Sanders Campaign Press Release - Take on Establishment, Generate Excitement, Sanders Tells DNC

MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders told the Democratic National Committee on Friday that taking on the economic and political establishment with "a campaign which generates excitement and momentum and which produces a huge voter turnout" is how to keep the White House and regain majorities in Congress and state capitals.

Sanders, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other candidates appeared at the summer meeting of top Democratic Party officials from around the country. The senator got a standing ovation when he came on stage. He was cheered earlier in the day by hundreds of rank-and-file supporters at the convention hotel and he received a warm welcome Thursday night at a reception for DNC members.

"We need a movement which takes on the economic and political establishment, not one which is part of it," the senator said. "We need a political movement which is prepared to take on the billionaire class and create a government which represents all Americans, and not just corporate America and wealthy campaign donors," he added.

In his speech at the DNC summer meeting, Sanders urged Democrats to become part of a movement "which tells corporate America and the wealthy that you will start paying your fair share of taxes."

He called for breaking up the nation's biggest banks and said Democrats should get behind the movement that "tells Wall Street that when a bank is too big to fail it is too big to exist." Denouncing corporate-backed, job-killing trade deals have sent U.S. manufacturing jobs to low-wage nations abroad, he said Democrats to join "the trade union movement to end our disastrous trade policies" and defeat a proposed 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal.

He called for pay equity for women workers, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and providing family and medical leave, paid sick time and vacation time.

To create jobs, he proposed a youth employment program and called for investing $1 trillion to create or support 13 million jobs rebuilding the nation's crumbling roads and bridges.

"The issues I am running on are generating a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in our grassroots campaign calling for a political revolution," Sanders said.

To read Sanders' prepared remarks to the Democratic National Committee summer meeting, click here.

Watch the speech: