Bernie Sanders: The Democracy Now! Interview

[portlander23]

Bernie Sanders: The Democracy Now! Interview
Democracy Now

AMY GOODMAN: What do you think Donald Trump represents?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: I mean—

AMY GOODMAN: And who do you think he represents?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: That’s a good question, and I don’t know that I can give you a definitive answer, but this is what I think. For a start, in terms of the campaign, what he did is, as I indicated in my remarks, he touched a nerve. And it would be wrong to deny that. There are some people who think that everybody who voted for Donald Trump is a racist, a sexist or a homophobe or a xenophobe. I don’t believe that. Are those people in his camp? Absolutely. But it would be a tragic mistake to believe that everybody who voted for Donald Trump is a "deplorable." They’re not. These are people who are disgusted, and they are angry at the establishment. And the Democratic Party has not been clear enough, in my view, about telling those people, whether they are white, whether they are black, Latino, Asian American or whatever, women, gay, whatever, that we are on their side. And too often what we look at is identity. You’re a woman. Well, that’s good, but we need more women in the political process. We need more African Americans in the political process, more Latinos. No question about that. But we need people who will have the guts to stand up to the billionaire class and corporate America and fight for working families.

[Me.]

1. Let's Hope The Dems Are VERY Clear Next Time Around

That non-dems can't run under the party banner

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Let's hope they run a progressive who appeals to a huge swath of the electorate.

[synergie]

4. Like the one that won 65,844,954 votes.

Not sure if we'll ever get a candidate that qualified, or who performs that well despite the vilification by pretty much every entity out there, especially those whose thin veneer of progressivism.

[realmirage]

5. Not like the ones who can't win the electoral college

Popular vote is meaningless if we can't win the EC

[white_wolf]

7. Seriously, the popular vote does NOT matter.

Should it matter? I think so, but under the current rules, it does NOT matter. We can keep talking about Clinton's popular vote victory all we want, but it doesn't do a damn thing to address the actual problem. If we keep acting like this, we'll probably see a repeat of this election in four years' time.

[Me.]

11. Would You Say That If It Was BS Who Won Popular Vote?

[white_wolf]

15. Yeah, I would because Trump would STILL be president.

I think Sanders would have beaten Trump in the EC and popular vote, BUT if he only won the popular then it would NOT matter! Clinton SHOULD be president, but she is NOT and that is all that matters right now.

[Me.]

17. Disagree

For as much as BS was aggrieved at Clinton opposition he 'hadn't seen nothing' yet. Neither she, despite his campaign's hurt feelings and accusations of unfairness, nor Trump, leveled the big guns at him. I don't think he had a clue at what would've headed his way if he won the primary. The Cons were licking their lips.

[red dog 1]

33. + 1

[synergie]

9. So ones who won't outrage the fake progressives who refused to vote

for the only progressive candidate, despite the nazi threat? Wonder what would have happened if all the votes would have been counted, and someone had tabulated how many people wrote in a guy who was an ineligible write-in candidate. Also, where all these people who voted purity votes for a party they knew nothing about, won't support and will never ever lift a finger to help organize (despite the desperate need for this party to get a clue and figure out how to do the most basic things.)


The EC is meaningless if votes are not counted, period. So, I'd still rather one who can actually win votes and voters.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

27. Yes, I believe that's how the rules are written! Always a good idea to play the game to WIN!

[Me.]

10. Since HRC Won The POpular Vote

I'd say Mission Accomplished

[JCanete]

13. And the DNC stays relevant as the minority party in perpetuity! Score! nt

[Me.]

14. Of Course There Were No Extraneous Issues Interfering w/ The Election

And if only we had BS to keep us pure and on the right track, then we surely would've been the big winners.

[JCanete]

18. The issues interfering with the election were the issues that interfere with them every election...

big money and its media...our supposed main-stream media. You can blame Russia for its fake news, but it is nothing like our "real" news.

Whether we promote moderate "incremental change," or big change, it does not matter if we can't take the Presidency, the House and the Senate, and we can't do that if we keep pretending that we can work with the rich. They'll happily fund us and keep us around as second place, after they destroy us with their propaganda arm ever time.

If you're content with that, well....sweet.

[Me.]

19. These Are Issues With Every Election

And yet strangely, the dems do win elections. This year's elections was filled with a tsunami of factors that don't appear in every election. Another aspect of it, aside from Russians, Comey and voter suppression was the especial media bias against Clinton. And while it's convenient to think the media and the rich/billionaires were the only factors, they weren't.

[JCanete]

20. we barely win elections. When is that last time we've had control of government, nationally and

on the state level? We had a couple years with Obama, after which his hands were mostly tied, and now look what we have...oh, and what did we have before 2008, for 8 whole years? And how many good years did Bill have?


We should not need candidates as charismatic and unimpeachable as Obama to win elections. Republicans are always fairly shitty candidates, and the media does its job to overcompensate for that fact. If it hadn't been the emails it would have been something else. Or do you remember when Gore "said" he invented the internet? or when Dean went crazy in front of an audience?

[Me.]

21. Yet Gore Won Too

Until the Supremes whisked it away. Sandra Day O'Connor has since expressed regret for a wrongful decision. And the Dean scream was a media hit job. If there is a real problem w/the Dems, it's that they, for the most part, are decent and don't understand they are dealing with ruthless people who will lie cheat and steal. But you go on thinking the dems are losers. That's the sort of uplifting message that will truly inspire voters.

[JCanete]

24. argh...I was making the point that these are media hit jobs, and I have to wonder how you missed

that. Yes they are dealing with ruthless people who lie cheat and steal, and Gods be good, it better not be as you suggest, that they actually don't understand this. You're saying I'm calling our leadership losers while you put that in your post?

I think Democrats are content to play the corporate game, on the playing field as set up by the corporations, rather than railing against a rigged system that is keeping them in second place. I'm not sure why you aren't frustrated with this, given that you do see that the media does hit jobs, always against one side if you hadn't noticed that, which suggests that it has an agenda. It shouldn't be much of a stretch to see that that agenda is to support the interests of their parent companies and their advertisers. It isn't a ratings game that is driving their shitty-ness. They led with emails for two weeks! Tell me they simply capitalized on that excitingly esoteric topic's legs, rather than growing them themselves.

So yeah, Dems should kind of start calling out that cheating and stealing, don't you think?

[Me.]

38. First Off

I believe I mentioned the especial media bias against HRC, so yes I do see it. And I also called out the media hit job on Dean. And of course the Dems should call out cheating and stealing. They keep bringing a butter knife to a gun fight and that has to change. President Obama always felt that decency will win out but I think the message that you can't count on it may be seeping through. That said, I am really tired of so many, especially those who aren't even Dems, shooting their mouths off with conjecture and finger pointing when in the end that is all they will do. So yes, there is work to be done but the constant bitching about the dems which has been rampant lately by everyone is counterproductive.

[Exilednight]

25. I know someone else who spouted "Mission Accomplished" We're still cleaning up his mess.

Winning the popular vote is akin to saying your team should be champions no matter what the score says, you want your team to be champions because they have more fans. Real life doesn't work like that.

[RBInMaine]

35. The DNC has become a USELESS MISMANAGED WASTE! It needs to be drastically REFORMED!!!

[think]

3. let's hope the function and role of the DNC is clear to those in charge of it next time..

[hollowdweller]

6. I'm waiting

I'm not hearing any clear coordinated strategy yet and would love to see them do it.

[white_wolf]

8. Wait until they elect the new chairperson.

Once that's done, we'll have a clear idea of the direction of the DNC.

[Me.]

23. And To Those Dems Running

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

28. Keith Ellison understands this, make no mistake!

[bravenak]

22. ABSOLUTELY

[NWCorona]

12. IMHO the most important takeaway

"But we need people who will have the guts to stand up to the billionaire class and corporate America and fight for working families. "

[Luminous_Animal]

16. That was a very good interview. Well worth reading the whole thing.

[raging moderate]

26. How do Trump voters MISS the fact that he IS the establishment?

Why do they call him a populist when he is clearly an elitist?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

30. The ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing... baaaaaad!

[raging moderate]

32. Boy, you said it!

I think it must be mass hypnosis. Maybe the rest of us just were distracted by a passing bird when the flashy thingy went off.

[RBInMaine]

36. Except the STUPID question about going 3rd party which is walking to your own political execution.

Goodman needs to stop being such an outrageous FLAKE on that one, and that goes for anyone else who seriously thinks like that. The Greens will never ever ever ever ever win nationally as they are ideologically and organizationally IRRELEVANT!! All they are is a bunch of ridiculous pie in the ski fringe spoilers.

Fix the Dem Party and enough of the INSANE and STUPID 3rd party talk!!! Fuck that to TEARS!!!

[RBInMaine]

37. Because they are not being TOLD he is an elitist. AGAIN, you have to MESSAGE TO PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

[zippythepinhead]

29. FYI

Democrocy now is on the cable channell "Link"


















[block quote]

[Throck]

31. I so miss Bernie.

[red dog 1]

34. K&R...Thanks for posting

As a regular listener to Democracy Now, I heard the entire interview with Bernie Sanders.

For me, the most important part was this:

BERNIE:
"Trump sent out a tweet where he says: 'I am the only Republican candidate for president who will not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.'
Right? Well believe me, every American, every person in this country, if I have anything to say about it, will know precisely what is going on with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, because, as you've indicated, they are beginning to appoint people who are typical right-wing Republicans who want to privatize and cut Social Security. And our job - and we've got it.
We've got every statement that Trump made during this campaign. And we are going to hold him accountable.."

[raging moderate]

39. What if it IS mass hypnosis?

Subliminal messages, flashed during popular programs? Subtle nudges toward a certain conclusion? Perhaps some people just get missed because they somehow don't watch those shows? It wouldn't have to be Fox. It could be something that is otherwise quite innocuous.