Senator Bernie Sanders has come out in support of Representative Thomas Massie after Massie lost the record-breaking Kentucky Republican primary race. Sanders claimed Massie was massively outspent by AIPAC and Trump-aligned megadonors because he challenged Donald Trump’s agenda and opposed unconditional military aid linked to Gaza policies. Sanders also slammed billionaire-funded super PACs for influencing elections and renewed calls for campaign finance reform as debate over foreign policy and political money intensifies in Washington.
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#BernieSanders #ThomasMassie #TrumpVsMassie #AIPAC #KentuckyPrimary #GOPPrimary #USPolitics #CampaignFinance #PoliticalNews #BernieVsTrump #MassieDefeat #SuperPACs #GazaPolicy #ForeignAidDebate #BreakingNews #RepublicanPolitics #ElectionMoney
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NewsTranscript
00:00Here is the political reality of today, a reality that we just saw yesterday in the
00:07election in Kentucky, when Congressman Thomas Massey, somebody who I have very little in
00:14common with politically, was defeated by $9 million in contributions from AIPAC and $7
00:22million from Trump mega-donors.
00:24And what was the great crime that Massey committed that gendered so much super PAC money in opposition
00:34to him?
00:35Well, he opposed the war in Iran, and so do the vast majority of the American people.
00:42He demanded that the Epstein files be opened, which is what the American people have wanted,
00:48and he refused, what a crime, what an outrage, to be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump.
00:56Does anyone believe we are in anything resembling a true democracy when in the 2026 cycle, right
01:05now, AI, crypto, and AIPAC-aligned super PACs will be spending many, many hundreds of millions
01:15millions of dollars to protect their interests.
01:18Here is the political reality of today, a reality that we just saw yesterday in the election
01:26in Kentucky, when Congressman Thomas Massey, somebody who I have very little in common with
01:33politically, was defeated by $9 million in contributions from AIPAC and $7 million from Trump mega-donors.
01:43And what was the great crime that Massey committed that gendered so much super PAC money in opposition
01:53to him?
01:53Well, he opposed the war in Iran, and so do the vast majority of the American people.
02:00He demanded that the Epstein files be opened, which is what the American people have wanted,
02:06and he refused.
02:08And he refused, what a crime, what an outrage, to be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump.
02:14Let's be honest.
02:15The reality is that any candidate today who stands up to the AI industry, to crypto, to AIPAC,
02:23and other special interests will be hit with an onslaught of TV ads and social media attacks
02:30paid for by the richest people in this country.
02:34As all of us know, 16 years ago, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court in the Citizens United
02:42case issued one of the most disastrous decisions in the history of our country.
02:48Since Citizens United, billionaires and large corporations have poured huge amounts of money
02:54into the political process and, in return, are getting policies that serve their interests
03:01at the expense of working families, the environment, and a decent foreign policy.
03:07That is a major reason why the very, very rich in America are getting richer while working families are struggling.
03:15If we're going to create a government that works for all and not just the 1%, we have to end
03:21Citizens United.
03:22We have to get Super PACs out of elections, and in my view, we have to move to public funding
03:27of elections.
03:29Today, the legislation that Representative Lee and I are introducing begins to do just that.
03:35Specifically, the Abolish Super PACs Act would limit individual Super PAC contributions to $5,000.
03:44Billionaires would not be able to pour huge amounts of money into Super PACs.
03:48And it would end the era of unlimited spending and put power back into the hands of the people.
03:56Way back in 1933, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis made a very profound statement.
04:03He said, quote, we can have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands
04:10of a few, but we cannot have both, end quote.
04:14What Brandeis said back then was correct. It is even more accurate today.
04:20For the sake of our democracy, for the sake of an economy that works for working people and not just
04:26the very rich, we must ban Super PACs and get big money out of politics.
04:31It is my pleasure to introduce Congresswoman Sutherland Lee.
04:38Thank you so much.
04:39Senator Sanders, it is, and I believe, one of the most important issues that we could work on right now.
04:47In fact, there's very little more that we can say or need to say, but really what we need to
04:54accept is that if we don't do something about big money in politics, we will have no democracy to fight
05:00for anymore.
05:01I'm Summer Lee, Congresswoman for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.
05:04Last year, we introduced on the House side, I introduced the Abolish Super PACs Act because this is a foundational
05:12issue facing our democracy.
05:14Today, we will ensure that we have bicameral introduction here in the Senate side because we can't afford to wait
05:22a single second longer.
05:24The senator talks about it. Yesterday, we saw another record break, the most expensive house race in the history of
05:32the United States.
05:33That comes just two years, very predictably, after the last time that we had the most expensive house race in
05:41the history of the United States.
05:42And this is just the beginning. What we see more and more and more are big moneyed interests, whatever those
05:49interests may be.
05:51It may be this year or this cycle, maybe APAC or crypto or AI PACs.
05:57It may be an individual like your Jeff Yasses in Pennsylvania or Paul Singer or Elon Musk.
06:04But whoever it is, it's never the interest of actual working class people.
06:10For decades, we have watched as Republicans have worked to enshrine minority role by investing in the courts and shaping
06:18the judiciary,
06:19stacking it with judges who will protect the wealthy and the powerful and never the people.
06:25We've also seen a huge decline in our Democratic safeguards.
06:30Most recently, we've seen the courts completely almost completely gut the fundamental right to vote itself through dismantling the Voting
06:38Rights Act,
06:39through gerrymandering, through voter ID laws, through closing polling locations in black and brown communities and through making it harder
06:47to register to vote in the first place,
06:49harder to cast a ballot, harder, harder, harder to have that ballot count.
06:55And we are seeing the court suppress representation through campaign finance.
06:59Like when we saw Citizens United open the floodgates to dark money pouring into our elections, drowning out the voices
07:07of working people.
07:08Listen, this is a simple issue. When we talk about what Americans actually want, there always is a gap,
07:14a disconnect between the people in power and the people who are waiting for power to move on their behalf.
07:21We hear it every single election cycle, everyday Americans who are urgent about our climate crisis,
07:28or who are begging for educational equity, for public education in the wealthiest nation on earth,
07:34who are begging for Medicare for all, who are watching their loved ones, who are maybe themselves having to choose
07:40between
07:40their prescription drug costs or a medical bill or their dental bill or their rent or their mortgage or their
07:47groceries or their gas prices.
07:49We're watching Americans who are watching our government continuously fall short on its charge to make sure that the least
07:58of these,
07:59that the most vulnerable, that working class people have the protections, the rights that they need.
08:03And when you look at the core of it, the foundation of why we are here, it is because at
08:07the end of the day,
08:08your members of Congress or your senators are more inclined to have to answer to money interest than they are
08:13to their constituents.
08:14Because more often than not, it isn't just the money that pours into the campaigns themselves, but that money follows
08:21them every step of their career.
08:23From the time that they first pledged to run, to their inauguration or their swearing in, to every vote they
08:30take on the floor.
08:31It's a money interest that's on the floor with a member of Congress, never the person who is suffering because
08:36of the policy decisions we make.
08:38And that has a simple solution. I don't want to minimize it. But there is a solution.
08:45Our bill would ensure that millionaires, billionaires, corporations, corporate interests, special interests would no longer be able to get around
08:52the guardrails,
08:53the limitations that everyday individuals like you and I have.
08:56They'll no longer be able to get around the thirty five hundred dollar limit because thirty five hundred dollars.
09:03That's not a little bit of money or five thousand dollars for a pack.
09:06They would have the same limitations as everybody else effectively, effectively ensuring that they would no longer be able to
09:13pour money into these dark super PACs that oftentimes have no accountability.
09:17They have no accountability to people, no transparency.
09:21And they're able to essentially spend limitless money in our elections.
09:26They would have to work like everybody else.
09:28It would essentially free our democracy, free our campaigns and ensure that voters are able to pick their representatives and
09:36not their representatives pick them.
09:37It is critically important that we move on this bill.
09:40Yes. Ending Citizens United is our ultimate goal.
09:42And we recognize that there are many steps to that.
09:44But right now we can take a step to ensure that super PACs and super billionaires are no longer able
09:49to buy our election.
09:51And we have to call it what it is. If we will have a democracy, we have to reject an
09:55oligarchy.
09:56If we're going to have a democracy, we have to reject big money interests, overwhelming the everyday people in my
10:03district and Senator Sanders districts and every district in between.
10:06And that's why I think it's important that this be our priority, that Democrats and Republicans should get behind this.
10:13As we saw, it does not discriminate whether you are a Republican, sometimes most as an independent or a Democrat,
10:20who sometimes most as an independent and everyone else.
10:22Money and politics keeps us from having a representative democracy.
10:26And this is why I believe this is the most important issue that we're facing.
10:29So I thank the senator and we look forward to working to get this one over the finish line.
10:34Democracy relies on it.
10:36Thank you very, very much, Congresswoman.
10:40Let me just reiterate what you just said, the most important point.
10:44People are wondering why we are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee health care.
10:49Why we have an insane $7.25 an hour minimum wage.
10:53Why we're doing very little on climate change, et cetera, et cetera.
10:57And there is one simple reason.
10:59And what she said is, this is the most important reason.
11:03You do have a government that works very hard for the billionaires.
11:08And what Summer and I are saying is that maybe, just maybe, we should have a government that works for
11:13working people, not wealthy campaign contributors.
11:16All right, any questions?
11:17Yes, sir.
11:19Given that these large money super PACs, the corporate donors, expect a return on investment in terms of time, energy,
11:27sometimes policy, rhetoric,
11:29do you think that what they're doing in these elections, pouring the money in, constitutes bribery?
11:34Are these politicians taking bribery?
11:35Well, you know, it's a good question.
11:38If somebody were to give Summer a $5 bill and say, Summer, I want you to vote against that thing,
11:45that's called bribery.
11:46It's illegal.
11:48If somebody were to spend $50 million on the campaign against her, that's not bribery.
11:53That's legal.
11:55So what you have is a legally corrupt system.
12:00All right?
12:01These guys obey the law.
12:02If they want to spend $50 million, they can do it.
12:05But it is clearly a corrupt system.
12:09Yeah.
12:10Thank you both for joining us.
12:11Every once before, the Congresswoman.
12:14We saw last night an incumbent was defeated by big money the previous election that you referred
12:19to in 2024.
12:21An incumbent was defeated by big money.
12:22Two incumbents.
12:23Yeah.
12:23But I'm curious, from your perspective, given all the money that's been spent against you,
12:30how does it discourage people who are interested in being a part of the political process?
12:37I know we're talking about policies and how big money corrupts the political process.
12:43But how does it prevent, from your perspective, folks from even participating in the first place?
12:49Thank you so much for that question.
12:51And it's precisely that.
12:52It corrupts.
12:53It discourages.
12:55I call it functionally disenfranchising the political process from every aspect, from
13:00every angle.
13:01When you think about what it takes for a candidate to even put their hat in the ring.
13:05We talk about issues of viability.
13:07We talk about how does a candidate get their name out?
13:09How do they get their message out?
13:12Everyday people are going to find it harder and harder and harder to be able to participate
13:16in our democracy.
13:16The more money that floods into our elections, the less likely a candidate themselves are
13:21to, A, be responsive to their constituency, to be responsive to working class people, because
13:27they have to compete.
13:28They have to, as I say, audition.
13:31You see so many candidates who are auditioning, spending all of their time auditioning for big
13:35money to come into their districts.
13:36Oftentimes because they recognize that they probably couldn't win if those types of dollars
13:41are not flooding districts.
13:42But also, the dollars themselves have an effect.
13:44I can talk about my race when I first ran.
13:46What it was like to sustain a $3.5 million attack disinformation campaign, where we know
13:54that sometimes the loudest message is the message that resonates.
13:58But what it does is it denies people the ability to make their best decision, an informed decision,
14:03especially when we have loose laws on what they can spend on those dollars.
14:07We're talking a flooding, where a person, a PAC, an entity, can essentially say whatever
14:14it wants.
14:15And the other candidates, who usually have less money, have harder, harder, harder.
14:19It makes people also, predictably, not want to engage the process.
14:23I can't give you a statistic for how often money in politics, big super PACs, spend on positive
14:29versus negative ads.
14:30But I can tell you that every time a negative ad drops on air, it disenfranchises a voter.
14:35It reinforces this idea that there are no good politicians, that politics is inherently evil,
14:41and that it is a rigged game that regular people shouldn't get in.
14:44But also what it does is it ensures that black and brown and poor and working class people
14:49are ever more and more less likely to be able to break in in the first place.
14:54How much does it cost to run a Senate race in 2026?
14:58A Senate race.
14:59In Ohio?
15:00In Pennsylvania.
15:01In Ohio.
15:02Texas.
15:03In Texas.
15:04In Florida.
15:05In Georgia.
15:06These races are exorbitant.
15:08It keeps everyday working class people out as candidates and as voters.
15:12Because again, in a representative democracy, we shouldn't have a democracy only of wealthy
15:17people.
15:17A democracy where only the wealthiest people or the best connected people or the ones who
15:22are willing to take the BRAB are able to participate.
15:24So eventually what we'll see is the government that we've been trying to perfect from the very
15:31beginning.
15:31One that is probably overwhelmingly run by wealthy people, wealthy men.
15:37Women are less likely to have money.
15:39Black women particularly are less likely to receive campaign donations.
15:43And when they do, usually at a much lower rate than other candidates.
15:46And our candidate crop will start to reflect that if we do not fix it.
15:50Let me just add to that.
15:51And I agree with everything that the Congresswoman said.
15:56Just on a personal level.
15:57Let's just say you're an ordinary person.
16:00You think there's something wrong when the very rich getting richer and working people
16:05are struggling.
16:06You think that maybe the United States should join every other major country and guarantee
16:10health care to all people.
16:12You think that maybe we should be concerned about the impact that AI is going to have on
16:16all of our lives.
16:18You think maybe we should have a just foreign policy and not be supporting a government which
16:22has committed genocide.
16:25Millions of people hold those views.
16:27And then you're thinking, hey, if I decide to run for Congress, you know what I'm going
16:31to be up against?
16:32Not just huge amounts of money.
16:34I'm going to be up against personal attacks of the worst kind.
16:38All kinds of lies.
16:41You going to run for office?
16:43No.
16:43Forget it.
16:44Let somebody else do it.
16:45So what this does is to answer your very, very good question.
16:49We believe in democracy.
16:50We want people to run for, I don't give a damn what your political view is.
16:54Get involved.
16:55Stand up and defend yourself.
16:57But how many people are going to do that when they're going to have millions and millions
17:00of dollars in ugly ads?
17:04You know, there was one in the Massey case, what he was, were you part of his date in a
17:08hotel room or was it just the-
17:09I think it was two others of our friends.
17:11I mean, a completely total AI fiction.
17:16That's what you have to deal with.
17:17So you ask me, are you going to, are people going to jump into an election?
17:21There's going to be a lot of hesitancy.
17:22It takes very brave people to run.
17:23Yes, ma'am.
17:24Can you explain the real world human cost of these super PAC politics, like how does
17:29some women spending affects health care or wages or housing?
17:32Right.
17:33Sometimes I don't want people to think this is just another issue.
17:37You know, what someone said is right.
17:38It is the most important issue.
17:40If you are, if we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care at all,
17:45why is that?
17:46Do you think it may have something to do with the power of the pharmaceutical industry and
17:51the insurance companies who spend zillions of dollars making sure we don't move to a
17:55Medicare for all system?
17:57Do you think the fact that we have a starvation minimum wage has something to do with the fact
18:03that a lot of these corporations and business people don't want to pay their workers a living wage,
18:08don't want workers to join unions?
18:10So the point here, this is not another issue.
18:13This is an issue that touches every bloody issue facing working people in this country.
18:20And one of the things on top of everything else that concerns me is people in large numbers are basically
18:26giving up on democracy.
18:28They say, why the hell should I vote? Richer getting richer.
18:31I'm going nowhere in a hurry.
18:32My kids will be worse off than I am.
18:34You want me to vote?
18:35Forget about it.
18:36Maybe we need a real strong man who's going to break through everything.
18:39Let's not worry about these phony elections that don't result in anything benefiting me.
18:43So, good question, but this is the most important political issue we face.
18:48Yes, sir.
18:49How do you get this through?
18:50I know McCain finally passed the Republican president and Republican Congress.
18:55How do you get this even a vote through?
18:58Well, it's a great question.
18:59When you take on the billionaire class, and we are representatives here in Congress representing the billionaire class,
19:07it is going to be hard for us, admittedly, to pass legislation which takes away the power of the billionaire
19:14class.
19:14In my view, the way we do it is the way we bring about change, and always have brought about
19:19change,
19:20is that at the grassroots level, that millions of people stand up and demand an end to a corrupt campaign
19:28finance system.
19:29I want the day to come.
19:30When somebody is running for office, I want somebody at a town meeting to say, hey, candidate, do you support
19:36this legislation or not?
19:38Do you think we should end Super PAC control over the political process?
19:42When we can begin to do that, I think we have a chance to get this thing through.
19:45We need the Congresswoman to answer some time to look for the Pittsburgh paper.
19:48Okay.
19:49No.
19:50That is the answer.
19:51When we think about every major change that has happened in American history, it has come from the people,
19:55from the Civil Rights Act to the Voting Rights Act to every anti-war movement that we have seen.
20:02It started with people from the outside setting the tone, creating the language,
20:07and then the accountability mechanisms for us in positions of power to actually move on it.
20:13So right now, more than ever, we will need people to use this as a foundational issue.
20:16I often say, if you are somebody who believes in Medicare for All, the money in politics is your number
20:21one issue.
20:21That's right.
20:22If you believe in ending mass shootings in our country that we have seen in our mosques,
20:27in synagogues, in schools, in grocery stores, in concerts, then money in politics is your number one issue.
20:32If you believe in environmental justice, climate change, money in politics.
20:36If you believe that we should not go in debt because of our prescription drug costs, money in politics.
20:43You are tired of the oil and gas line, money in politics.
20:46What we need to do is, is part of our organizing effort that will be, again, on the inside and
20:51the outside.
20:52But critically on the outside, the organizing effort is helping bringing people from their various silos to this one issue
21:00that will actually free each and every one of them.
21:02But it will also help us to focus as we're building our agenda, our affirmative vision for the country that
21:09will have gone into not just November, but of course into 2028.
21:12It will give us the structure, the foundation to actually build that type of agenda.
21:18Americans see our party, the Democratic Party, serving two masters, and there is a demand that we pick.
21:25We cannot be the party of corporate interests and a party of working people at the same time.
21:29By centering money in politics, by running on it, by organizing around it, and by helping people understand that their
21:35power lies in taking this piece, this bit of influence from these billionaires, then this is how we will actually
21:43grow the party, grow the coalition, expand the electorate, and then be able to get people with gavels who will
21:48actually then move on these things.
21:54Yes.
22:08Yeah, I do.
22:10I think Trump is an authoritarian.
22:14I think he happens not to believe in democracy.
22:17And I think in a variety of ways he will do everything he can to stifle opposition and to make
22:24sure Republicans win the election.
22:28And our job, obviously, is to fight him in every way that we possibly can.
22:34But I think it is very clear this whole gerrymandering nonsense began with Trump in Texas, et cetera.
22:40Voting Rights Act, you know, a Supreme Court that the billionaires put into place.
22:45So, yeah, the answer to your question is yes.
22:48We've got to be vigilant, and we're going to fight him tooth and nail.
22:53Any other questions?
22:55Yes, sir?
22:56So we have seen cycle after cycle the amount of money sort of growing and growing and growing.
23:03I mean, last cycle we had our first half-billion-dollar Senate race in Ohio.
23:08Yep.
23:09They were talking about maybe this year we get to $700 million in North Carolina.
23:14Ohio also kind of looks like half a billion, you know, the Republican.
23:19It feels bad saying it, doesn't it?
23:21Well, let me get to my point, but the Republicans are openly begging the Crypto Super PAC to repeat their
23:29$40 million, maybe more, against Sarah Brown again in Ohio.
23:33And their ads are not on the crypto, of course.
23:36Right.
23:36They're different, but in the grand scheme of things, the amount of money they're putting in is actually very small
23:45percentages of their wealth, and they're very small percentages of what the corporations could spend.
23:51Right.
23:51And the issues here, as you know, are trillion-dollar issues, and in some cases, many trillion-dollar issues.
23:58I'm just wondering if you are worried or sensed that this thing that you've identified as a problem could get
24:06much money for-
24:06It's not a problem.
24:08It is a fundamental crisis in American democracy.
24:11Right, but this could get much-
24:13Look, look, look, what-
24:15Look, if you are worth several hundred billion dollars, what is the problem with spending a couple of hundred million
24:24dollars on politics
24:25to elect the candidates of your choice?
24:27If, in return, you're going to become the head of DOGE, if, in return, you're going to get all kinds
24:33of federal contracts,
24:35if you're going to get a trillion dollars in tax breaks for the 1% while we throw 15 million
24:41people off of healthcare.
24:42So the point is, look, this goes hand-in-hand with oligarchy.
24:47All right?
24:48The rich have unlimited amounts of money, and spending a few hundred million dollars if you're a multi-billionaire, what's
24:54the problem?
24:56But what you're defining is the corruption of American democracy and why Summer and I are working, going to work
25:02so hard to try to change that.
25:05All right, any other-
25:05Yes?
25:06Oh, let me get to anybody else and ask the first question.
25:09Yeah, ma'am.
25:09I just wanted to ask a lot of Americans who feel like they're ignored, like they're invisible, and like they
25:14don't even matter.
25:15They feel like the system is rigged against them unless they're connected or they're wealthy.
25:19What would you say to them to tell them to not give up on voting and not give up on
25:23the electoral process?
25:26I would say that where we are right now is not by accident, right?
25:29There are people who have been working tooth and nail to bring us to this point.
25:33And I think that it's important that for those people who do believe in a better America, who believe in
25:38a society where representation actually answers and meets our needs, and whatever that may be, whether it be healthcare or
25:45environmental justice or economic justice or labor rights, whatever that means, we have to be willing to fight just as
25:51hard as the people who are trying to tear it down.
25:53And, you know, right now, there is always something that will come next.
25:58I think that the billionaire class has us underestimated because their money for so long has been able to buy
26:06them anything that they want.
26:07But what they aren't able to account for is that the sheer numbers of people in American society who are
26:13feeling left behind, the sheer numbers of people in American society who feel like this does not work for them,
26:19this system does not work for them, will always outnumber those folks.
26:22And when we organize with the things that we have, we have two sources of power that actually is more
26:28powerful than what they have.
26:29And that's the power of our organized labor and our organized dollars, however few or plentiful they may be.
26:34And it feels like maybe that is an oversimplification.
26:38But what we've seen throughout history is example after example after example of just this.
26:43When there is overreach by whether it's our government or whether it is a robber baron, people organized, people disciplined
26:51have come forward and have beaten back those attacks on our democracies and our communities time and time again.
26:57And right now is a time that more than ever calls for that type of commitment.
27:01And we are seeing this right now.
27:03I would say to that person, and you're quite right in phrasing the way you phrased your question, people in
27:11many ways are distressed.
27:14They're giving up on democracy.
27:15They don't see the government responding to the very serious needs that they have.
27:20But I would say to that person, you're not just fighting for yourself, you're fighting for your kids, for your
27:26grandchildren, you're fighting for the planet, you're fighting for the future of humanity.
27:29I would also say is that if you look at what's happening right now, we are as progressives, people who
27:37are standing up for the working class of this country, winning election after election, precisely for all of the reasons
27:44that Summer and I are talking about, people are disgusted with status quo politics.
27:48All right, in New York City, as you know, Zoran Mamdani took on the oligarchs, took on the Democratic establishment,
27:56took on the Republican establishment, took on the President of the United States.
27:59But you know what he also did?
28:01He organized 100,000 volunteers to knock on doors.
28:06And when you have that kind of grassroots movement, whether it's New York City, you know, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, any place
28:12else, when you have that grassroots movement, we're going to win.
28:16So our job is to mobilize people at the grassroots level.
28:19They have the money.
28:20You know, that's what Summer is just saying.
28:22We got the people.
28:23And at the end of the day, if we mobilize our people, we win.
28:26All right.
28:26Thank you all.
28:27All right.
28:28Yes, back there.
28:28Thank you, Senator.
28:29It's sort of a topic that, given the fact that today the Department of Justice indicts that, well, cuts out
28:36from Cuba.
28:37I would like to have your reaction on that.
28:39And do you think President Trump should ask Congress for an authorization before he decides to take a military action
28:49with Cuba?
28:50I think Trump's actions in Venezuela were illegal and unconstitutional.
28:56I think his actions in Iran are unconstitutional and illegal.
29:01And I think what he is doing now, starting to do in Cuba, is unconstitutional and illegal.
29:07And it is not what the American people want.
29:10This guy ran.
29:11Remember, he ran on the goal of ending endless wars.
29:17He ran on America first.
29:20This country faces crisis after crisis in terms of health care, the economy, education.
29:27People want the government to start paying attention to the needs of working people, addressing those crises, not going into
29:34endless wars.
29:36All right.
29:37Last question.
29:38You spoke about using the bill as more of an organizing tool so that constituents in the working class on
29:44the ground can go and press perhaps their representatives,
29:46whether that's sort of an establishment Democrat or maybe a Republican, to try to get them to come on board
29:50and support your bill.
29:51And I think that more broadly, you know, APAC specifically has become really toxic in Democratic primaries, even in some
29:58Republican primaries,
29:59to the point where they have to spend $9 million in the Republican primaries.
30:02How are you able to extend that toxicity and that reputation that APAC has gotten to all of the other
30:08lobbies, whether that's pharmaceutical or big oil,
30:11so that you can try to tackle these other issues that you've rightly identified are sort of a network?
30:15I'm happy to answer.
30:16Do you want to do it?
30:17Yeah.
30:17I treat them all largely the same.
30:19At the end of the day, it is we want to abolish super PACs.
30:22We want to get big money out of politics.
30:25Whatever the PAC is called, whatever industry is behind the PAC, what we're trying to do, and I think what
30:30is the most important thing that we can do right now,
30:31is to reclaim our democracy for the voters, for Americans.
30:35And this is a part of that.
30:36So at the end of the day, again, we have talked about the connection between all of the big issues
30:41that Americans want us to solve,
30:43and all of the industries that are keeping us from doing so.
30:45When we do this, it is an equalizer.
30:47So yeah, it is absolutely an organizing tool.
30:49But it is also a common sense democracy reform effort that we, if we are serious in light of the
30:57gutting of the Voting Rights Act,
30:58if we're serious in light of all of the endless gerrymandering that we're seeing, and if we're serious in light
31:03of how much money is being spent,
31:05then this is a common sense tool.
31:08It is a common sense piece of legislation that should, as we see, garner support from both ends.
31:13So we talk about it as it is.
31:15I don't care if it's crypto.
31:17I don't care if it's the charter school lobby.
31:19I don't care if it's APAC or anyone else.
31:22People deserve the right to their government.
31:25And they cannot have that if they can't even afford the entry ticket in.
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