The Cleveland Plain Dealer via AP Bernie Sanders sets date for much-anticipated socialism speech

Two days after Sen. Bernie Sanders' senior political strategist told POLITICO there was no set date for a much-anticipated speech on socialism that Sanders had yet to finish writing, the campaign announced that address will take place Thursday in Washington.

Sanders will deliver remarks on democratic socialism at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service, where he will explain his vision for the “American future based on economic and social justice and environmental sanity.” The speech will also cover foreign policy, seen as a weak point for Sanders, and his plans for defeating ISIL. Sanders will take questions from Georgetown students after the speech.


Sanders had originally planned to deliver the socialism speech before the second Democratic debate, which took place last weekend in Iowa. When asked about the delays on Monday, senior strategist Tad Devine told POLITICO: “I personally think we’re ready, he’s just got to agree we’re ready. It’s very much on the horizon, it’s just a question of timing. He wants to finish the speech first.”

He said there was no set date yet for the speech because Sanders had yet to agree the timing was right. And Devine added that any delays were not because the campaign was backing off of wanting to own the candidate’s viewpoint. “It’s not because we don’t want to talk about being a socialist,” Devine said. “No way. Just the opposite. This is an opportunity for him to explain how his political philosophy fits squarely into the Democratic Party.”

On Thursday, Hillary Clinton will deliver a competing national security address in New York City, where she is also expected to outline her strategy for defeating ISIL, and “lay out her vision for the role American leadership must play in supporting our allies, protecting our homeland and forging a safer world.”

