Full Bernie Sanders interview (Part 1)

[0:00] First, let's deal with some specific political house cleaning, and then we'll get to Brexit, [0:04] and we'll get to the implications. No endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Simply stated, when the day [0:10] comes in November and Sanders has to cast his vote, to whom does it go? In all likelihood, [0:15] it'll go to Hillary Clinton. When you say in all likelihood, what percentage of margin of error is [0:20] I don't want to pass words here. Here's where we are right now, Chris. Please. I want, I believe, [0:27] this country faces enormous crises. I believe our politics and our economics are dominated by big [0:32] money interests. I believe the Democratic Party has got to become the party of working people [0:36] prepared to stand up and take on those special interests. We are working right now as we speak [0:41] with A, the Clinton campaign, trying to see what kind of agreements we can work out, and B, [0:49] as we speak in St. Louis tonight, there's going to be a big debate about platform, and we're going to [0:54] try to make that platform as progressive as we can. Then we're going to Orlando, where the whole [0:58] committee meets. We're going to offer a whole lot of amendments to make it progressive. So my job [1:03] right now, as a candidate, is to fight to make sure that the Democratic Party not only has [1:08] the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party, but that that platform is [1:14] actually implemented by elected officials. I get it. What do you have to have to be satisfied? [1:21] What is the minimum requirement? I can't say that. It doesn't work quite that way. But I need to hear [1:27] Secretary Clinton making it clear. For example, I think what we have shown in this campaign is there [1:34] is enormous support for making public colleges and universities tuition-free. I think that is good [1:40] public policy. I think it's good politics. I think it's what we should do. She's talked about debt-free. [1:45] I know. Which I know is different than free. But it's not only it's the devil is in the details. [1:51] All right. But we need to hear I would like to hear her say, yes, you know what? In America, [1:55] when we talk about public education, it's no longer good enough to do up to 12th grade. It has to include [2:01] public colleges and universities. I would like to see that. I would like to see her say, you know what? [2:05] There's something wrong that where we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care [2:10] to all people as a right. That we should raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. That we need [2:16] new trade policies. Those are some of the issues that I would like to hear her talking about. [2:19] All right. And obviously, this is still political, and it's still about leverage, and it's very obvious [2:25] what your leverage is. However, you also have to think about the implications of playing out the [2:29] leverage. When you say, in all likelihood, I would vote for Hillary Clinton, well, who else would you vote [2:33] for? Well, certainly. Look, let me also be very clear, and thank you for asking that. I'm going to do [2:37] everything I can to make sure that Donald Trump is defeated. So there's zero chance you vote for [2:40] Donald Trump? Oh, God, please. How about Gary Johnson? No, no. Look, I don't know Mr. Johnson, [2:46] but I am, don't, you know, but I am, I think. Trump says that your supporters should be looking at him [2:52] more than anybody else, because he's the closest to an offering to what you did as anybody in the field. [2:57] Well, I think he, when he says that, he does not understand the people who have supported me. The people [3:03] who have supported me are not going to vote for a bigot. Somebody who has, as the cornerstone [3:08] of his campaign, uh, insulting Mexicans and Latinos and Muslims and women and veterans and [3:15] African-Americans, that is not the candidate I believe that people who voted for me will [3:19] support. I'm going to do everything I can to defeat Trump. But what a campaign is about, [3:23] Chris, and I know you understand this, you know, this is not a basketball game where you're [3:26] winning or you'll lose. What I am fighting for now is to see a transformation of American politics [3:33] so that we have a government. I know this sounds rhetorical, but it's what many people want to [3:37] see. A government which actually represents ordinary people, not just the billionaire class. [3:42] That's the fight. And that means health care for all, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, [3:48] making public colleges and universities tuition free, dealing with the crisis of climate change. [3:53] I mean, you've got a guy like Donald Trump who refuses even to recognize the reality of climate [3:57] change, let alone come up. He did it at his golf club, though, over in Scotland. They actually filed an [4:01] application saying they needed a certain remediation because of the effects of global warming. [4:06] So I think sometimes it's about context. What people on your side of the fence say, on the [4:12] Democratic side, is say, we hear Senator Sanders. He has brought up the right issues. But if he doesn't [4:18] get with Hillary soon, there's no chance of any of these things getting put into power because [4:23] they're not going to happen if Trump becomes president. So Sanders needs to weigh how much he [4:28] exercises his leverage. And for how long? Well, what our campaign was about, and it succeeded [4:34] in doing, is bringing a whole lot of new people into the political process, people who previously did [4:39] not vote. And I think that is a great benefit to the Democratic Party because, as you know, [4:45] Democrats win-win voter turnout is high. And I'm going to be very active in this campaign, [4:49] Chris. I'm going to be running all over this country. We have in our movement, I gave a speech [4:56] last Thursday, and I said to people, we need you to get involved politically, run for school board, [5:00] run for state legislature. 20,000 people responded. And we're going to be supporting people at every [5:06] level of government, every level, to get involved and to stand up and fight for a better America. [5:13] Does the time come when you think you put both arms around and give a big hug to Hillary Clinton? [5:19] Well, we see what happens. I mean, I can't answer that without hearing and seeing what Hillary [5:24] Clinton is prepared to stand up and fight. Even though you know the ambivalence is damaging [5:28] to her campaign. What I am trying to do now is, number one, to do everything I can to defeat Donald [5:33] Trump. Number two, what I am trying to do is develop policies in this country which stand [5:39] for working people. Now, you ask me, you know, I don't have the votes to become the Democratic nominee. [5:44] You know that. I know that, right? We're good at arithmetic. But if we can force a situation [5:50] where we make public colleges and universities tuition free, raise the minimum wage to $15 [5:55] an hour, deal aggressively with climate change, you know what? I think I've run a winning campaign. [6:02] And that's what I'm trying to do right now. [6:03] What's, you think, the chance you get it from the platform, from the party? [6:06] Well, literally, they're meeting tonight. [6:08] And then, I mean, look, you know, you know this, so I say it with all due deference. [6:13] What if it's all in the party platform? [6:15] Right. [6:15] So what? What is the chance that those things get communicated into government action? [6:19] That is, that's a very fair question. You know, a platform is a piece of paper. It could [6:24] be ignored the day after. [6:24] But shouldn't you be pushing more for your position in a Clinton administration, if that [6:30] happens, than just the party platform? [6:32] Well, that's what we're doing, too. Don't tell anybody. [6:34] By the way, your poker face is terrible, Sanders. I want you to know that. Next thing we're going [6:39] to do together is play cards. [6:40] What do you think would be the ideal position for Sanders? No senator, just in case you believe [6:48] that you don't want to be senator anymore, you think you could serve better in another [6:50] capacity. What are some of the ideas? [6:55] Well, what has always interested me is reinvigorating American democracy. I want a nation in which [7:01] people are debating the real issues facing our country. I want to see this country have [7:08] the highest level of voter turnout, not one of the lowest. I want to see people getting [7:16] involved in all levels of public life. That's kind of reinvigorating the American democracy. [7:21] Where, what is the government role in that? [7:23] Well, it's, it's very important. [7:25] But I'm saying no position jumps to my mind that's in charge of that, is what I'm saying. [7:29] Oh, you're asking me what kind of, well, I'm very happy as Vermont senator. [7:31] So you would want to stay senator, period. [7:33] Well, I don't want to, who knows. But you know, right now I'm, I love my state and I'm very [7:37] proud to be a senator from Vermont. Do you think there's something you could [7:40] have done differently that would have made you the nominee? [7:43] Well, it's, you know, I think at the end of the day, you would probably agree with me [7:49] in saying that we did a lot better and went a lot further than most people. [7:52] Absolutely. [7:52] So I think by and large, we ran a great campaign. But, you know, as I look back, are there things [7:58] that we could have done better? Were there mistakes that we made? Yeah, there were.