Bernie Sanders' economic message cheered in Phoenix rally

Bernie Sanders, the progressive challenger to 2016 Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton who has been gaining momentum in the polls, on Saturday brought his liberal call for a "political revolution" to a packed downtown Phoenix convention hall.

Sanders, a left-leaning independent U.S. senator from Vermont, basked in a sustained ovation, cheers and chants of "Bernie! Bernie! Bernie" from what he called his campaign's largest turnout so far. The energetic crowd waved pro-Sanders placards while some of his fans wore green Robin Hood hats.

More than 11,000 people filled the cavernous room, Sanders campaign officials said.

"When we were coming to Arizona, someone said Arizona is a conservative state," Sanders told the audience at the Phoenix Convention Center. "Somebody told me that people are giving up on the political process. Not what I see here tonight. I cannot believe this crowd."

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Sanders' candidacy is considered a long shot to upset Clinton, a former secretary of State and U.S. senator, in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, but his populist prescription for America's economic condition has resonated with many on the left.

"What this campaign is about is saying that our great country and our government belong to all of the people and not a handful of billionaires," Sanders said.

In his remarks, Sanders made his case against wealth inequality, for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, for tuition-free universities and colleges and for generally getting more money to the working class.

"My Republican friends think that the CEOs of large corporations are the job-creators," he said. "You know who the job creators are? You are the job creators. When working people have money in their pocket, they go out and they buy goods and they buy services, and when they do that, they create jobs. But when millions of people have nothing to spend, we're not creating the jobs that we need."

Adam Williams, 26, was one of the many young people in the audience. "His call for a political revolution is inspiring as a millennial," said Williams, a Phoenix resident and recent graduate of Brigham Young University-Hawaii. "I'm a little uncomfortable with his classist attitude, but I'm excited about his vision of the U.S. possibly leading the world in infrastructure, transportation and energy. My vision is in line with his."

Karoli Kuns, of California, said before the rally that she has concerns about Sanders' electability.

"I don't know if Bernie has the broad appeal," she said. "But does anyone have that? Looking at the candidates now, Hillary might be the only one."

The massive Sanders rally capped a raucous day of politics and protests at the Convention Center, which was the weekend home of the annual liberal Netroots Nation convention.

Civil-rights protesters interrupted Sanders and fellow Democratic presidential contender Martin O'Malley during a forum billed as a conversation with the two progressive candidates.

Sanders was visibly irritated at times during his shorter-than-expected appearance. He, in turn, angered "Black Lives Matter" protesters who did not appreciate that way that he initially brushed them off from on stage.

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter is widely used on social media by activists and their allies.

"Black lives, of course, matter," Sanders said at one point. "... But if you don't want me to be here, that's O.K."

O'Malley, a former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor whose record has come under fire in the wake of the civil unrest in the city that followed the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, spoke first. He stood by silently on stage as the demonstrators took control of the proceedings.

"What side are you on, my people," the several dozen protesters chanted as they filed between tables to the front of the Phoenix Convention Center hall, where O'Malley and moderator Jose Antonio Vargas were talking.

During the forum, O'Malley defended his Baltimore law-enforcement legacy.

"Far from bringing forward the mass arrest/mass incarceration policing that you talked about it, I actually made policing more responsive," O'Malley said. "We did a hundred reverse-integrity stings a year."

But O'Malley was later booed when he said: "Every life matters ... Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter."

"The presidential candidates' responses today to the powerful protest led by Black activists at Netroots Nations — as well as other remarks from the campaign trail in recent weeks — make clear that all Democratic candidates have work to do in understanding and addressing the movement for Black lives," said Anna Galland, executive director of the liberal group MoveOn.org Civil Action. "Saying that 'all lives matter' or 'white lives matter' immediately after saying 'Black lives matter' minimizes and draws attention away from the specific, distinct ways in which Black lives have been devalued by our society and in which Black people have been subject to state and other violence."

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O'Malley apologized in an interview with political strategist L. Joy Williams. "I believe what I first said was that black lives matter before those other two phrases and when I said those other two phrases I meant no disrespect," he said. "That was a mistake on my part. ... I did not mean to be insensitive in any way."

Clinton did not attend the event. Her campaign cited scheduling conflicts and commitments to speak to Democrats in Iowa and Arkansas.

Tia Oso, a Phoenix resident with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, said she helped organize the protest because Black-rights issues were not represented at Netroots Nation this year. While events for Latino immigrants were integrated into the convention, black immigrants were ignored, she said.

"We had to do this," she said. "This is the most important progressive gathering."

In a black shirt with white lettering that said "Black love," Oso got on stage with O'Malley to talk about racial inequality and law enforcement treatment of the Black population and to chide Netroots Nation's programming for not addressing Black immigration issues, such as the Black refugees in Arizona who had to seek asylum because of U.S. foreign policy.

Other protesters agreed Netroots Nation did not do enough to address Black issues.

"They said, 'Oh we're doing it in Arizona. We have to be all about immigration,'" said Angela Peoples, a co-director at LGBT inequality group Get Equal from Maryland. "But then they're only centering the conversation on Latinos, which is important, but we also know that the experiences ... are connected and we need people to be connected to Black lives as much as brown lives."

In a written statement, Netroots Nation said it "stands in solidarity with all people seeking human rights."

"Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today," the statement said. "In 2016, we're heading to St. Louis. We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix with local leaders, including the #BlackLivesMatter movement, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way."

In the chaotic atmosphere, Sanders, who had many fans in the Netroots Nation audience, struggled to make his points about income inequality, the minimum wage and his other top issues.

But Saturday night's rally gave Sanders an opportunity to expand on his priorities, including addressing climate change, and note that he's not the only person pressing to shake up the system.

"God bless Pope Francis," Sanders said, referring to the pontiff's recent encyclical on climate change. "Now I think sometimes people think my economic views are radical. You should hear what this guy said."

Republic reporter Madeleine Winer contributed to this article.

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