After serving in Congress for 25 years as an independent, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced today that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president.  

In a Facebook post declaring his candidacy, Sanders wrote,

America needs a political revolution. We need a government which represents all of us, and not just a handful of billionaires. In this campaign we won’t have the support of the big-money interests, Wall Street or the military-industrial complex. That’s why I need you to join me in an unprecedented grass-roots effort.

His campaign is on the web here, on Facebook here and Twitter here. Sanders has previously said every presidential candidate must answer these questions:

Is it morally appropriate that 99% of all new income is going to the top 1%?

Is it good economics that the top one-tenth of 1% own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%?

Is our democracy being destroyed when one family can spend $900 million to buy elections?

NPR’s Amita Kelly posted “five things you should know” about Sanders, including life experiences that shaped his politics.

I am pleasantly surprised Sanders is running. He will certainly have my serious consideration. I already know he is closer to me on economic issues than Hillary Clinton, and he will make sure that income inequality and money in politics are not overlooked during the primaries. As a long-shot, he won’t need to be overly cautious. In fact, Patrick Caldwell pointed out this afternoon that Sanders “Has Already Taken More Press Questions” than Clinton has as a presidential candidate.

The Democratic front-runner tweeted today,

I agree with Bernie. Focus must be on helping America’s middle class. GOP would hold them back. I welcome him to the race.

To which Sanders replied,

Thanks @HillaryClinton. Looking forward to debating the big issues: income inequality, climate change & getting big money out of politics.

I look forward to listening to the whole Democratic field. Paid family leave and economic opportunities for women are hugely important issues, likely to be central to Clinton’s message. Former Senator Jim Webb will highlight campaign finance reform as well as criminal justice reform, which doesn’t get enough media attention. If former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley enters the race, as expected, he will also bring a strong focus on economic justice.

All efforts to draft Senator Elizabeth Warren should stop immediately, now that a strong voice on the left is in the race. On Tuesday I was approached yet again by a “Run Warren Run” organizer with a clipboard, this time outside the Gateway Market in Des Moines. Although I’ve long supported Democracy for America, the draft Warren campaign always looked like a waste of time to me. She’s not running, and anyway, progressives need her to focus on her work in the senate. By now, I’m inclined to agree with Pat Rynard:

This campaign has moved far past the well-meaning stage, and is entering the counter-productive one. If you were the cynical type, you might say Run Warren Run has been nothing more than a list-building, money-raising operation for MoveOn and Democracy For America, created by DC consultants who flew in to jump-start a non-existent movement that they knew had no endgame. Again, if you were the cynical type.

Any comments about the Democratic presidential campaign are welcome in this thread.