RUNNER? WE SPOKE TO THE HEAD OF THE
SOCIALIST MANIFESTO TO GET HIS
TAKE.
TAKE. WHAT DO YOU CREDIT BERNIE’S RISE
TO?
TO? >> I THINK A LOT OF THIS IS
ECONOMIC FRUSTRATION.
ECONOMIC FRUSTRATION. IF YOU LOOK AT AMERICAN WORKERS,
WE’RE WORKING LONGER HOURS THAN
OUR PARENTS WERE.
AND WE’RE TOLD WE’RE NOT DOING
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. WE’RE TOLD THAT SOMETHING LIKE
THE OPIOID CRISIS IS OUR FAULT.
IT’S OUR FAULT WE’RE
ACCUMULATING MEDICAL DEBT.
AND THERE’S A FEAR AMONG PEOPLE
THEY’RE PLAYING BY THE RULES AND
STILL NOT GETTING AHEAD.
>> IS IT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
BERNIE SANDERS TO MAYBE BRING
SOME OF THOSE TRUMP VOTERS OVER
TO HIS SIDE WHO MAYBE SHARE SOME
OF THOSE SAME FRUSTRATIONS?
>> ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT
TRUMP WAS GOING TO OFFER
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THE THING WE NEED TO DRIVE HOME
IS THAT TRUMP IN POWER, THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IN POWER IS TAX
CUTS FOR THE RICH PEOPLE.
IT’S NOT HELPING ORDINARY
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> BUT SOCIALISM, THAT TERM IS A
TOUCHY TERM IN AMERICA.
>> I THINK FOR MOST PEOPLE, THEY
JUST DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT
MEANS.
MEANS. I THINK BECAUSE OF THE RIGHT HAS
KIND OF CRIED WOLF SO MANY
TIMES.
TIMES. THEY’D CALL THAT SOCIALISM.
AT THIS POINT, THEY REALLY NEED
TO TELL PEOPLE, WELL, THAT’S NOT
EXACTLY SOCIALISM.
EXACTLY SOCIALISM. BUT IT IS A REDISTRIBUTIVE
PROGRAM THAT WILL HELP YOUR
LIVES.
LIVES. AND PEOPLE AREN’T AFRAID OF IT
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. >> BECAUSE THE TERM SOCIALISM
HAS BEEN THROWN AROUND ON THE
LEFT AND ON THE RIGHT IN SO MANY
DIFFERENT WAYS, LET’S GET BACK
TO SOME BASICS.
LET’S START WITH DEFINING
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM.
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM. >> DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS BELIEVE
THAT DEMOCRACY IS A GOOD THING.
AND IF IT’S A GOOD THING IN THE
POLITICAL SPHERE, WHY DON’T WE
ALSO HAVE IT IN THE ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL SPHERES AS WELL?
SO WHAT WOULD IT MEAN IF WE
COULD COMBINE THE EXISTING
SYSTEM WITH A JOBS GUARANTEE?
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN IF INSTEAD OF
JUST HAVING THE RIGHT TO
PURCHASE HEALTH INSURANCE, WE
HAVE THE RIGHT TO JUST RECEIVE
HEALTH CARE WHEN WE NEED IT?
AND WE THINK THAT IF YOU GET
THESE BASIC LEVELS OF RIGHTS
THAT ORDINARY PEOPLE WILL BE
ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE MORE TO
SOCIETY AND THEY’LL CONTRIBUTE
TO CREATING THE WEALTH AND
PROSPERITY WILL ALLOW US TO GIVE
THESE RIGHTS TO OTHER PEOPLE AS
WELL.
WELL. >> CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THE
HISTORY OF THIS MOVEMENT IN THE
UNITED STATES?
UNITED STATES? >> IN THE AMERICAN TRADITION,
THERE’S ALWAYS THE STRAIN OF
LABOR REPUBLICANISM.
LABOR REPUBLICANISM. THIS IDEA THAT AMERICA SHOULD BE
A COUNTRY BASED ON FREE SOIL.
THERE WAS ALWAYS A STREAK OF
SELF-IDENTIFIED SOCIALIST.
SELF-IDENTIFIED SOCIALIST. THEY WERE INVOLVED IN THE
CREATION OF OUR EARLY UNIONS.
IN THE 1960s, SOME OF THE
LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT FOR
CIVIL RIGHTS EVEN MARTIN LUTHER
KING LATER IN HIS LIFE WERE ALL
SELF-DESCRIBED SOCIALISTS.
SELF-DESCRIBED SOCIALISTS. WE NEVER HAD OUR OWN INDEPENDENT
LABOR PARTY.
LABOR PARTY. SO WE WERE FORCED COALITIONS
WITH THE MOST PROGRESSIVE OF
LIBERALS.
LIBERALS. I THINK WHAT YOU’RE SEEING WITH
THE BERNIE SANDERS MOVEMENT IS
THE RECREATION OF THIS ALLIANCE.
>> WHEN I’VE BEEN TRAVELING TO
THE COUNTRY AND TALKING TO
VOTERS, EVEN MODERATE
REPUBLICANS WHO DO NOT LIKE
TRUMP AND ARE INTERESTED IN
MAYBE VOTING FOR A DEMOCRAT,
WHAT I HEAR FROM A LOT OF THEM
IS BERNIE SANDERS AND ELIZABETH
WARREN, WE JUST CAN’T.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE
TALKING ABOUT SOCIALISM.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE
MODERATES THAT ARE PRETTY
TERRIFIED OF A SANDERS
NOMINATION?
NOMINATION? >> THE CORE OF THE PROGRAM IS,
IN FACT, QUITE POPULAR.
I THINK ONE WAY TO THINK ABOUT
SANDERS IS NOT AS THIS CRAZY
RADICAL.
RADICAL. BUT AS SOMEONE WHO HAS A
COALITION THAT RESEMBLES A NEW
OBAMA COALITION.
OBAMA COALITION. LOTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE.
A BUNCH OF VOTERS THAT HAVEN’T
BEEN TURNED OUT IN THE PAST,
YOUNGER LATINO VOTERS.
AND LOWER INCOME VOTERS.
I THINK A LOT OF TRUMP VOTERS
WHO VOTED FOR THEM IN 2016 WON’T
NECESSARILY BE TURNING OUT AGAIN
FOR HIM.
FOR HIM. IF YOU DON’T WANT TRUMP IN THE
WHITE HOUSE, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT
THERE, KNOCK ON DOORS, AND TALK
TO PEOPLE.
TO PEOPLE. YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT NON-BALLOT
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. >> IN THIS TERM, DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISM, IS IT HELPING OR
HURTING SANDERS?
HURTING SANDERS? >> IT’S MEANINGLESS TO MOST
AMERICANS AND WILL REMAIN
MEANINGLESS UNTIL WE ACTUALLY
CONNECT THIS TERM WITH
DAY-TO-DAY IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR
LIVES.
LIVES. BERNIE SANDERS’ RHETORIC IS
REPETITIVE.
REPETITIVE. IT’S THE SAME THING OVER AND
OVER AGAIN.
OVER AGAIN. YOU LOOK AT THESE OTHER
DEMOCRATS, EVEN DEMOCRATS THAT I
LIKE.
LIKE. THEY’RE RUNNING ON A LAUNDRY
LIST OF POLICIES.
WHERE IS THE NARRATIVE?
WHERE IS THE ANGER?
WHERE IS THE PASSION?