Bernie Sanders speaks at Georgetown University. Sanders invokes FDR to defend democratic socialism 'Almost everything he proposed, almost every program, every idea, was called 'socialist,'' the Democratic candidate says.

Bernie Sanders sought to wrap himself in the mantle of Franklin D. Roosevelt on Thursday afternoon, seeding a long-anticipated speech about his brand of democratic socialism with references to the successful efforts by the New Deal architect — who has also featured in Hillary Clinton’s campaign — to end the Great Depression.

“Against the ferocious opposition of the ruling class of his day, people he called economic royalists, Roosevelt implemented a series of programs that put millions of people back to work, took them out of poverty, and restored our faith in government. He redefined the relationship of the federal government to the people of our nation. He combatted cynicism, fear and despair. He reinvigorated democracy. He transformed the country, and that is what we have to do today,” said the Vermont senator, an independent who caucuses with Democrats while identifying as a democratic socialist.


“And, by the way, almost everything he proposed, almost every program, every idea, was called ’socialist.'"

Sanders’ address, which his campaign team had previewed for weeks amid escalating primary season questions about his Democratic credentials, but which was announced only on Wednesday, came just hours after Clinton, the front-runner, delivered a high-profile address of her own in Manhattan — outlining her vision for countering the Islamic State.

Sanders stuck primarily to domestic policy — referring frequently to Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pope Francis — and only veered into international affairs in the wake of the attacks in Paris at the end of the speech, instead opting to defend his ideology against what he characterized as “attacks.” At times, the address was an echo of his stump speech, down to individual statistics on income inequality he likes to repeat at his signature mega rallies.

Speaking for more than an hour before taking questions in a packed, gilded lecture hall on the Georgetown University campus, the insurgent candidate who is running neck-and-neck with Clinton in New Hampshire — but behind her nearly everywhere else — suggested many of his policy proposals fit the rubric of “democratic socialism” without deviating far from mainstream Democratic beliefs.

“Let me define for you, simply and straightforwardly, what democratic socialism means to me. It builds on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he fought for guaranteed economic rights for all Americans,” Sanders explained. “And it builds on what Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1968, when he stated that, ‘this country has socialism for the rich and rugged individualism for the poor.’ It builds on the success of many other countries around the world who have done a far better job than we have in protecting the needs of their working families, their elderly citizens, their children, their sick and their poor."

For a candidate who has acknowledged that he must convince Democrats of his electability, making that case has long been a crucial task.

“It’s time we had democratic socialism for working families, not just Wall Street, billionaires and large corporations. It means that we should not be providing welfare for corporations, huge tax breaks for the very rich, or trade policies which would boost corporate profits as workers lose their jobs,” he said, echoing a line that he frequently repeats in his standard campaign speech across the country.

“It means that we create a government that works for all of us, not just powerful special interests. It means that economic rights must be an essential part of what American stands for. It means that health care should be a right of all people, not a privilege."

But, given the changed tenor and content of the national discussion in recent days, the senator also made sure to address international policy — something he rarely does at length unprompted on the campaign trail.

Shifting almost abruptly to foreign affairs after roughly 50 minutes, Sanders again made clear his disagreements with Clinton, which he often notes by pointing to her 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq War.

“I’m not running to pursue reckless adventures abroad, but to rebuild America’s strength at home. I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will never send our sons and daughters to war under false pretense or pretenses, or into dubious battles with no end in sight,” he said.

“To my mind, it is clear that the United States must pursue policies to destroy the brutal and barbaric ISIS regime, and to create conditions that prevent fanatical extremist ideologies from flourishing. But we cannot — and should not — do it alone."

And calling for the creation of “an organization like NATO to confront the security threats of the 21st century,” Sanders insisted that combating ISIS needs to involve a concerted effort of the NATO nations, Russia and Arab League members, echoing a call he made at the Democratic debate on Saturday:

“While the U.S. and other Wstern nations have the strength of our militaries and political systems, the fight against ISIS is a struggle for the soul of Islam, and countering violent extremism and destroying ISIS must be done primarily by Muslim nations — with the strong support of their global partners," he said.

