🚚 Bernie Sanders issues BAD NEWS for Trump ahead of election

Interviews with Brian Tyler Cohen
4 May 202426:32

Summary

TLDRIn a recent interview, Senator Bernie Sanders addresses critical issues facing the United States, including the administration's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, the economy, women's rights, and the importance of protecting democratic processes. Sanders strongly disagrees with President Biden's approach to Gaza, emphasizing the need for a humanitarian solution and the cessation of military aid that perpetuates the conflict. He also discusses the economic disparities in the U.S., highlighting the growing wealth gap and the need for policy changes to support working people. On the topic of women's rights, Sanders condemns the rollback of abortion rights and the interference of politics in personal health decisions. He stresses the importance of the upcoming elections, advocating for the continued support of progressive candidates to drive policy changes and protect democratic values.

Takeaways

  • 🗳 Senator Bernie Sanders strongly disagrees with President Biden's approach to the situation in Gaza and believes the U.S. should not provide military aid to Israel without certain conditions being met.
  • 🀔 Sanders advises against punishing Biden by not voting or voting against him in November, emphasizing the importance of considering the alternative, which he views as far worse under Donald Trump.
  • 💊 Sanders is concerned about the high cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. compared to other countries and is actively working to address this issue, as evidenced by his investigation into Novo Nordisk's pricing practices.
  • 👎 The Senator is advocating for the protection of social security and Medicare, criticizing attempts to cut benefits and stressing the need for reform, such as lifting the cap on Social Security contributions.
  • 👚‍👩‍👧‍👊 Sanders highlights the issue of income and wealth inequality in the U.S., noting that while the economy may be doing well for the top 1%, many Americans are struggling with the effects of inflation and stagnant wages.
  • 🌎 He discusses the need for environmental policy and the importance of addressing climate change, which is a significant concern for many Americans.
  • 🀰 Sanders is a staunch supporter of women's rights, particularly the right to abortion, and criticizes the efforts of Trump and Republicans to roll back these rights.
  • 🏛 The Senator emphasizes the importance of the upcoming elections, not just for the presidency but also for the Senate and House, where slim majorities and the potential for Republican control pose a significant threat to progressive policies.
  • 💰 Sanders calls for campaign finance reform, advocating for public funding of elections to reduce the influence of billionaires on the political process.
  • 🛠 He introduces the 32-hour work week act, aiming to reduce the workload of American workers and distribute the benefits of increased productivity more equitably.
  • 🀝 Sanders encourages continued pressure on the Biden administration to address various issues, including foreign policy, economic inequality, and the protection of democratic institutions.

Q & A

  • What is Senator Bernie Sanders' stance on President Biden's approach to the situation in Gaza?

    -Senator Bernie Sanders strongly disagrees with President Biden's approach to the situation in Gaza. He believes that while Israel has the right to respond militarily to attacks by Hamas, it does not have the right to wage war against the entire Palestinian people.

  • How does Senator Sanders feel about the current state of the U.S. economy?

    -Senator Sanders acknowledges that there are strong economic indicators such as low inflation, increased real wages, and record job growth. However, he also points out that many people are not feeling the effects of this growth, and he emphasizes the need to address income and wealth inequality.

  • What does Senator Sanders suggest as an alternative to punishing President Biden at the ballot box?

    -Instead of punishing President Biden, Senator Sanders suggests continuing to elect progressives to the House and Senate to build a political movement that demands Biden address the needs of working people, the environment, and changes his views on foreign policy.

  • What is Senator Sanders' view on the potential impact of Donald Trump's policies on healthcare?

    -Senator Sanders is critical of Donald Trump, stating that Trump wants to give tax breaks to billionaires and throw millions of people off healthcare. He sees Trump's policies as detrimental to the average American.

  • How does Senator Sanders describe the current labor shortage in the U.S.?

    -Senator Sanders describes the labor shortage as a 'good problem to have,' indicating that it is better to have more jobs than workers rather than the opposite. However, he acknowledges that the shortage is impacting the economy.

  • What is Senator Sanders' opinion on the issue of abortion rights in the U.S.?

    -Senator Sanders is strongly in favor of protecting a woman's right to control her own body. He criticizes Donald Trump and the Republicans for trying to roll back women's rights and for their efforts to undermine the constitutional right to abortion.

  • What does Senator Sanders propose to address the issue of income and wealth inequality?

    -Senator Sanders proposes lifting the cap on Social Security contributions, which would allow for the expansion of benefits and extend the solvency of Social Security. He also calls for an agenda that takes on powerful special interests and addresses income and wealth inequality.

  • How does Senator Sanders view the current state of the Republican party?

    -Senator Sanders sees the Republican party as increasingly right-wing extremist and believes that it does not believe in democracy. He is particularly concerned about the party's attempts to suppress votes and undermine the election process.

  • What is Senator Sanders' position on the funding of election infrastructure?

    -Senator Sanders believes it is crucial to properly fund election infrastructure to ensure that every eligible voter can cast their vote without fear. He is against any efforts to defund or undermine the election process.

  • What does Senator Sanders think about the influence of big money in politics?

    -Senator Sanders is against the influence of big money in politics and advocates for public funding of elections rather than billionaire funding. He believes that democracy should be about one person one vote, not about the ability to buy elections.

  • How does Senator Sanders plan to address the high cost of prescription drugs in the U.S.?

    -Senator Sanders plans to address the high cost of prescription drugs by pushing for negotiations between Medicare and drug companies. He aims to prevent pharmaceutical companies from overcharging Americans compared to what they charge in other countries.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Presidential Election and Middle East Conflict

Senator Bernie Sanders discusses the significance of the upcoming presidential election and expresses strong disagreement with President Biden's approach to the Israel-Gaza conflict. He emphasizes the need for Israel to not wage war against the entire Palestinian population and calls for a halt to the humanitarian crisis. Sanders also addresses the economy, highlighting strong indicators but acknowledging that many Americans are not feeling the benefits. He stresses the importance of electing progressives to push for change and criticizes Donald Trump's policies.

05:02

😔 Economic Inequality and Women's Rights

The paragraph focuses on the economic inequality in America, where the top 1% are doing exceptionally well while the majority struggles. Sanders points out the need for the president to address income and wealth inequality and praises the work of the FTC chair, Lena Khan. He also condemns Donald Trump's stance on women's rights, particularly on abortion, and calls out the hypocrisy of Republicans who previously argued against government interference in healthcare decisions.

10:03

😠 Republican Party's Extreme Views and Election Infrastructure

Sanders expresses concern over the growing extremism within the Republican party and their disregard for democracy. He discusses the potential consequences of the party's refusal to fund election infrastructure, which could lead to voter suppression and disinformation. The senator calls for proper funding to ensure fair and accessible elections and criticizes the GOP for their attempts to undermine the democratic process.

15:04

😡 Impact of Wealthy Candidates and Corporate Influence

The paragraph discusses the influence of wealthy individuals in politics, with Sanders criticizing the corrupt system that allows billionaires to fund elections. He calls for campaign finance reform and public funding of elections to counter the power of big money. Sanders also highlights the importance of the Senate elections in battleground states and the potential disaster if Republicans gain control.

20:04

😀 Corporate Exploitation and Pharmaceutical Pricing

Senator Sanders addresses the issue of corporate exploitation, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, with a focus on the price differential for medications like OIC between the US and other countries. He calls for drug companies to treat Americans fairly and not to 'rip off' the population and government. Sanders emphasizes the need for negotiations and reform to make medications affordable and accessible.

25:05

😐 Election Integrity and the Role of Democrats

The final paragraph touches on the importance of maintaining election integrity and the role of Democrats in office to ensure progress on issues such as drug pricing and election funding. Sanders thanks Brian for the discussion and reiterates the critical nature of the upcoming November election.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Consequential election

A consequential election is one that has significant and far-reaching effects on the nation's policies, direction, and future. In the video, Senator Bernie Sanders emphasizes the importance of the upcoming election, comparing it to the 2020 election, and discusses the impact of President Biden's policies on young people and progressives.

💡Waning enthusiasm

Waning enthusiasm refers to a decrease in interest, support, or excitement. The script mentions that President Biden is facing waning enthusiasm from young people and progressives due to his administration's approach to the conflict in Gaza and Israel, which Senator Sanders strongly disagrees with.

💡Military aid to Israel

Military aid to Israel is the financial and military support provided by the United States to Israel. Senator Sanders expresses his disagreement with President Biden's decision to continue this aid during the conflict with Gaza, arguing that Israel does not have the right to wage war against the entire Palestinian people.

💡Progressives

Progressives are individuals who advocate for social, political, and economic reforms that are considered to be forward-thinking or liberal. In the context of the video, Senator Sanders speaks to the concerns of progressives who feel that President Biden's policies do not align with their values, particularly regarding the situation in Gaza.

💡Economic inequality

Economic inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources and wealth among individuals within a society. Senator Sanders discusses the growing income and wealth inequality in the United States, where the billionaire class is thriving while many seniors struggle to get by on limited incomes.

💡Pharmaceutical pricing

Pharmaceutical pricing is the cost at which drugs and medicines are sold to consumers or healthcare providers. The video addresses the issue of high drug prices in the United States compared to other countries, with Senator Sanders mentioning the case of a drug that costs significantly more in the U.S. than in Canada or European countries.

💡Abortion rights

Abortion rights are the legal rights of women to choose to have an abortion. The video discusses the recent moves by some states to restrict or ban abortions and the potential impact on women's rights. Senator Sanders criticizes Donald Trump and Republicans for their stance on abortion, contrasting it with President Biden's support for a woman's right to choose.

💡Election infrastructure

Election infrastructure refers to the systems and processes in place to conduct elections, including voting machines, polling places, and the funding required to support them. Senator Sanders expresses concern about the potential lack of funding for election infrastructure, which could lead to voter suppression and undermine the democratic process.

💡Campaign finance reform

Campaign finance reform involves changes to the laws and regulations governing the financing of political campaigns. Senator Sanders calls for fundamental campaign finance reform, advocating for public funding of elections to reduce the influence of billionaires and ensure that democracy is not about big money buying elections.

💡32-hour work week act

The 32-hour work week act is a proposed legislation that aims to reduce the standard work week from 40 to 32 hours. Senator Sanders introduces this act to address the issue of overwork and to redistribute the benefits of increased worker productivity more equitably among workers, rather than just the CEOs and the top 1%.

💡Voter suppression

Voter suppression is the act of preventing eligible voters from exercising their right to vote. In the video, Senator Sanders warns about the tactics used by some to discourage or make it more difficult for people to vote, such as intimidation of local election officials or reducing the number of polling places in minority-majority precincts.

Highlights

Senator Bernie Sanders expresses strong disagreement with President Biden's approach to the situation in Gaza.

Sanders believes Israel has the right to respond to Hamas attacks but not to wage war against the entire Palestinian population.

He criticizes the Biden administration for potentially providing military aid to Israel, which could prolong the conflict.

Sanders argues against voting against Biden or not voting at all in November, citing the dangers of a Trump presidency.

He emphasizes the importance of electing progressives to influence Biden's policies on working people, the environment, and foreign policy.

Sanders acknowledges the economy's strong indicators but points out that many people are not feeling the effects.

He discusses the labor shortage in Vermont and across the U.S., contrasting it with the problem of unemployment.

The Senator highlights the growing income and wealth inequality in the U.S., with the billionaire class faring exceptionally well.

Sanders mentions his efforts in reducing the cost of prescription drugs and the potential for forgiving student debt.

He condemns Donald Trump's stance on women's rights, particularly regarding abortion, and the Republican party's attempts to roll back these rights.

Sanders criticizes Trump's influence on the Supreme Court, which has led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Senator discusses the need for campaign finance reform to prevent the wealthy from buying elections.

Sanders introduces the 32-hour work week act, aiming to reduce worker exhaustion and redistribute the benefits of increased productivity.

He calls for an investigation into pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk for its extreme price differential of medication in the U.S. versus abroad.

Sanders emphasizes the need to protect and properly fund election infrastructure to prevent disinformation and voter suppression.

He warns about the potential disaster if Republicans gain control over the House, Senate, and Presidency.

The Senator discusses the slim majority in the Senate and the importance of supporting Democratic candidates in battleground states.

Transcripts

00:00

now we've got Senator Bernie Sanders

00:01

thanks so much for taking the time my

00:03

pleasure good to be with you you too uh

00:06

we've got the most consequential

00:07

election of our lifetimes coming up

00:09

after what was already the most

00:10

consequential election of our lifetimes

00:12

in the 2020 election but President

00:14

Biden's now contending with waning

00:16

enthusiasm from young people and

00:18

progressives um as the result of Gaza

00:21

and and Israel for example what do you

00:23

say to those people who right now feel

00:25

like they want to punish Biden at The

00:26

Ballot Box in November by either voting

00:28

against him or not it all well Brian

00:31

that is maybe the most important

00:33

question that we can discuss so let me

00:35

be clear I strongly strongly strongly

00:40

disagree uh with President Biden over

00:43

his administration's approach to what's

00:45

going on in Gaza uh in my view and I

00:48

think uh that view is shared by a strong

00:51

majority of the American people

00:53

especially young people uh often young

00:55

people of color uh the reality is that

00:59

while Israel has every right in the

01:01

world to respond militarily to the

01:05

terrorist attack by Hamas they do not

01:08

have the right to go to war against the

01:10

entire Palestinian people and that is

01:13

precisely what we are seeing right now I

01:15

think as we speak close to

01:19

35,000 Palestinians have been killed

01:22

over 77,000 have been wounded that is

01:25

more than 5% of the entire population

01:28

infrastructure destroyed destroyed

01:30

education destroyed Health Care System

01:32

destroyed and right now we're looking at

01:35

the possibility of hundreds of thousands

01:37

of children starving so I think the

01:39

president is dead wrong on that issue

01:42

and I did my best to make sure and will

01:44

continue to do my best to make sure that

01:46

Israel does not get US military aid to

01:51

continue that war having said that I

01:54

would hope that people in response to

01:57

your question take a deep breath and say

01:59

okay okay what are our options here we

02:02

disagree with Biden on

02:04

Gaza uh we're going to look at Donald

02:07

Trump well Donald Trump is a

02:10

pathological liar uh Donald Trump is a

02:13

guy who does not believe that women have

02:16

a right to control their own bodies uh

02:18

he is somebody who thinks that climate

02:20

change is a hoax somebody who has said

02:24

incredibly bigoted and and racist uh

02:27

remarks who wants to give Mass of tax

02:30

breaks to billionaires who wants to

02:32

throw millions of people off of

02:33

healthcare that is not an alternative

02:35

what is the alternative the alternative

02:38

is to continue to elect progressives to

02:41

the house and occasionally to the Senate

02:44

uh build a political movement which

02:46

demands that Biden starts addressing the

02:49

needs of working people the environment

02:51

and changes his views on foreign policy

02:53

to that point can you speak about the

02:55

ability to move Biden versus the ability

02:58

to move Trump for some fol folks look I

03:00

think both Trump and Biden are good

03:03

politicians that's all and you're in a

03:06

political moment they listen to people

03:08

if you think that uh Biden's people are

03:12

not concerned with the numbers that they

03:14

are seeing where young people who used

03:16

to be supportive of a democratic nominee

03:19

are increasingly less supportive if you

03:21

think they're not paying attention to

03:22

that you'd be dead wrong so I think

03:25

we've got to continue the pressure and

03:27

in my view the pressure right now is to

03:29

say to president Biden okay you won your

03:32

vote to get more military aid to Israel

03:35

but you don't have to release that until

03:38

Israel does AB c and d and that is most

03:42

importantly uh end this humanitarian

03:45

disaster which could lead to the

03:47

starvation of huge numbers of people now

03:50

to a similar Point we've got an economy

03:52

right now with some really strong

03:53

indicators inflation is is is down from

03:57

where it was real wages are up

03:58

employment's at uh under 4% for the

04:00

longest stretch in half a Century stock

04:03

markets at an all-time high record job

04:04

growth but for a lot of people in this

04:06

country they're not feeling its effects

04:08

and while inflation is down for example

04:10

prices are still up generally so how do

04:12

you approach this issue for folks who

04:15

who who simply enough say I'm paying

04:17

more at the grocery store this cereal

04:18

was cheaper When Donald Trump was in

04:21

office uh the economy today is stronger

04:24

than it was when Trump was in office for

04:27

all of the reasons that you gave you

04:29

know we take take it for granted in my

04:30

state of Vermont right now you know what

04:32

our major economic crisis is right now

04:35

it is the labor shortage good problem to

04:38

have yeah well it's not I mean it really

04:40

is impacting our economy we don't have

04:42

enough workers and that is true in many

04:44

parts of of the country but that is a

04:47

much better problem to have than to have

04:50

millions of people who are want to work

04:52

and unable to find jobs uh what we have

04:57

I think what people are dealing with and

04:58

you know Brian there are a lot of you

05:02

know people's attitudes are shaped by a

05:04

lot of things they are shaped by the

05:06

pain that we went through with covid are

05:09

they're shaped by the fears that we have

05:12

with regard to climate change what kind

05:14

of planet will we have for our kids and

05:15

our grandchildren they're shaped by

05:18

racism and and bigotry uh they're shaped

05:21

by a lot of things and I think right now

05:25

uh when people are looking at the

05:26

economy what they are perceiving I think

05:29

correct ly is yeah the economy maybe

05:32

yeah it's okay but it's doing really

05:34

well for the people on top and that is a

05:37

point that we don't make often enough in

05:39

fact the 1% in America the billionaire

05:42

class have never ever had it so good not

05:45

in the history of this country more

05:47

income and wealth inequality than we

05:49

have ever had three people owning more

05:50

wealth in the bottom half of American

05:52

society richest people getting much

05:54

richer so I think what the president has

05:57

got to talk about is say all right look

05:58

we made some progress on the economy

06:01

we're rebuilding our infrastructure

06:03

that's good making some progress

06:05

lowering the cost of prescription drugs

06:07

and issue I have worked on uh that's

06:09

good we are for giving by the way a lot

06:11

of student

06:13

debt I don't know if you're aware of it

06:15

but we're talking about

06:17

millions of young people whose lives

06:21

have been transformed I talked to a

06:23

woman I was at the Morgan State a couple

06:25

of weeks ago uh and she was faculty

06:29

member $80,000 in debt removed

06:32

transformative for her life all right

06:34

that is true for I talk to people in

06:35

Vermont same thing uh we got to talk

06:38

about that but most importantly we have

06:40

got to demand that the president come up

06:43

with an agenda that takes on powerful

06:46

special interest income and wealth

06:48

inequality and by the way I don't know

06:49

if you've had the occasion to talk to

06:51

Lena Khan from the

06:54

FTC have you had that occasion no I

06:56

haven't spoken to her it's a worthwhile

06:58

discussion she's doing a tremendous job

07:00

best FDC chair we have ever had in

07:04

breaking up monopolies uh and standing

07:06

up for working people so we have made

07:09

some progress but I do understand the

07:11

reality that today real inflation

07:13

accounted for dollars are no better than

07:16

they were 50 years ago despite all of

07:18

the uh increase in productivity that

07:21

we've seen now uh another issue that

07:24

really has impacted people across this

07:26

country is obviously the issue of

07:28

abortion in recent interview with time

07:30

Donald Trump came out and expressed

07:32

support for allowing states to monitor

07:34

women's pregnancies so that they can

07:36

know if they've gotten an abortion after

07:38

a ban was put in place can I get your

07:39

reaction to that I mean what can I say I

07:42

mean you know what can you say

07:44

monitoring women's pregnancies in the

07:47

land of the free I mean it is you know

07:51

unspeakable uh and you know clearly what

07:54

uh Trump and many of his Republican

07:57

colleagues are about

07:59

are at war with women's rights trying to

08:02

roll back the gains that women have

08:05

struggled for for so many

08:08

years uh but the idea that after women

08:13

had won the constitutional right what we

08:15

thought was the constitutional right to

08:17

be able to control their all bodies you

08:19

got a supreme court uh undermining

08:22

overturning roie Wade and you got States

08:24

all over this country in my view just

08:27

humiliating women by taking away basic

08:30

rights so you know when we talk about

08:32

one of the issues of this campaign let's

08:34

be clear uh Biden has been very strong

08:38

on trying to protect uh a woman's right

08:41

to control her own body uh and Trump and

08:43

the Republicans have been absolutely

08:46

disastrous and I would hope people

08:47

perceive and understand that as we go

08:49

into the election I think what's

08:51

especially crazy too is that they're

08:53

making this decision uh on on the heels

08:55

of what was it 10 15 years ago uh

08:58

fearmongering about death death panels

08:59

in response to the ACA and they said you

09:01

couldn't possibly allow government to

09:03

get between a woman and her doctor

09:04

because they'll decide you know who

09:06

lives or dies and now you have

09:08

government in between a woman and a

09:09

doctor deciding who can get life-saving

09:11

medical treatment and who can't just

09:13

because you know theocrats want to to

09:15

kind of impose their religious will onto

09:17

people who don't want it I mean that's

09:18

that's absolutely right and above and

09:20

beyond that look it is not Donald

09:23

Trump's decision or some you know

09:26

politician's decision to determine what

09:29

is best for a woman and her family

09:32

that's a decision between her and a

09:33

doctor in my view and of discussion you

09:36

know Trump does seem to get away with

09:38

being a moderate on this issue or

09:40

perceived as being a moderate on this

09:41

issue because of his background as this

09:43

New York Playboy who probably himself

09:45

paid for abortions despite his support

09:47

of the most Draconian abortion bans in

09:49

the history of this country what do you

09:51

say to people who give him a pass or or

09:53

write off his extremism on this issue

09:56

what I say is that Donald Trump has

09:58

boasted about appointing the three

10:01

Supreme Court Justices who helped

10:03

overturn roie way and set back women's

10:06

rights in a very in in the most

10:08

significant way that we have seen in

10:09

modern history so anybody a who believes

10:12

anything that Trump says I would

10:15

question anything he says uh but be

10:18

clearly this is a man who boasts about

10:20

overturning roie white similarly he

10:22

skates by on the issue of earned

10:24

benefits despite the fact that when he

10:26

was president his own budgets literally

10:28

cut Social Security Medicare and

10:30

Medicaid what would happen to those

10:32

programs that Americans have paid into

10:34

for their entire lives if Trump again

10:35

takes office well it's not just him it

10:38

is his Republican colleagues here in the

10:42

house and the

10:44

Senate um what they are floating are a

10:48

number of ideas uh to cut benefits and

10:52

their argument is that the uh Social

10:55

Security trust fund faces uh insolvency

10:59

well there is a way to deal with it

11:01

which is the proper way right now is I'm

11:04

sure you know

11:05

Brian uh if you make

11:10

uh60 more or less I think

11:12

$165,000 a year okay your Cas I make $16

11:16

million year guess what we both both pay

11:19

the same amount of money into the Social

11:21

Security trust fund that's absurd so at

11:23

a time of massive income and wealth

11:25

inequality the tax system that funds

11:28

Social Security is totally regressive

11:30

you lift that cap you can expand the uh

11:36

benefits that many seniors get a lot of

11:39

seniors in this country are struggling

11:41

trying to get by in $1 15,000 $30,000 a

11:44

year which is really hard but if you

11:46

lift that cap you can extend the

11:48

solvency of social security for

11:51

75

11:52

years and the overwhelming majority of

11:55

the American people would not pay a

11:56

nickel more in taxes that's what we got

11:57

to do on the issue of seniors just as a

12:00

quick aside there's a guy named Eric Hy

12:02

and he's running against Tammy Baldwin

12:04

in Wisconsin in the Senate he said that

12:06

if you're in a nursing home you only

12:08

have five or six months life expectancy

12:10

and that nobody in a nursing home is at

12:12

a point to vote that was a direct quote

12:14

from him which I thought maybe uh

12:16

Senator Sanders we can chalk up to like

12:19

a gaff but then I found out that the

12:21

bank that he leads was named as a

12:23

codefendant in a California lawsuit that

12:25

accuses a senior living facility partly

12:27

owned by Hy's Bank of elder abuse

12:30

negligence and wrongful death so uh do

12:33

you think a guy like that is going to

12:34

protect earn benefits for seniors who

12:36

he's just decided to put on death row by

12:39

Fiat I mean you know some of the things

12:41

I mean one of the things I think that

12:43

concerns the American

12:45

people is

12:47

the growing

12:49

extremism of the Republican party I mean

12:52

there used to be years back kind of a

12:54

center right party there were strong

12:56

disagreements between the left and the

12:58

right but they have become a right-wing

13:00

extremist party so when you have a

13:03

candidate for the United States Senate

13:05

what implying that seniors and nursing

13:08

homes shouldn't be able to vote or what

13:10

was his point is that his point yeah

13:12

just that just that they're basically uh

13:14

like waiting to die that they've only

13:16

got a couple months left to live if

13:17

they're in a nursing home anyway and

13:19

they're not at a point to vote is what

13:20

he said I mean that is you know and

13:23

these are probably the same mentality as

13:24

young people are not at a point to vote

13:26

people of color are not at a point to

13:28

vote yeah I mean this is what we mean

13:30

you started this discussion off by

13:33

mentioning that this is the most

13:35

consequential election in our history

13:37

and I know people say oh I've heard it

13:39

again I've heard it before you say this

13:41

every election well this is what we're

13:44

talking about we are talking about a

13:47

party and I don't want to say it's true

13:48

of every Republican because it's not but

13:51

you are talking about a party which

13:53

increasingly does not believe in

13:56

democracy the right of all people

13:59

whether you're elderly whether you're 18

14:01

whether you're black whether you're

14:02

white whether you're Latino to fully

14:05

participate in the political process

14:07

this is a party which has a number of

14:08

people who look to Putin as an example

14:12

of what quote unquote democracy is about

14:15

uh so when we talk about this coming

14:18

election and while many people are not

14:21

enthusiastic about Joe Biden Joe Biden

14:24

does believe in democracy uh Trump in

14:26

many ways does not you know there's this

14:28

inity a scheme to that exact point

14:30

that's happening right now where

14:31

Republicans are looking to refuse to

14:33

fund our election infrastructure they're

14:35

looking to zero it out as a line item in

14:37

the Congressional budget for 2024 last

14:40

year there was 55 uh million allocated

14:44

what we actually need to be able to

14:45

properly fund our election

14:46

infrastructure is $400 million can is

14:49

there any anything that you can say

14:50

about about the the likelihood of our

14:52

election infrastructure being properly

14:54

funded in the upcoming budget so that we

14:57

don't uh have our whole system fail so

14:59

that our election Administration can go

15:01

off properly so that the the purveyors

15:03

of disinformation don't have a predicate

15:05

to point to a bungled election and say

15:07

look we told you it was rigged now we

15:09

just got to take it over ourselves and

15:10

do it the right way which of course is

15:12

going to include you know Banning

15:14

dropboxes voter suppression reduced uh

15:16

polling places on minority majority

15:18

precincts and on and on right uh I think

15:22

you hit the nail right on the head uh

15:24

and that's what Republicans do if you

15:27

don't fund something and running you

15:30

know elections in 50 states in this

15:32

country uh is not easy and the one thing

15:36

that you didn't mention in your list of

15:38

things that Republicans are attempting

15:41

to do is intimidate local election

15:44

officials you know I know in Vermont you

15:46

know you and all over the country you

15:47

have people who just volunteer you know

15:51

they volunteer to come and to count the

15:53

ballots and often you know Democrats and

15:55

Republicans sitting around they getting

15:57

along and what these people are doing

15:59

now some of the right-wing extremists

16:01

are literally intimidating people uh

16:05

making you know outrageous charges

16:07

against them so the people say who needs

16:09

this I'm a badia yeah you know what do I

16:11

need to be insulted or

16:14

attacked uh you know so I I think the

16:16

point to be made is democracy will not

16:21

disappear in this country by Fiat by oh

16:24

hey guess what no more elections that's

16:26

not the way it will happen it'll happen

16:28

because voter officials are intimidated

16:31

people are not able to vote uh or make

16:35

it harder for people to vote uh where

16:38

people are uh uh videoed as they walk

16:42

into a polling Booth we got you you know

16:44

you're voting you know and people say

16:47

hey it's not worth it why will I vote if

16:48

they're going to be I'm going to be

16:49

videoed I'm going to be harassed so you

16:51

got a whole Litany of activities on the

16:54

part of the right which are basically

16:56

trying to undermine uh American

16:58

democracy and is there a proper effort

17:00

to make sure that our elections are

17:01

funded to the degree that they need to

17:02

be in some of us are absolutely some of

17:05

us are if you believe in democracy you

17:08

want to make sure that there is the

17:10

infrastructure available to make sure

17:12

that every eligible voter in America can

17:15

cast his or her vote without fear in a

17:18

way that is convenient you know some of

17:20

us believe that it is a good idea to see

17:24

large vter T Nots to encourage young

17:26

people and and you know everybody to

17:28

participate it's called democracy there

17:30

are other people who are moving in

17:32

exactly uh the other direction I want to

17:34

go back to the senate for just a moment

17:36

the the Republican party's candidates

17:38

right now include in Wisconsin that

17:40

California multi-millionaire Banker who

17:42

I just referred to before Eric Hy in

17:44

Pennsylvania they're running Dave

17:45

McCormick from Connecticut who is doing

17:47

the whole I grew up poor stick and yet

17:49

the guy grew up in what's referred to as

17:51

the president's mansion in Montana

17:53

they're running a Minnesota guy who grew

17:55

up in a multi-million dollar lake house

17:57

what's at stake in the Senate if this

17:58

slate of Republican candidates is

18:00

elected well I hope everybody knows and

18:02

I'm not sure that they do that in the

18:04

Senate we have the Democratic caucus has

18:07

the slimmest of slim majorities it's 51

18:10

to

18:11

49 uh and um if we were to lose that

18:16

majority if the Republicans uh were able

18:21

to gain control over the house uh and

18:24

win the presidency uh it would be an

18:26

incredible disaster uh in my view for

18:29

working people for uh uh environmental

18:33

policy for women's rights uh Etc uh so

18:38

right now you have a number of elections

18:40

in Battleground States uh where

18:43

Democrats are fighting hard uh to get

18:46

reelected Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin

18:48

John tester in Montana Bob Casey uh in

18:51

Pennsylvania uh among others uh and they

18:54

need all the help uh that they can get

18:56

now moving over to the house and I know

18:58

this isn't your the other point I'm

18:59

sorry I wanted to say Brian the other

19:01

point made I should have picked up on

19:03

your point you're talking about you know

19:05

very wealthy people running for office

19:07

and all of that speaks to something else

19:10

that the Republican party has managed to

19:12

do and that is it's not only

19:14

overthrowing uh roie Wade they

19:18

overthrew citizens united so right now

19:21

and I hope everybody understands it we

19:23

are living in a very corrupt political

19:26

system where any billionaire who wants

19:28

to s a super pack can spend hundreds and

19:32

hundreds of millions of dollars to elect

19:34

or defeat candidates that they want uh

19:37

and when you're talking about

19:38

billionaires running for office they

19:39

don't even need a super pack right just

19:42

buy the election themselves right but I

19:44

would hope that most of us understand

19:46

that democracy is not about big money

19:48

buying elections it's one person one

19:51

vote and if you're working class person

19:53

you have a right to run for election and

19:55

you don't have to hustle money from

19:56

billionaires and so forth and so on so

19:58

we need fundamental campaign Finance

20:01

reform in my view it is Public Funding

20:03

of Elections rather than billionaire

20:05

funding of Elections well said um that's

20:08

in the Senate uh moving over to the

20:10

house and I know this isn't your

20:11

jurisdiction but just this past week

20:12

margorie teler Green's efforts to OU

20:14

Mike Johnson as Speaker for the crime of

20:17

allocating foreign aid kind of blew up

20:19

in her face uh with this effort to to

20:21

push the motion of vacate seeming to

20:23

fail Democrats have come out and said

20:25

that we're not going to allow you to to

20:26

descend the house into chaos again do

20:28

you think this signals some fatigue even

20:30

among Republicans um at the interminable

20:33

stream of BS by extremists like Margie

20:35

Taylor green I hope so but I wouldn't

20:38

bet the f on it uh you

20:42

know it's uh people I mean Republicans

20:47

in in the house have expressed massive

20:49

uh dissatisfaction with a lot of what's

20:51

going on they understand that they have

20:53

not been able to govern pass legislation

20:55

by and large uh but I fear very much uh

21:00

that people like um representative uh

21:04

green and others uh have a whole lot of

21:07

influence in the Republican body it

21:09

should not be underestimated now you've

21:11

introduced the 32-hour work week act you

21:13

are in a body that on both sides is

21:16

quite corporate quite friendly to

21:18

corporations is there any hope for

21:19

something like this to gain TR there is

21:23

look it you're quite right both parties

21:26

are heavily influenced by big money and

21:28

in corporate interests that's the

21:29

reality of American politics and we are

21:32

trying very hard to change that we're

21:35

trying to convert the Democratic party

21:37

into a workingclass party a multi-racial

21:39

party a multigenerational party where

21:42

young people working people have

21:44

influence rather than just wealthy

21:45

campaign contributors that's a hard

21:48

fight but what is interesting is on

21:50

issue after interest issue after issue

21:53

you see the degree to which Congress

21:57

lives in a bubble sep ated from what the

21:59

American people want whether it is

22:01

funding the War uh in Gaza for Israel or

22:05

whether it's something like a 32-hour

22:07

work week here is the reason that I

22:10

introduced that legislation which is

22:12

quite popular in in around the country

22:15

and the reason is that the current fair

22:17

labor standards act law requiring a

22:21

40-hour work week and time and a half

22:23

after that you know when that was

22:25

established Brian what year 19 44 yeah

22:31

not you think the world has changed a

22:33

little bit yeah that the economy has

22:36

changed the worker productivity has

22:38

changed so what has happened over that

22:40

period of time is there has been a

22:43

massive transfer of wealth from working

22:46

people to the top

22:48

1% and the reason for that is that we

22:51

have seen great worker productivity but

22:53

real inflation accounted for wages have

22:56

not gone up in 50 years so all that I am

22:59

saying is we are living in an economy

23:01

where workers are producing much more

23:04

the benefit of those that increaseed

23:06

productivity should go to workers not

23:08

just the CEOs and the

23:10

1% and one way you do it is to

23:13

understand that an America our people

23:15

are working some of the longest hours of

23:18

any people in the industrialized world

23:20

and people are often exhausted they're

23:22

working 50 60 hours a week you know they

23:25

can't get away from their cell phones or

23:27

you know if you're working in a in

23:28

Factory you could be working 50 60 hours

23:31

and all that we are saying is it is time

23:34

it is time after all of those years off

23:37

all of an increase in worker

23:38

productivity to lower the work week uh

23:41

to 32 hours which by the way is

23:44

something that other countries are

23:45

leading Us in moving towards well I know

23:47

a lot of people who would uh very much

23:49

enjoy that let's finish off with this on

23:50

this same issue of companies kind of

23:53

exploiting or gouging Americans uh while

23:55

they're not doing the same thing to the

23:56

rest of the world you've launched an

23:57

investigation into Novo nordis which

23:59

manufactures OIC for example can you

24:02

speak on the extreme price differential

24:04

between what they charge in the US

24:06

versus what they charge abroad and what

24:08

can be done about it and this is an

24:09

issue more like that that impacts that

24:11

touches the entire pharmaceutical

24:13

industry the entire healthcare industry

24:15

in this country you got it it's a huge

24:16

issue we have spent a lot of time with

24:18

some success by the way I'm very happy

24:19

to say that as a result of a lot of

24:21

factors including the work done by my

24:23

committee the health education labor

24:24

committee the price for asthma in hell

24:27

is

24:28

is at the uh counter at the drugstore

24:32

counter is going to go down very

24:34

significantly to $35 a month a very

24:37

significant reduction uh but we have

24:40

much much more work to do the bottom

24:42

line here is whether it is uh

24:47

OIC uh or other drugs we in the United

24:51

States pay far far far more than the

24:54

people in countries around the world in

24:57

Canada for example and I live near the

24:59

Canadian border they pay

25:01

$155 a month uh for OIC our people are

25:05

being asked to pay uh close to

25:08

$1,000 uh and in certain European

25:10

countries it's even less than it is in

25:12

Canada and the reason for that is simply

25:15

that in our country uh by and large the

25:19

drug companies whether it's SN noris or

25:21

others can charge any price that they

25:23

want and we're beginning to change that

25:25

we're beginning to bring forth

25:26

negotiations between Medicare and the

25:29

drug companies Etc uh but right now you

25:32

have in this country a whole lot of

25:34

people with

25:35

diabetes uh uh who need uh this very

25:40

important drug uh people who are obese

25:42

who need this important drug and

25:47

they not afford it and furthermore you

25:50

can see Medicare and Medicaid spending

25:53

far far far more money uh than is

25:56

conceivable as well as state in terms of

25:59

Medicaid so we have got to demand uh

26:02

that NOA noris and Eli Lily and others

26:06

treat us the way they treat other

26:08

countries and not continue to rip off

26:10

the American people and federal

26:11

government and state government all

26:13

right well obviously I would mention

26:14

that that work really only seems to be

26:16

moving forward as long as we have

26:18

Democrats in office so you know that's

26:19

just a kind of a mention for that as we

26:21

head toward this November election

26:23

Senator Sanders thank you so much for

26:24

the work that you do and for taking the

26:26

time today well Brian thank you for the

26:27

work you doing take care

26:31

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