a fundamental difference about our approach toward the trade union movement and towards the needs of working people."
Shortly after the anti-NAFTA protest at Biden's rally, climate demonstrators raised signs that read "Green New Deal Now" and "Green Jobs for All," and waved a banner that read "This Is an Emergency."
\u201cBut we can't get there with Joe. \n\n@BernieSanders is the only candidate that is mobilizing young people to get out and vote in the primaries & will be able to do that again in Nov. to defeat Tr*mp.\n\nBiden is running on nostalgia, while Bernie is ready to take us into the future.\u201d— Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05) 1583847777
\u201cLast night we and @byp100 held Joe Biden accountable for his failure to embrace a bold climate agenda and for his history of supporting legislation that has hurt workers and vulnerable communities in the states of Michigan.\n\nWe deserve better.\u201d— Sunrise Ann Arbor\ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Ann Arbor\ud83c\udf05) 1583850648
The demonstrators included activists with Michigan Student Power and local branches of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), the Sunrise Movement, and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). On a national level, the latter two groups have endorsed Sanders.
\u201chttps://t.co/EQak6LpVOg\u201d— Detroit DSA \ud83c\udf39 (@Detroit DSA \ud83c\udf39) 1583808777
\u201cShout out to all the young Black and brown folks knocking doors, making calls, and turning up in the streets to say #NoOnJoe! We\u2019re fighting hard for a future where we are freer than we\u2019ve ever been.\u201d— BYP100 (@BYP100) 1583852400
The rally was not the first time in the past week that Biden has seized on the "Bernie Bro" narrative to dismiss his critics and Sanders supporters.
At a fundraiser in Maryland Friday, the former vice president told his supporters that "what we can't let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath. I know I'm going to get a lot of suggestions on how to respond to what I suspect will be an increasingly negative campaign that the Bernie Brothers will run... We can't tear this party apart and reelect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball, in my view."
The remarks sparked a swift response on social media, particularly from women and people of color backing Sanders, who used the hashtag #BernieBrothers and explained why they support the U.S. senator from Vermont. "I'm a woman of color. I'm fighting for the kids in cages and the future of our planet," tweeted author and activist Leela Daou. "I stand with #NotMeUs. Does that make me one of the #BernieBrothers?"
The demonstrations at Biden's rally came after Sunrise Movement executive director Varshini Prakash led a Sunday night conference call with members across the country.
As VICEreported, "Prakash called for a return to the 'moral protests,' 'strikes,' and 'strategic disruption,' that catapulted the group from unknown advocates to a regular fixture in progressive politics," such as multiple sit-ins at the Capitol Hill office of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and the multi-day protest on the steps of the Democratic National Committee's building in Washington, D.C.
\u201c.@VarshPrakash: \u201dWe need to start thinking more creatively and outside the box about what we can do that goes beyond convincing one voter at a time.\n\nWe need to think about how we can make 2020 a generational uprising for a Green New Deal.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/1tjr3nviUz\u201d— Green New Deal Penguin \ud83c\udf05 (@Green New Deal Penguin \ud83c\udf05) 1583795704
The Sunrise Movement, which advocates for a Green New Deal, is among the climate advocacy groups that have raised concerns about Biden's plan to protect the planet.
Although the campaign claims that "Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face," the former vice president has faced criticism for plagiarizing portions of his climate plan, particularly for lifting language about carbon capture and sequestration from a fossil fuel industry-backed group.
Sanders scored more than the double points that Biden received on the Sunrise Movement's climate scorecard, which was released in December 2019, before the group endorsed the Vermont senator for making "it clear throughout his political career and in this campaign that he grasps the scale of the climate crisis, the urgency with which we must act to address it, and the opportunity we have in coming together to do so."
Sanders also leads the climate scorecard maintained by Greenpeace USA, which has not endorsed a candidate. That assessment is based on each candidate's commitment to fully phasing out fossil fuels and championing a Green New Deal that launched a just transition to a 100% renewable energy economy while creating millions of "family-sustaining" jobs.
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
At a Monday night campaign rally in Detroit on the eve of Michigan's primary election, former Vice President Joe Biden called protesters drawing attention to his record on trade and climate policies supporters of his rival in contest for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"The Bernie bros are here!" Biden declared in between urging the crowd to let the demonstrators go and reminding them that the rally wasn't for President Donald Trump, whose campaign events leading up to the 2016 election featured some violent clashes between Trump protesters and supporters.
"This is what's wrong with American politics," Biden said. "I'm not worried about it. It's just a reflection of what's wrong with American politics today... This is one of the things that Donald Trump has generated. This is not who we are. This is not who we are as a party. This is not who we are as a people. We got a lot of crazy folks around."
The first group to interrupt Biden's rally was protesting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the 1994 trade deal that Biden supported as U.S. senator representing Delaware. The demonstrators at the Detroit rally unfurled banners that read "NAFTA Killed Our Jobs" and "Biden Betrayed Workers."
\u201cProtesters against NAFTA disrupted Joe Biden\u2019s rally tonight in Detroit. Biden voted for NAFTA and other free trade deals. \nBernie Sanders, who opposed NAFTA, spoke out against NAFTA during his campaign rallies in metro Detroit. Trump also opposed NAFTA.\u201d— Niraj Warikoo (@Niraj Warikoo) 1583807835
In recent television advertisements targeting Michigan and other March primary states, Sanders has highlighted Biden's vote for NAFTA and broader trade record. The senator has also slammed Biden's position on NAFTA and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China in statements to the press.
"I vigorously opposed these agreements; I helped lead the opposition to these agreements," Sanders said last week. "Joe Biden supported those agreements. And that is a fundamental difference about our approach toward the trade union movement and towards the needs of working people."
Shortly after the anti-NAFTA protest at Biden's rally, climate demonstrators raised signs that read "Green New Deal Now" and "Green Jobs for All," and waved a banner that read "This Is an Emergency."
\u201cBut we can't get there with Joe. \n\n@BernieSanders is the only candidate that is mobilizing young people to get out and vote in the primaries & will be able to do that again in Nov. to defeat Tr*mp.\n\nBiden is running on nostalgia, while Bernie is ready to take us into the future.\u201d— Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05) 1583847777
\u201cLast night we and @byp100 held Joe Biden accountable for his failure to embrace a bold climate agenda and for his history of supporting legislation that has hurt workers and vulnerable communities in the states of Michigan.\n\nWe deserve better.\u201d— Sunrise Ann Arbor\ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Ann Arbor\ud83c\udf05) 1583850648
The demonstrators included activists with Michigan Student Power and local branches of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), the Sunrise Movement, and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). On a national level, the latter two groups have endorsed Sanders.
\u201chttps://t.co/EQak6LpVOg\u201d— Detroit DSA \ud83c\udf39 (@Detroit DSA \ud83c\udf39) 1583808777
\u201cShout out to all the young Black and brown folks knocking doors, making calls, and turning up in the streets to say #NoOnJoe! We\u2019re fighting hard for a future where we are freer than we\u2019ve ever been.\u201d— BYP100 (@BYP100) 1583852400
The rally was not the first time in the past week that Biden has seized on the "Bernie Bro" narrative to dismiss his critics and Sanders supporters.
At a fundraiser in Maryland Friday, the former vice president told his supporters that "what we can't let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath. I know I'm going to get a lot of suggestions on how to respond to what I suspect will be an increasingly negative campaign that the Bernie Brothers will run... We can't tear this party apart and reelect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball, in my view."
The remarks sparked a swift response on social media, particularly from women and people of color backing Sanders, who used the hashtag #BernieBrothers and explained why they support the U.S. senator from Vermont. "I'm a woman of color. I'm fighting for the kids in cages and the future of our planet," tweeted author and activist Leela Daou. "I stand with #NotMeUs. Does that make me one of the #BernieBrothers?"
The demonstrations at Biden's rally came after Sunrise Movement executive director Varshini Prakash led a Sunday night conference call with members across the country.
As VICEreported, "Prakash called for a return to the 'moral protests,' 'strikes,' and 'strategic disruption,' that catapulted the group from unknown advocates to a regular fixture in progressive politics," such as multiple sit-ins at the Capitol Hill office of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and the multi-day protest on the steps of the Democratic National Committee's building in Washington, D.C.
\u201c.@VarshPrakash: \u201dWe need to start thinking more creatively and outside the box about what we can do that goes beyond convincing one voter at a time.\n\nWe need to think about how we can make 2020 a generational uprising for a Green New Deal.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/1tjr3nviUz\u201d— Green New Deal Penguin \ud83c\udf05 (@Green New Deal Penguin \ud83c\udf05) 1583795704
The Sunrise Movement, which advocates for a Green New Deal, is among the climate advocacy groups that have raised concerns about Biden's plan to protect the planet.
Although the campaign claims that "Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face," the former vice president has faced criticism for plagiarizing portions of his climate plan, particularly for lifting language about carbon capture and sequestration from a fossil fuel industry-backed group.
Sanders scored more than the double points that Biden received on the Sunrise Movement's climate scorecard, which was released in December 2019, before the group endorsed the Vermont senator for making "it clear throughout his political career and in this campaign that he grasps the scale of the climate crisis, the urgency with which we must act to address it, and the opportunity we have in coming together to do so."
Sanders also leads the climate scorecard maintained by Greenpeace USA, which has not endorsed a candidate. That assessment is based on each candidate's commitment to fully phasing out fossil fuels and championing a Green New Deal that launched a just transition to a 100% renewable energy economy while creating millions of "family-sustaining" jobs.
At a Monday night campaign rally in Detroit on the eve of Michigan's primary election, former Vice President Joe Biden called protesters drawing attention to his record on trade and climate policies supporters of his rival in contest for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"The Bernie bros are here!" Biden declared in between urging the crowd to let the demonstrators go and reminding them that the rally wasn't for President Donald Trump, whose campaign events leading up to the 2016 election featured some violent clashes between Trump protesters and supporters.
"This is what's wrong with American politics," Biden said. "I'm not worried about it. It's just a reflection of what's wrong with American politics today... This is one of the things that Donald Trump has generated. This is not who we are. This is not who we are as a party. This is not who we are as a people. We got a lot of crazy folks around."
The first group to interrupt Biden's rally was protesting the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the 1994 trade deal that Biden supported as U.S. senator representing Delaware. The demonstrators at the Detroit rally unfurled banners that read "NAFTA Killed Our Jobs" and "Biden Betrayed Workers."
\u201cProtesters against NAFTA disrupted Joe Biden\u2019s rally tonight in Detroit. Biden voted for NAFTA and other free trade deals. \nBernie Sanders, who opposed NAFTA, spoke out against NAFTA during his campaign rallies in metro Detroit. Trump also opposed NAFTA.\u201d— Niraj Warikoo (@Niraj Warikoo) 1583807835
In recent television advertisements targeting Michigan and other March primary states, Sanders has highlighted Biden's vote for NAFTA and broader trade record. The senator has also slammed Biden's position on NAFTA and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China in statements to the press.
"I vigorously opposed these agreements; I helped lead the opposition to these agreements," Sanders said last week. "Joe Biden supported those agreements. And that is a fundamental difference about our approach toward the trade union movement and towards the needs of working people."
Shortly after the anti-NAFTA protest at Biden's rally, climate demonstrators raised signs that read "Green New Deal Now" and "Green Jobs for All," and waved a banner that read "This Is an Emergency."
\u201cBut we can't get there with Joe. \n\n@BernieSanders is the only candidate that is mobilizing young people to get out and vote in the primaries & will be able to do that again in Nov. to defeat Tr*mp.\n\nBiden is running on nostalgia, while Bernie is ready to take us into the future.\u201d— Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05) 1583847777
\u201cLast night we and @byp100 held Joe Biden accountable for his failure to embrace a bold climate agenda and for his history of supporting legislation that has hurt workers and vulnerable communities in the states of Michigan.\n\nWe deserve better.\u201d— Sunrise Ann Arbor\ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Ann Arbor\ud83c\udf05) 1583850648
The demonstrators included activists with Michigan Student Power and local branches of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), the Sunrise Movement, and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). On a national level, the latter two groups have endorsed Sanders.
\u201chttps://t.co/EQak6LpVOg\u201d— Detroit DSA \ud83c\udf39 (@Detroit DSA \ud83c\udf39) 1583808777
\u201cShout out to all the young Black and brown folks knocking doors, making calls, and turning up in the streets to say #NoOnJoe! We\u2019re fighting hard for a future where we are freer than we\u2019ve ever been.\u201d— BYP100 (@BYP100) 1583852400
The rally was not the first time in the past week that Biden has seized on the "Bernie Bro" narrative to dismiss his critics and Sanders supporters.
At a fundraiser in Maryland Friday, the former vice president told his supporters that "what we can't let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath. I know I'm going to get a lot of suggestions on how to respond to what I suspect will be an increasingly negative campaign that the Bernie Brothers will run... We can't tear this party apart and reelect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball, in my view."
The remarks sparked a swift response on social media, particularly from women and people of color backing Sanders, who used the hashtag #BernieBrothers and explained why they support the U.S. senator from Vermont. "I'm a woman of color. I'm fighting for the kids in cages and the future of our planet," tweeted author and activist Leela Daou. "I stand with #NotMeUs. Does that make me one of the #BernieBrothers?"
The demonstrations at Biden's rally came after Sunrise Movement executive director Varshini Prakash led a Sunday night conference call with members across the country.
As VICEreported, "Prakash called for a return to the 'moral protests,' 'strikes,' and 'strategic disruption,' that catapulted the group from unknown advocates to a regular fixture in progressive politics," such as multiple sit-ins at the Capitol Hill office of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and the multi-day protest on the steps of the Democratic National Committee's building in Washington, D.C.
\u201c.@VarshPrakash: \u201dWe need to start thinking more creatively and outside the box about what we can do that goes beyond convincing one voter at a time.\n\nWe need to think about how we can make 2020 a generational uprising for a Green New Deal.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/1tjr3nviUz\u201d— Green New Deal Penguin \ud83c\udf05 (@Green New Deal Penguin \ud83c\udf05) 1583795704
The Sunrise Movement, which advocates for a Green New Deal, is among the climate advocacy groups that have raised concerns about Biden's plan to protect the planet.
Although the campaign claims that "Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face," the former vice president has faced criticism for plagiarizing portions of his climate plan, particularly for lifting language about carbon capture and sequestration from a fossil fuel industry-backed group.
Sanders scored more than the double points that Biden received on the Sunrise Movement's climate scorecard, which was released in December 2019, before the group endorsed the Vermont senator for making "it clear throughout his political career and in this campaign that he grasps the scale of the climate crisis, the urgency with which we must act to address it, and the opportunity we have in coming together to do so."
Sanders also leads the climate scorecard maintained by Greenpeace USA, which has not endorsed a candidate. That assessment is based on each candidate's commitment to fully phasing out fossil fuels and championing a Green New Deal that launched a just transition to a 100% renewable energy economy while creating millions of "family-sustaining" jobs.
