NBCNews " The Rachel Maddow Show"- Transcript: Sanders On Trade
Interview
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My pleasure.
MADDOW: I have a feeling things have gone in this past week, in
these last few days since you`ve announced, I have a feeling they have gone
better than you expected, or did you see -- did you see that it would go
this well?
SANDERS: Well, I had the feeling, Rachel, there was a strong
undercurrent of support. And when we announced on Thursday, we sent out an
e-mail on our Web site, BernieSanders.com. We got 35,000 responses in
terms of contributions and 100,000 people indicated on the first day alone
that they wanted to sign up and work on the campaign. And those numbers
have gone up in the last few days. I feel really good about that.
MADDOW: You have 100,000 people who pledged to volunteer on the
campaign already?
SANDERS: No, actually we have 175,000.
MADDOW: What`s your plan for how to put all those people to work?
That sounds like you`ll be the head of a pretty big organization.
SANDERS: That`s exactly what we are struggling with right now. But
I think the main thing, Rachel, is I think we have a message that is
resonating across this country. And that is the level of income and wealth
inequality in this country is grotesque. Ninety-nine percent of all new
income goes to the top. One percent -- the top 1/10 of 1 percent owns
almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent, and meanwhile the middle
class of this country continues to disappear.
I think people want a candidate who is prepared to take on the
billionaire class and say, you know what? This country belongs to all of
us, and not to a handful of billionaire families.
MADDOW: The debate season is still a ways off. Obviously, whoever`s
a declared candidate on the Democratic side, especially because it`s not
probably going to be a gigantic field, is going to be their end of the
debates, depending on how many they had. You have started the informal
debate process by getting in and declaring and putting yourself out there
and declaring what it is that you`re interested in.
Are there specific policies that are under consideration federally
right now that you think Secretary Clinton ought to be talking about in
order to address those kind of concerns? Are there specific things you`d
like her to commit to or commit to being against that would make you feel
better about her candidacy?
SANDERS: Well, it`s not a question of feeling better about her
candidacy. But there are huge issues facing this country. We have six
major Wall Street financial institutions that have assets of some $10
trillion, write half the mortgages and two-thirds of the credit cards in
this country.
In my view, if a bank is too big to fail, it`s too big to exist. I
am bringing forth legislation which would break up these large financial
institutions. That will be a very good thing for our economy. I would
appreciate Secretary Clinton`s views on that issue.
We have on the floor of the Senate probably later this week the Trans
Pacific Partnership. I happen to believe and have voted against all of
these trade agreements, NAFTA, CAFTA, permanent normal trade relations with
China, which have resulted in the loss of millions of good paying jobs here
as corporations have gone to China and other low wage countries. I`m not
quite sure that the American people know what the secretary`s position is
on TPP.
The USA Patriots Act is coming up for reauthorization. I have voted
against it in the past and voted against reauthorization. Obviously, we
have to be strong in protecting our people from terrorism but I don`t think
we have to undermine the Constitution and deny our people basic
constitutional rights. That`s an important position.
So, you know, in terms of Iraq, I was one of the leaders against
going into Iraq. The secretary supported that the war.
So, I think there are some strong differences of opinion.
MADDOW: Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, declared
candidate for the Democratic nomination for president -- Senator, it`s
always great to have you here. Thanks for being with us.
SANDERS: Thank you, Rachel.
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