Facing his nastiest rift with the party he aims to lead, Bernie Sanders appeared ready to mend Democratic fences as he swept into San Jose on Wednesday, launching a full-throttle assault on Donald Trump to the delight of a boisterous crowd.
Sanders, wearing a blue baseball cap to protect himself from the searing heat, never once uttered rival Democrat Hillary Clinton's name during a 36-minute speech in front of 5,500 supporters at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
"I know that the American people will reject the very basic tenets of what Trump stands for," Sanders said as the crowd repeatedly chanted the Vermont senator's name. "The American people will not vote for a candidate for president who insults Mexicans and Latinos. A candidate who insults our Muslim brothers and sisters. A candidate who insults women, who insults veterans, who insults the African-American community."
After another broadside against Wall Street and Corporate America, Sanders appeared to hold out an olive branch to Clinton.
"At the end of the day," he said, "if we stand together as one people and not allow the Trumps of the world to divide us up ... there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. That is what this campaign is about."
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A victory in California likely wouldn't unleash the political revolution Sanders has been calling for, but it would show for the first time that his populist message can prevail in a big, diverse state. And Sanders made it clear it would be his biggest triumph yet.
"If we have a high voter turnout we cannot only win, we can win by a lot, which is what we have to do," Sanders said. "My hope is that this great state -- one of the most progressive states in the country -- will make it loud and clear California is on board for a political revolution."
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