Tuesday on CNN’s “Outfront,” Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was asked how he might fare having to compete against Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump in an open primary setting like Wisconsin.
Host Erin Burnett pointed to union workers and how they could with Trump in a GOP primary instead of Sanders in the Democratic primary. Sanders insisted he would do well with union workers, but added that Trump has been able to voter anger and place the blame on Mexicans and Muslims.
Partial transcript as follows:
BURNETT: The open primary here in Wisconsin is important. That means people can switch over. They can vote for whomever they would like, Democrats, Republicans. We’ve seen this across the country, people choosing between you and and Donald Trump. Some union workers, we understand here, are deeply considering whether they should vote for you or Donald Trump. Do you think they’re crazy? What do you say to people who are making that choice?
SANDERS: Well, I think we’ll get the vast majority of the union workers. Trump will get some, but I think we’ll get a lot more. I think what’s going on, Erin, is there is a lot of anger in this country. For your average guy, he is asking why he has to work longer hours for lower wages. Why he’s really worried or she is worried, mother really about the future of their children. And yet, almost all income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent. People are angry.
What Trump is doing is taking that anger and saying, it’s the fault of the Mexicans or it’s the fault of the Muslims. We’ve got to scapegoat people. Well, beating up on Mexicans who make eight bucks an hour is not going to deal with the real issues facing —
BURNETT: Are you, though, blaming rich people for it?
SANDERS: It’s not rich people, no. We are blaming a economic system right now where factually almost all the income and wealth is going to the top 1 percent. Where you have billionaires and large corporations that are not paying their fair share of taxes; there are some major corporations make billions a year in taxes, stash their money in the Cayman Islands, don’t pay a nickel in taxes.
And what I want to do is take that money, do away with that loophole, invest it in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. We can create 13 million jobs over a five-year period with a trillion-dollar investment. That’s roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants. It’s not a question of blaming, it’s a question of understanding the reality. It is a rigged economy. People on the top are doing phenomenally well; everybody else is doing worse. We’ve got to change that.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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