On Wednesday’s broadcast of WBUR’s “Here and Now,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) responded to arguments from the Editorial Board of The New York Times that Democrats moved too far to the left on social issues by stating that the NYT Editorial Board “represents the establishment.”
Co-host Robin Young said, “[T]he New York Times Editorial Board recently argued that Democrats moved too far to the left on social issues.”
Sanders cut in to respond, “Well, I know. The New York Times Editorial Board represents the establishment. That’s what they represent.”
Young then cut in to ask, “I hear constantly from people who are progressive who say they truly didn’t understand, for instance, how transgender women would play in sports or they truly were uncomfortable with the pro-Gaza movements that also seemed, to them, to threaten the future of Israel with chants like, from the river to the sea, meaning get rid of Israel. But if they dared raise their voice and ask any questions like that, they were shut down. Do you think the party needs to listen more?”
Sanders responded, “Well, of course, the party needs to listen more. There’s a lot to be proud of. They have led the way in the right for women to control their own body — something which is under attack right now — led the way for gay rights, led the way to fight against bigotry in general, civil rights. But I’ll tell you what Democrats should not be proud of: And that is, in the richest country in the history of the world, 60% of the American people living paycheck-to-paycheck. In America today, one guy, Elon Musk, owns more wealth than the bottom 53% of American households. We’re the only major country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee health care to all people, despite spending twice as much as most countries. And 60,000 people a year die because they don’t get to a doctor on time. In other words, what the Democratic Party has not done is paid attention to the working class, and they paid a political price for that.”
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