During a town hall on CNN on Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) discussed the government shutdown and said that “what all of this is about is, do the American people come together and demand that we have a government that represents all of us, or just wealthy campaign contributors? That is, essentially, what this whole fight is about. And, right now, health care is in the middle of it. But there are a lot of other issues.” And stated that “if there was ever a time in American history where we have got to stand up and fight for working families, fight to prevent authoritarianism taking place in this country, this is the moment.”
Host Kaitlan Collins said, “[I]n a CNN story the other day, there was a senior Democratic aide who told CNN last week that Democrats won’t back down on their demands here short of, ‘planes falling out of the sky.’”
Sanders responded, “That’s obviously unacceptable. Look, what we are dealing with is an unprecedented moment in American history, alright? So, it’s not only a debate about whether or not we can save health care for tens and tens of millions of Americans. It’s also a broader issue. And that issue is whether or not we will accept the reality that a handful of very, very wealthy people are now making out like bandits, while 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. So I think what we are saying is that now is the time, not just on health care, but all across the spectrum, people can’t afford groceries. The housing crisis is enormous. People are paying 40, 50% of their limited incomes for housing, and all the while, while working-class families are struggling to put food on the table, Trump gives his billionaire friends huge tax breaks and they are getting richer and richer. So what all of this is about is, do the American people come together and demand that we have a government that represents all of us, or just wealthy campaign contributors? That is, essentially, what this whole fight is about. And, right now, health care is in the middle of it. But there are a lot of other issues. I worry very much — and Alexandria and I were on the road talking about this issue — that we are increasingly becoming an oligarchic form of society, where a very small number of people not only control our economy, but, through their campaign contributions, have huge influence over both political parties. And if there was ever a time in American history where we have got to stand up and fight for working families, fight to prevent authoritarianism taking place in this country, this is the moment.”
Collins then asked, “But you’re saying it’s bigger than just about health care?”
Sanders answered, “Health care is huge. When 50,000 people a year may die because of Trump’s cuts, that, in itself, is huge. But the issue is even broader than that. It’s, do you have a government that represents you and you, or a government that represents billionaires who want more and more tax breaks and more and more favors from the government? That’s really what the struggle is about.”
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