OCTOBER 25, 2018

NEWS AND VIEWS

BERNIE ROUSTS SOME TRUMP FANS WITH A TRUMP BANNER. NO FIREWORKS, THOUGH.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-supporters-with-maga-banner-removed-from-rally-after-bernie-sanders-calls-them-out
Trump supporters with 'MAGA' banner removed from rally after Bernie Sanders calls them out
by Daniel Chaitin
| October 25, 2018 06:25 PM

A small group of Trump supporters were removed from a campaign event in Nevada on Thursday after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., pointed them out.

Minutes into an event for Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Jacky Rosen at University of Nevada, Reno, Sanders addressed a handful of people on the second floor of a nearby garage who had unfurled a "Make America Great Again" banner.

“Really? Do you really want to give $1 trillion in tax breaks to the 1 percent?” Sanders said, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. “Is that what you want?”

Modern Conservatives: Sir Roger Scruton

Soon after, the outlet reports Democratic campaign operatives ushered them out. Some of the half-dozen individuals returned later, but the flag did not re-emerge.

While event emcee Wil Adler told the outlet that university officials asked him to remove the demonstrators because they were not in a “free speech zone," campus police pushed back, saying it was a public university.


I THINK WE NEED SOME CLOSER DEFINITIONS. CLEARLY ANY WAY OF FALSIFYING THE ELECTION, BY ILLOGICALLY AND UNFAIRLY REMOVING PEOPLE FROM THE VOTER ROLLS, OR FALSELY ADDING A NAME WHO IS DEMONSTRABLY NOT QUALIFIED TO VOTE SHOULD BE PUNISHABLE IN A MEANINGFUL WAY UP TO JAIL TIME. WHAT THE REPUBLICANS LOVE TO DO IS REMOVE PEOPLE FROM THE ROSTER SO THAT THEY GO DOWN TO THE POLLING PLACE AND FIND THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER REGISTERED. THEY DO SO ON GROUNDS LIKE HAVING A SPANISH LAST NAME, AN ODDLY SPELLED FIRST NAME, OR AN ADDRESS IN ONE OF THE SEVERAL “WRONG” NEIGHBORHOODS. LIVING IN A POVERTY-STRICKEN NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT A LEGAL BASIS FOR DISQUALIFYING ANYBODY, AND YET IT HAPPENS ANNUALLY.

AGAIN, WE HAVE TO REDO PARTS OF THE CONSTITUTION, AND THE NUMBER OF OVERBROAD AND DAMAGING POWERS RESERVED TO STATES THAT WE HAVE NOW IS ONE OF THE WORST PROBLEMS. IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS THE STATE PARTY IN POWER, ESPECIALLY THE REPUBLICANS, THAT DO THESE THINGS. FEDERAL LAWS ARE RARELY IF EVER AS EXCLUSIONARY AS THOSE IN STATE BASED FUNCTIONS. “STATES RIGHTS” IS CODE FOR “CONSERVATIVE” AND RACIST; AND ALLOWING OUR ELECTION SYSTEM TO BE RUN BY A HIGHLY BIASED GROUP OF PEOPLE IN THAT WAY IS VERY POOR AND UNFAIR POLICY. I DO WANT TO SAY HERE, THOUGH, THAT “FEAR OF CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS” IS NOT THE REASON FOR ALL THE REPUBLICAN CHEATING. IT IS PURE GREED. IT’S NOT BECAUSE THEY FEEL PITIFUL AND WEAK. IT’S BECAUSE THEY FEEL AGGRESSIVE AND PREDATORY.

I BELIEVE THAT ANY FALSIFICATION OF ANY KIND BY ANY PARTY SHOULD RESULT IN A MONETARY FINE AND LOSS OF POSITION AFTER THE FIRST EVENT. THIS CURRENT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP IS, ACCORDING TO RACHEL MADDOW, USING THE VERY SAME METHOD OF CHEATING WITH THE VOTER LISTS THIS YEAR AS HE DID OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND PAID PENALTIES THEN. STILL, HE’S DOING IT AGAIN. THAT TELLS ME THE PENALTIES ARE EITHER TOO LIGHT OR OF THE WRONG KIND. PERHAPS BEING REMOVED FROM OFFICE AND BANNED FROM RUNNING IN POLITICS AGAIN WOULD BE ENOUGH. THEIR FINES COULD GO TO THE FEDERAL COFFERS THAT ARE SET UP FOR SUPPORTING THE CANDIDATES IN THEIR RUN. MAYBE THAT WOULD BE PAINFUL ENOUGH. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT FEAR OF SOME UNCOMFORTABLE CHANGE IN THE BALANCE OF POWER IS AN EXCUSE FOR LYING, CHEATING OR STEALING. JUST BECAUSE WE WANT TO WIN DOESN’T MAKE DISHONESTY ACCEPTABLE IN A DECENT SOCIETY.

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/413182-voter-suppression-is-rooted-in-fear-of-changing-demographics
Voter suppression is rooted in fear of changing demographics, says pollster

Pollster Dalia Mogahed said in an interview on "What America's Thinking" that aired Thursday that voter suppression tactics are rooted in a fear of changing demographics in the U.S.

"A lot of this is about a fear of a changing America," Mogahed, director of research at the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), told Hill.TV's Jamal Simmons on Wednesday.

"Demographic changes in America have really invigorated some pockets of our country, and I think the Trump win is a symptom of that, and voter suppression is another symptom of that," she continued.

A new American Barometer poll, conducted by Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company found that Americans were split over whether voter suppression or voter fraud was a bigger issue.

Fifty-one percent of respondents said voter suppression was a bigger issue, while 49 percent said the same about voter fraud.

The issue of voter fraud has taken center stage in Georgia's gubernatorial race after a report found that state officials removed an estimated 107,000 people from voter rolls because they decided not to vote in prior elections.

"Purging roles, saying that if you didn't vote the last election you're not allowed to vote this election, it is targeting a specific type of American," Mogahed said. "It's targeting people of color, poor people, young people, and it's trying to exclude. It's trying to disenfranchise a group of Americans that some Americans don't want to be a part of this country."

— Julia Manchester

WITH ALL THAT HEAVY-HANDED MANIPULATION OF THE GEORGIA ELECTORATE, HE STILL ISN’T WINNING, NOT YET ANYWAY. IT’S NECK AND NECK DOWN THE LAST STRETCH. GO, STACEY!

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/24/deadlocked-georgia-governor-race-tests-power-of-voter-restrictions.html
Deadlocked Georgia governor race tests power of voter restrictions
John Harwood | @johnjharwood
Published 5:15 PM ET Wed, 24 Oct 2018

A new poll finds the race for governor in Georgia is deadlocked between Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams and Republican candidate Brian Kemp.

Kemp oversees voter restrictions in the state and has resisted calls to resign, saying he would stay in his role even if the race is close enough for a recount.

President Trump and GOP officials say they are stepping up efforts to prevent "voter fraud," despite the lack of evidence that it exists.


ALL THOSE HOSTILE TWEETS AND DISGUSTING PERSONAL DIGS, GROTESQUE PHYSICAL IMITATIONS, ETC. “HAVE GIVEN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL SPACE TO SOME ELEMENTS IN OUR COUNTRY THAT UNTIL RECENTLY WERE AT THE MARGINS." TO ME, THOSE GROUPS ARE JUST LIKE THE TROLLS THAT NORMALLY LIVE UNDER THE BRIDGE IN DIE BRUDER GRIMM’S FAIRY TALE CALLED “THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF.”

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/413199-pollster-says-terms-like-alt-right-white-nationalism-have
Pollster says terms 'alt-right,' 'white nationalism' have become mainstream
10/25/2018

Pollster Dalia Mogahed said in an interview that aired Thursday on "What America's Thinking" that terms like 'alt-right' have become more mainstream.

"Now there's this 'alt-right' or 'white nationalist' sort of these euphemisms that are being used, but they've become more and more mainstream," Mogahed, director of research at the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), told Hill.TV's Jamal Simmons on Wednesday.

Mogahed said alt-right and white nationalist groups are emboldened as a result of rhetoric in the national discourse.

A study published by the Institute for Family Studies in August found that 11 million Americans* identify with beliefs shred [sic] by the alt-right movement.

"I think what's driving it is the rhetoric, as well as the policies, and what it's done is it's emboldened and given psychological and political space to some elements in our country that until recently were at the margins," she said.

White supremacists gained national attention last year during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., which resulted in violent protests.

One person was killed during the demonstrations.

Far-right protesters and counter-protesters descended on Washington, D.C. one year after the clashes in Charlottesville.

— Julia Manchester


11 MILLION AMERICANS* AGREE WITH THE WHITE SUPREMACISTS.

WHAT PERCENTAGE IS THAT OF THE POPULATION OF THE USA TODAY?

https://www.google.com/search?q=population+of+the+united+states+2018&oq=population+of+the+united+states+&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.14244j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

– Year Population World Population
-- 2018 326,766,748 7,632,819,325

11 MILLION IS A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, MORE THAN I WOULD HAVE GUESSED FOR THIS QUESTION, BUT IT IS ONLY .033742, OR 3 AND A THIRD PERCENT OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION. THAT IS NOT A LARGE PART, MAYBE A TENTH OF THE NUMBER WHO SHOP AT WALMART I WOULD GUESS. IF THEY WEREN’T LOCATED MAINLY IN THE SOUTH AND THE WEST, WE WOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT THEM. BEING SITUATED TOGETHER THEY CAN GET UP TO SOME SERIOUS MISCHIEF, SUCH AS THE EXECRABLE BUNDY FAMILY OF RUFFIANS WHO SEIZED A GOVERNMENT BUILDING SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

STILL, IN THIS FREE SOCIETY OF OURS, THEY CAN BE VERY UGLY IN PUBLIC AND GET AWAY WITH IT, SO THIS IS THREATENING. EVEN NOW ONE OR PERHAPS A GROUP OF THEM ARE PLACING BOMBS ON THE PROPERTIES OF IN THE RANGE OF 8 OR 9 OUTSPOKEN DEMOCRATS. THE FACT THAT THE BOMBS HAVE SO FAR BEEN DUDS DOESN’T MEAN THAT THE NEXT TIME IT WON’T WORK. IT’S A MATTER OF HOW MUCH THE INDIVIDUALS REALLY WANT TO KILL PEOPLE VERSUS SIMPLY GET LOTS OF PERSONAL ATTENTION. I’M SO GLAD THAT I GET RID OF MY ANGRY FEELINGS VERBALLY RATHER THAN PHYSICALLY.

***********************************************************


HE WHO NEVER TAKES RESPONSIBILITY IS NOW DEFENDED BY HIS LOYAL WATCHDOG MS. SANDERS. OF COURSE, HARSH AND RABBLEROUSING WORDS ARE NOT IN THEMSELVES VIOLENCE, BUT THEY CERTAINLY DO STOKE THE FURNACE. TRUMP HAS NO RIGHT TO SCOLD LIBERALS FOR “MOBBING” WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE. THAT’S HIS NEWEST SLUR, AND SO SILLY. EVERYBODY WHO PAYS MUCH ATTENTION TO HIM KNOWS THAT IF HE DOESN’T HAVE A CROWD AROUND HE FEELS SLIGHTED. HOW MANY WERE IN THAT INAUGURAL CROWD NOW? WHILE THE PRESIDENT IS CHANGING UP HIS WHITE HOUSE STAFF, HE NEEDS SOME MORE WRITERS TO THINK UP SOMETHING SERIOUS AND RESPONSIBLE FOR HIM TO SAY ONCE IN AWHILE. LET’S FACE IT. I’VE HEARD NO STORIES OF HIM OR HIS MINIONS BEING “MOBBED.” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, ANYWAY?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-white-house-trump-responsible-sanders-gop-baseball-20181025-story.html
White House says Trump as responsible for mail bombs as Bernie Sanders is for GOP baseball shooting
By DENIS SLATTERY
OCT 25, 2018 | 11:30 AM

PHOTOGRAPH -- White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized reporters Wednesday, saying they were wrong to focus on President Trump's often harsh word for journalists in the wake of this week's pipe bomb deliveries to prominent Democratic political leaders and CNN. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

President Trump is no more responsible for the makeshift bombs being sent to top Democrats and CNN in recent days than Sen. Bernie Sanders was for one of his supporters shooting up a GOP baseball practice last year in Virginia, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday.

There's a big difference between "comments made and actions taken," Sanders said as she defended Trump’s vitriolic attacks on the media and his political opponents.

Her defense of the President’s acid-tongued attacks abuses came hours after suspicious packages addressed to actor Robert De Niro and former Vice President Joe Biden were intercepted by authorities.

Investigators said the parcels were similar to crude pipe bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN and others earlier in the week.

None of the devices detonated and no one was injured.

Sanders compared the targeted mailings to the shooting of Republican lawmakers practicing for a congressional baseball game last June, saying that “the president is certainly not responsible for sending suspicious packages, any more than Bernie Sanders was for supporter shooting up a baseball practice.”

The gunman, James Hodgkinson, who severely injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), had posted social media messages suggesting he intentionally targeted conservatives.

While Trump constantly calls the media the enemy of the people and regularly rails against Democrats as “evil,” Sen. Sanders is not known for using caustic language.


Aaron Rupar
✔
@atrupar
.@PressSec draws false equivalency between Trump inciting violence against reporters & Bernie Sanders having deranged fans

"The president is certainly not responsible for sending suspicious packages, any more than Bernie Sanders was for supporter shooting up a baseball practice"

10:17 AM - Oct 25, 2018
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397 people are talking about this
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Representatives for the Vermont independent, who mounted a failed presidential bid as a Democrat in 2016, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump initially condemned the “acts or threats of political violence” and made a call for unity on Wednesday.

However on Thursday morning, he returned to using his label of "fake news" and blasting the media for negative coverage of his administration.

Democratic leaders blasted Trump’s call for calm Wednesday after several of the bombs were discovered, faulting him for fostering a climate in which violence is an everyday part of politics.

“Trump’s words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence,” Senate and House Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement.

The pair knocked Trump’s recent public praise for a Republican congressman who pleaded guilty to assaulting a reporter; his refusal to unambiguously condemn white supremacists in the wake of Charlottesville; his encouraging supporters to rough up protesters at rallies; his warm words for “dictators around the world;” and his repeated references to the free press as “the enemy of the people.”

“Time and time again, the President has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and his actions,” the Dems said.


THIS IS A GREAT PRE-ELECTION INTERVIEW FROM 2015, CALM AND INFORMATIVE. FUNNY HOW THE ISSUES ARE STILL CURRENT.

https://splinternews.com/bernie-sanders-invest-in-jobs-and-education-rather-th-1793852006
Bernie Sanders: 'Invest in jobs and education, rather than jails and incarceration.'
Felix Salmon
10/20/15 6:00am

Fusion senior editor Felix Salmon sat down with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders in Los Angeles last Wednesday, the day after the first Democratic presidential debate, to talk about economic policy.

PHOTOGRAPH – SANDERS SPEAKING

Fusion senior editor Felix Salmon sat down with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders in Los Angeles last Wednesday, the day after the first Democratic presidential debate, to talk about economic policy.

That day, at least, fresh off his strong performance in front of 15 million people, Sanders was not in policy-wonk mode. Instead, he had one big message that he wanted to convey: The rich and powerful have far too much control of America, and it’s time the country was run not for them but for the 99%.

Q: Thank you for doing this. As an Englishman, I’m glad to see proud socialists running for president. Do you believe in redistribution of wealth?

A: Yeah. I think what’s happened is that there has been mass redistribution of wealth in this country for the last 30 years. The problem is it’s gone from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1%. And I think we have to redistribute it back to working families and the middle class so that they can have a decent standard of living.

Q: So we’ll take the wealth from the rich and redistribute it to the middle classes?

A: It’s a little more complicated than that. But what we have seen in the last 30 years is the percentage of wealth owned by the top one-tenth of 1% double—double!—while the percentage of wealth owned by the middle class has significantly shrunk to the tune of many trillions of dollars. And we have to deal with that.

Q: So would you believe in a wealth tax?

A: A variety of a wealth tax. What I certainly do believe is that we have to have a strong estate tax so that when billionaires pass on, they don’t leave all of their money to their kids and perpetuate a very distorted class society. I believe we have to end these tax havens that exist in the Cayman Islands and elsewhere by which large corporations make billions of dollars a year in profits and just stash their money there and don’t pay a nickel in federal taxes. I think we need a progressive income tax so that we don’t have a situation where—as Warren Buffett reminds us—billionaires end up paying an effective tax rate lower than truck drivers or nurses. So I think there is a lot to be done in making our tax system fairer. And that’s based on the fact that today almost all of the new income and wealth being created is going to the top 1%.

Q: In terms of a system which has given the income and the wealth to the privileged, and being able to turn that around—do you believe in reparations at all?

A: No. The issue right now is this is what I do believe in: I believe that we have got to raise the minimum wage in the country to a living wage, which I think is $15 an hour over the next several years. Real unemployment in this country is over 10%, which means to me that we have to create millions of decent-paying jobs, and we can do that most effectively by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, by hiring teachers and not by firing teachers. We need pay equity for women workers, who should not be making 79 cents on the dollar compared to men. We need to especially focus on youth unemployment because Hispanic youth unemployment in this country is 36% and underemployment. African-American unemployment and underemployment is 51%. We end up having more people in jail than any other country on earth. So I think I would rather invest in jobs and education, rather than jails and incarceration.

Q: So you’re investing in youth jobs, you’re investing in infrastructure. Who’s your treasury secretary who’s going to be driving all this?

A: Well, there are a lot of great people out there, but I’ll tell you who it’s not. It’s not going to be some guy who worked on Wall Street representing the major financial institutions in this country. Under Democratic administrations and Republican administrations, those are the guys who, by and large, have held major financial positions—major positions in the Treasury Department.

Q: So no Bob Rubin in your administration?

A: Let me be—OK, you got the scoop on this: Bob Rubin will not be my secretary of treasury. And you can quote me on that.

Q: I wasn’t expecting that he would be. But you believe in postal banking?

A: Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. In fact, I just spoke to a postal union this morning. I want to see our post office be reinvigorated. And one of the ways that I think we can help not only the U.S. Postal Service, but help a lot of low-income people—if you are a low-income person, it is, depending upon where you live, very difficult to find normal banking. Banks don’t want you. And what people are forced to do is go to payday lenders who charge outrageously high interest rates. You go to check-cashing places, which rip you off. And, yes, I think that the postal service, in fact, can play an important role in providing modest types of banking service to folks who need it.

Q: So Walmart should get a banking license as well, for the same reason?

A: Well right now we’re focusing on the U.S. Postal Service.

Q: Walmart’s a great bank in Mexico.

A: Right now in the United States we’re focusing on the U.S. Postal Service.

Q: So in terms of banking, you last night talked a lot about bringing back Glass-Steagall, repealing Gramm-Leach-Bliley. What’s the purpose for that? You want to break up the banks. What’s the reason for that?

A: If you’re talking about creating an economy that works for the middle class and not just the top 1%, I think we have to rethink our current financial system and the way Wall Street functions. What we want are financial institutions who know the communities in which they function, who are prepared to make affordable loans to small and medium-sized businesses so that they can grow and create jobs. What we have right now is a situation where the largest six financial institutions in this country, Wall Street companies, have assets about equivalent to about 60% of the GDP of the United States of America. They issue two-thirds of the credit cards, about 35% of the mortgages, they are extraordinarily big. And in fact, the top three are much bigger today than they were when we bailed them out because they were too big to fail. So bottom line here is you want financial institutions who are part of the communities. Not, as is currently the case, on Wall Street—an island unto itself whose only purpose in life is to make as much money as it can for itself, no matter how they do it.

Q: So it sounds to me you’re not really or even mainly talking about just separating commercial banking from investment banking as we had in Glass-Steagall, but you’re talking about breaking up the banks along geographic grounds so that they become much more—

A: It’s not geographic. We’re talking about re-establishing Glass-Steagall, and you’re looking at a guy who as a member of the House Financial Committee—Services Committee—was a leader in the opposition of deregulating banks and in opposition to ending Glass-Steagall. So I think we do want to bring back Glass-Steagall, but we want to go further.

Q: But you voted for the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which was the big deregulation.

A: Yeah, I know. Of the many, many votes that I cast. I was a leader. I think the record is very clear in doing that. OK, how are we doing here? Because we have to get going fairly soon.

Q: OK, talk to me very quickly, then, about the financial transactions tax. Is that just a way of raising revenue or did stock market speculation—was that part of the crisis?

A: It deals with both issues. It will damper excessive speculation on Wall Street, which is not a good thing. But at the same time it will raise very substantial sums of revenue, and what we have done is targeted that revenue to make certain that young people, in this country, will be able to go public colleges and universities tuition-free.

Q: Let me ask you about the currency manipulation that you say China is doing. You want to impose a fee on that? How does that work?

A: Well, what I want to do is to deal with the reality that today we have a massive trade deficit with China. And you’re looking at a guy who helped lead—unsuccessfully, unfortunately—the effort, the permanent normal trade relations with China. So what I think is we have to rethink our trade relations with China, which are now grossly working against the interest of American workers. What we have seen in recent years is a significant reduction in the number of manufacturing jobs in this country—factories being shut down and then being sent to China. And that has got to end.

Q: If you want to save manufacturing and improve exports, that means the dollar’s too strong, right? We need a weaker dollar?

A: Well, what it means is we need a trade policy in this country which works for American workers.

Q: As opposed to international workers? Because if it helps international workers—

A: It’s not that we don’t care about international workers. We need trade agreements that work for all workers and not just the CEOs of large corporations. OK, thank you very much.


SANDERS IS LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNY. DOES HE EVER STOP?

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/412464-sanders-thanks-iowa-voters-for-giving-momentum-to-progressive-agenda
Sanders thanks Iowa voters for giving momentum to progressive agenda
BY NAOMI JAGODA - 10/21/18 08:08 PM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH – SANDERS SPEAKING © Greg Nash

AMES, IOWA — Speaking in Iowa on Sunday ahead of a possible 2020 presidential run, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thanked voters in the state for showing that his progressive policy ideas resonate with the public.

Sanders narrowly lost the 2016 Democratic Iowa caucuses to Hillary Clinton, a result that he called a “tie” that fueled his campaign that year. Sanders ultimately lost the nomination to Clinton but received millions of votes.

“Why it was important in terms of what Iowa did in that very first caucus, is that it showed the American people that the ideas that we were talking about were not radical ideas or extremist ideas or ideas that were outside of the mainstream,” Sanders said at a rally at Iowa State University.

“So it started off in Iowa and it went to New Hampshire and it went across the country. And ideas that just three years ago were perceived to be radical and extremist ideas are now ideas that are supported by the vast majority of the American people. Thank you Iowa,” he added.

Sanders spoke about several of his policy ideas that have gained traction in recent years, including a $15-per-hour minimum wage, tuition-free public college and "Medicare for all."

He said he understands that people may have voted for President Trump in 2016 because they felt like they were being ignored by Washington but that Trump is a “pathological liar.”

“This president has no political beliefs,” Sanders said. “He is [an] opportunist of the worst kind.”

Sanders also criticized Trump for “using his bully pulpit to try to divide us up.”

“I say to President Trump that this country has struggled for too many decades, for too many centuries, in the fight against racism and sexism and homophobia and religious bigotry. We have fought too hard against people who are trying to divide us up,” Sanders said. “President Trump, we are not going backwards, we are going forward as one people.”

Sanders campaigned at the event for J.D. Scholten, the Democratic nominee seeking to unseat GOP Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, and Deidre DeJear, the Democratic nominee for Iowa secretary of state.

Sanders, Scholten and DeJear all encouraged the attendees, many of whom were college students, to vote in the midterm elections and to get their friends and family members to do so as well.

“If we did nothing more than have people 30 years of age or younger vote in the same percentages as the general population, we can transform the United States of America,” Sanders said.

King criticized Sanders on Twitter earlier in the day.

Scholten responded to King’s tweets, criticizing King for not debating him.

Scholten faces an uphill battle in the race, which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates “likely Republican.”

But he said Democrats can win in rural areas by reaching out to people and proving that they will fight for them.

“We live in the land of ‘if you build it, they will come,’” he said. “If you build the right campaign and earn votes, get out there and earn votes, they will vote for you. If you build the right campaign that creates buzz, Sen. Bernie Sanders will come.”

Scholten was introduced at the event by Hill.TV anchor Krystal Ball, who has a PAC that endorsed the Democratic congressional candidate.

The rally in Ames came at the end of Sanders’s trip to Iowa to campaign for Scholten. Earlier on Sunday, he participated in a town hall with Scholten that was focused on Social Security and marched in Iowa State’s homecoming parade. He also held a rally with Scholten Saturday in Sioux City.

Sanders is in the middle of a nine-state tour ahead of the midterms. Prior to the stops in Iowa, he was in South Carolina, another state with an early nominating contest in 2020.

Sanders isn’t the only potential Democratic presidential candidate who has been spending time in Iowa in recent days. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) was also in Iowa this weekend, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will be in the state on Monday and Tuesday.

Scholten’s campaign said about 800 people attended the rally in Ames.

After the rally, Scholten said he’s grateful for Sanders’s help. The congressional candidate said he hasn’t had time to think about whether Sanders is going to run for president again, but added that “if he wanted to, I think it’s there for him.”