Bernie Sanders on the Corporate Threat to American Democracy

[Donkees]

In a press conference, the senator focused on the “wealthy and powerful special interests” spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to defeat the Democratic spending bill.

By Aída Chávez YESTERDAY 4:49 PM


Bernie Sanders Spending Bill
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a pen-and-pad news conference at the US Capitol on October 8, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Senator Bernie Sanders wants the public to know that the fight to pass Democrats’ $3.5 trillion social spending bill isn’t just about meeting the needs of working-class families and combating the climate crisis—it’s about “the future of American democracy” and whether oligarchs will be successful in defeating a popular agenda.

In a pen-and-pad briefing with reporters on Friday, Sanders focused on the “wealthy and powerful special interests” spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to defeat the bill, urging the Capitol Hill press corps to reconsider horse-race coverage and instead think about what’s really at stake.

“Do you live in a democratic society?” Sanders said. “What kind of society are you living in, where you have three paid lobbyists for every member of the United States Congress? And you got lobbying firms led by former Democratic leaders, Republican leaders working overtime to try to defeat this legislation.”

And then, he added, you have the fossil fuel industry, the health care industry, and the wealthiest people in the country spending millions to defeat it.

He continued to criticize Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona for obstructing legislation that the American people, the president, and an overwhelming majority of the Democratic caucus want. When asked if he needs to sit down in a room with Manchin and Sinema to negotiate a deal that makes everyone happy, Sanders replied, “I don’t know if you’re a movie writer—this is not a movie.”

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-spending-bill/

[HUAJIAO]

1. Sanders has been speaking the truth for decades.

[JudyM]

2. Potent last line about being a movie writer. That's stark.