>> Stephen: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WELCOME BACK.
FOLKS-- OH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OH, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN
I'M HERE TO TELL YOU, YOU KNOW-- YOU KNOW AND LOVE MY NEXT GUEST
FROM HIS 2016 PRESIDENTIAL RUN, HIS WORK AS A SENATOR, AND FROM
THE TRA MOVIES, PLEASE WELCOME SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS.
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: SENATE, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> Audience: BERNIE!
BERNIE!
>> Stephen: WOW.
WOW.
EVERYWHERE YOU GO, RIGHT?
EVERYWHERE YOU GO, OTHER THAN THE SENATE.
YOUR VERMONT PRIMARY WAS TODAY, OKAY.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
( LAUGHTER ) SHOULDN'T YOU BE--
>> WELL, I VOTED EYE VOTED IN THE MORNING.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> I WAS AROUND THE STATE THE OTHER DAY.
I THINK WE WILL DO JUST FINE.
>> Stephen: OKAY, NO WORRIES.
( APPLAUSE ) BECAUSE YOU DON'T-- YOU DON'T
WANT TO PULL A CROWLEY HERE.
>> NO, WE DON'T.
>> Stephen: THAT WAS A SURPRISE.
CROWLEY DIDN'T THINK HE HAD TO CAMPAIGN HARD ENOUGH AND
ORCARSIO-CORTEZ CAME IN AND CLEANED HIS CLOCK.
>> AND THAT WAS A GOOD THING, TOO.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, YOU HAVE BEEN CAMPAIGNING WITH-- SHE
USED TO WORK FOR YOU, ACTUALLY, FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN.
AND YOU'VE BEEN OUT THERE WITH ALEXANDRIA ORTAWZIO-ORTEZ RIGHT
THERE.
BOTH OF YOU IDENTIFY AS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> I THINK IT MEANS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT IF YOU WORK 40
HOURS A WEEK IN THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE HISTORY OF THE
WORLD, YOU SHOULD BE EARNING A LIVING WAGE, 15 BUCKS AN HOUR.
THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS.
( APPLAUSE ) IT MEANS-- IT MEANS-- IT MEANS,
STEPHEN, IT MEANS THAT WE END THE INTERNATIONAL DISGRACE OF
THE UNITED STATES BEING THE ONLY MAJOR COUNTRY ON EARTH NOT TO
GUARANTEE HEALTH CARE TO ALL PEOPLE AS A RIGHT WHILE WE END
UP SPENDING TWICE AS MUCH PER CAPITA ON HEALTH CARE AS ANY
OTHER MAJOR NATION.
( APPLAUSE ) IT-- IT MEANS THAT WE UNDERSTAND
THAT THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY ARE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND THAT
IT IS INSANE THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BRIGHT YOUNG KIDS
CANNOT AFFORD TO GO TO COLLEGE BECAUSE OF THE INCOME OF THEIR
FAMILIES, AND MANY OTHERS ARE LEAVING SCHOOL DEEPLY IN DEBT,
AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
TUITION FREE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND IT-- AND IT MEANS THAT ITS
GLOBAL CITIZENS, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WE HAVE A MORAL
OBLIGATION TO LEAVE A HEALTHY PLANET TO OUR CHILDREN AND
GRANDCHILDREN.
WE'RE GOING TO STAND UP TO TRUMP, AND WE'RE GOING TO
TRANSFORM OUR ENERGY SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY AWAY FROM FOSSIL
FUEL TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGYS.
THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: OKAY, SO, OTHER
PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ESPOUSED THOSE IDEAS WITHOUT
CALLING THEMSELVES SOCIALISTS.
EVER SINCE THE NEW DEAL AND CERTAINLY SINCE THE GREAT
SOCIETY, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE
SOCIAL SAFETY NET AND ESSENTIALLY BEEN SOCIALISM
CURIOUS.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT WHY DO YOU NEED TO CALL
YOURSELF STOACIALIST, BECAUSE THAT HAS SUCH-- THAT'S FREIGHTED
WITH SO MUCH NEGATIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> I'LL TELL YOU WHY.
>> Stephen: I'M JUST SAYING THAT, PEOPLE ARE VERY EXCITED
ABOUT ORCARSIO-ORCEZ, I'VE HAD HER IN THE SE SEAT.
BUT THE PEOPLE SHE CAMPAIGNED DID NOT WIN THEIR PRIMARIES.
ONLY HALF THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CAMPAIGNED FOR HAVE WON THEIR
PRIMARIES. MAYBE THERE'S A TAINT OF SOCIALISM THAT TURNS
PEOPLE OFF.
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK THE IDEAS WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, ALMOST WITHOUT
EXCEPTION, STEPHEN, ARE NOW IDEAS THAT ARE MAINSTREAM IDEAS
THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AND I THINK, ALSO, PEOPLE IN THEIR GUT UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE
LIVING IN A REALLY STRANGE MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY,
ABOVE AND BEYOND DONALD TRUMP-- WHICH IS VERY STRANGE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WHAT IS STRANGER THAN DONALD TRUMP?
WHAT IS STRANGER-- >> THIS IS WHAT MIGHT BE--
( LAUGHTER ) MIGHT BE STRANGER IS THAT WE'RE
LOOKING AT A TIME WHERE WE HAVE AN OUT-OF-CONTROL CAPITALISM,
WHERE THE GREED OF THE PEOPLE ON TOP IS REALLY UNBELIEVABLE.
I MEAN--
RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW, IN AMERICA, YOU'VE GOT THREE PEOPLE
WHO OWN MORE WEALTH THAN THE BOTTOM 50% OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
YOU'VE GOT THE ONE-TENTH OF 1% OWNING MORE WEALTH THAN THE
BOTTOM.
YOU HAVE ONE GUY, JEFF BASISOS, OF AMAZON, HIS WEALTH IS
INCREASING EVERY SINGLE DAY BY $250 MILLION A DAY, BUT HE PAYS
HIS WORKERS-- MANY OF HIS WORKERS-- WAGES THAT ARE SO LOW
THAT MANY OF THEM ARE ON FOOD STAMPS OR MEDICAID.
YOU'VE GOT A SITUATION TODAY WHERE THE BIG-MONEY INTERESTS
CAN NOW CONTRIBUTE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
INTO ELECTIONS SOELECT CANDIDATES WHO REPRESENT THE
WEALTHWEALTHET AND POWERFUL, WHI SURND MINING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF THE GREED AND THE POWER
OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE ON TOP.
THEY WANT A GOVERNMENT WHICH REPRESENTS ALL OF US, NOT JUST
THE 1%.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, WHO DO YOU--
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I THINK-- I THINK ALL THAT IS
WELL TAKEN.
WHO DO YOU BLAME?
DO YOU THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS DO A BETTER JOB OF STAIRING DOWN
BIG MONEY AND CORPORATIONS AND THE EXCESSES OF LATE-STAGE
CAPITALISM, AS MANY PEOPLE CALL IT?
OR DO YOU BLAME THE REPUBLICANS TOTALLY FOR THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK WHAT WE VANOW IS A REPUBLICAN PARTY WHICH IN
THE LAST 30 YEARS HAS MOVED VERY, VERY FAR TO THE RIGHT.
YOU HAVE THE KOCH BROTHERS, ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST FAMILIES IN
THIS PARTY WHAT'S IDEOLOGY IS THE IDEOLOGY OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY AND TRUMP.
YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT, IN DONALD TRUMP, WHO CAMPAIGN-- IT'S NOT
FORGET-- TOLD THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HE WOULD NOT CUT SOCIAL
SECURITY, MEDICARE, AND MEDICAID.
AND THEN BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IN THIS TRUMP EDOLOGY, HE BROUGHT A
BUDGET FORWARD WHICH CALLED FOR A $1 TRILLION CUTS IN MEDICAID.
HE CALLED FOR $500 BILLION IN MEDICARE, AND $60 BILLION IN THE
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY FUND.
THIS IS AFTER HE GAVE $1 TRILLION IN TAX BREAKS TO THE
TOP 1% OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD.
>> Stephen: BUT THE DEMOCRATS ARE ALSO SEEM BEHOLDEN TO BIG
MONEY, TOO.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT LIKE THEY TURN DOWN THE CHECKS.
>> YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
AND I THINK THAT WHAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO, WHAT
ALEXANDRIA IS TRYING TO DO, IS TO TRANSFORM THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY SO THAT THEY OPEN THEIR DOORS TO YOUNG PEOPLE AND
WORKING PEOPLE AND BECOMING A PARTY OF ORDINARY AMERICANS, NOT
JUST BIG-MONEY INTEREST.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON REALLY HARD.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IF THINGS ARE.
>> -- >> AND LET ME JUST-- LET ME JUST
SAY, STEPHEN, ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME, OFTEN WOMEN,
PEOPLE OF COLOR, YOUNG PEOPLE-- RUNNING FOR OFFICE FROM SCHOOL
BOARD-- OR IN THE CASE OF ALEXANDRIA, TO THE U.S.
CONGRESS.
AND NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT MANY OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY WINNING.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK, BUT WE'LL BE RIGHT
BACK WITH MORE SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS.