Bernie Sanders Explains Why Voters 'Should Have A Distrust' In Government

Forbes Breaking News

Speaking to CNN's Dana Bash, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was asked about voters being skeptical of government.

Transcript

00:00What makes you so sure that the solution that you're offering, which is a more assertive

00:05federal government, is something that is going to fly in places where people have been voting

00:12in recent years, Republican, and have an inherent distrust of government?

00:18Well, they should, and they should have a distrust for a number of reasons.

00:23The government is too bureaucratic and not responsive, but, and let me tell you what

00:31I'm sure you already know, is that if you look at the polling, and I asked the people here

00:36today, you heard me ask.

00:37Anybody here think that the American health care system is vaguely effective?

00:45Nobody in America thinks it's working.

00:48We spend twice as much as other countries, 85 million uninsured or underinsured, 60,000

00:53people die a year because they can't get to a doctor on time.

00:56Do you think that in America, with all of our genius, all of our capabilities, we spending

01:01so much money cannot provide a high quality system that guarantees health care to all

01:05people?

01:06And do you think people here don't know that?

01:08They know.

01:08They know we can do it.

01:10Throughout Europe and other countries, you don't have to leave college 50, 100,000 dollars

01:15in debt, or half a million dollars in debt if you're going to medical school.

01:19That makes zero sense.

01:20So look, let's be clear in the message of tonight and what I will continue to give.

01:25You have a government today that is run by the wealthiest people in this country.

01:30They are extremely greedy people.

01:33They want it all.

01:34And we've got to stand up to them.

01:36Unfortunately, for many decades, that has not been the Democratic Party.

01:40And that has got to change.

01:42I'm sure you've heard about some Democrats who are talking about embracing the so-called

01:47abundance movement, the idea that liberal politicians have created too much regulatory red tape, and

01:54it stops government from getting anything done.

01:58I spoke recently to Democratic Congressman Richie Torres, who said that Democrats shouldn't

02:02be the party of more government, but the party of better, cheaper, and faster government.

02:08What do you make of that idea?

02:09Well, I think that it is clear.

02:11Look, I deal with bureaucracy every day at the federal level, at the state level, at the

02:15local level.

02:15It's absolutely true.

02:17To build a house, to do this, do that, you have to go through all kinds of things.

02:22To apply for, you know, Medicare, you've got to fill out 87 forms.

02:25Dealing with your insurance companies, you've got to fill out a million forms.

02:27We live in a world which is much, much too complicated.

02:31So if the goal is to make sure that within environmental safeguards, we can move forward

02:37much faster, the answer is yes.

02:39But that is not the fundamental problem facing America.

02:42The fundamental problem facing America is that you've got a handful of oligarchs who have

02:47enormous wealth, enormous economic power, enormous political power, and they want even more.

02:53That is the fundamental issue.

02:54Should we make government more efficient?

02:56Absolutely.

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