According to Mediate, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took to the Sunday political talk show circuit, a day after delivering a resounding endorsement of President Joe Biden’s bid for reelection during a speech at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics. Sanders used his address to emphasize his desire to combat right-wing extremism and underscored his alignment with Biden on this critical goal. Additionally, he called for both political parties to address the concerns of the working-class populace, urging a more comprehensive approach to meeting their needs.
While Sanders’s endorsement of Biden carried a strong message, his trip to New Hampshire garnered attention, particularly given the headline on the Drudge Report, which read, “Dem Drama: Bernie to NH.” The headline suggested intrigue surrounding Sanders’s appearance despite his public support for Biden.
During an interview on CNN with Dana Bash, Sanders responded to recent criticism from his close ally Cornel West, who in the general election could face Donald Trump and Joe Biden. West had expressed concern over Sanders’s endorsement of Biden’s reelection, questioning the portrayal of Biden’s economic achievements as the best possible outcome.
In response, Sanders acknowledged West’s differing viewpoint, emphasizing that the current state of the economy falls short of its potential. Sanders reiterated his stance on the need for significant changes, including guaranteeing healthcare as a right, reducing prescription drug costs, increasing the minimum wage, and addressing affordable housing shortages.
However, Sanders diverged from West’s assessment, maintaining that these challenging times necessitate a unified front against potential threats to democracy. Sanders highlighted the danger posed by Donald Trump, characterizing him as an opponent of democratic values. Despite policy disagreements, Sanders affirmed the urgency of rallying the progressive community to defeat Trump or any Republican nominee. He emphasized that supporting Biden is crucial, but he also called on the Democratic Party to confront issues of corporate greed and wealth inequality.
“I love the brother. And, you know, even in love, people have deep disagreements about these things. But I think, again, he’s he’s fearful of the neofascism of Trump. People look at Biden, they don’t really want to tell the full truth. He’s created the best economy that we can get. Is this the best that we can get? You’re going to tell that lie to the people? Just for Biden to win,” West said in the clip from earlier in the month.
“What’s your reaction to that?” Bash asked.
“Well, my reaction is that it certainly is not the best economy that we can create. That was my speech was about yesterday. We’ve got to join the rest of the industrialized world, guarantee health care as a right. To cut the cost of prescription drugs in half. We’ve got to raise the minimum wage to at least 17 bucks an hour. We’ve got to build the affordable housing we desperately need,” Sanders replied.
“But where I disagree with my good friend Cornel West is, I think, in these really very difficult times where there is a real question whether democracy is going to remain in the United States of America,” Sanders continued, adding:
You know, Donald Trump is not somebody who believes in democracy. Whether women are going to be able to continue to control their own bodies or whether we have social justice in America, we end bigotry. Around that I think we have got to bring the entire progressive community out to defeat Trump or whoever the Republican nominee will be support Biden. But at the same time, which is what I did yesterday, is demand that the Democratic Party, not just Biden, have the guts to take on corporate greed and the massive levels of income and wealth inequality that we see today.
