U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is the longest-serving independent in American congressional history. He’s made a name for himself by criticizing corporate excess and pushing for more transparency in campaign finances – he once delivered a filibuster against the extension of Bush-era tax cuts for more than eight hours. He joins us to talk about economic justice, his boycott of the recent Netanyahu speech and his thoughts about running for president in 2016.
Interview Highlights
On Running for President
"I'm thinking that a time when the middle class in this country is disappearing and we have massive income and wealth inequality, when we're the only country on earth — major country — that doesn't have health care for all, when we have a campaign finance system that is leading us to oligarchy, when climate change is threatening the entire planet – you know what I think? I think we need some candidates to stand up and represent the working families of this country and the middle class and those of us who are concerned about the environment. So to answer your question – yeah, I am thinking about running for president."
On Being a Third-Party Spoiler
"I will not be a spoiler. So one of the decisions I have to make is a) whether I run or not and b) whether you run within the Democratic primary system. I have participated in the Democratic caucus as an independent since I've been in congress and worked very closely with senator Harry Reid, who is the Democratic leader, was the chairman of the Veteran's Committee, ranking member now of the Budget Committee, so I've worked within the Democratic caucus for a long time. And that is one of the decisions I have to make. But – I will not play the role of a spoiler, that's for sure."