The Vermont independent took progressive fury over President Obama’s tax-cut deal with Republicans to the floor of the Senate Friday, bringing the chamber to a standstill for eight hours with a filibuster-style speech that set the liberal Twitterverse ablaze.
“Let me conclude,” said Sanders. “It has been a long day. Let me simply say that I believe a proposal that was developed by the president and the Republicans are nowhere as good as we can achieve.”
Bernie Sanders Takes A Stand
After an exhausted Sanders left the podium, he walked over and sank into the Senate president’s chair.
“I’m tired,” said Sanders in his first words to reporters after he exited the Senate floor.
But his move energized progressives, irate with Obama for bartering a signature policy of the Bush administration for a 13-month extension of unemployment benefits. Obama met with President Clinton this week, fanning fears among the liberal wing of the Democratic Party that he’s embracing third-way politics.
Bernie’s stand was the top trending topic on Twitter for much of Friday afternoon and the second most-Googled item by the evening. The headline, “Weekend at Bernie’s” topped the Huffington Post homepage. A site “Is Bernie Still Talking” cropped up to keep track of his effort, saying “he’s still awesome,” when Sanders finished.
Bernie Sanders Takes A Stand
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