CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript

Interview

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BLITZER: Mitt Romney at the Republican debate last night. Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont, is joining us how. He's an independent, though he caucuses with the Democrats. Senator, what do you say to your fellow New Englander, Mitt Romney, a scathing, blistering attack on the president's record over these past nearly three years?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Well, I think it's very unfair. Look, I have differences of opinion with the president. I would be much more aggressive in terms of a job program.

But if you compare the fact that when Obama came to office, we were losing 700,000 jobs a month -- a month -- when you compare the fact that during the entire tenure of the Bush administration, which advocated very much the same policies that Mitt Romney does, we lost, after eight years, 500,000 private sector jobs, I think Mr. Romney owes President Obama an apology.

But most importantly, what do the Republicans have to say about the future? It's the same old, same old Bush line: let's give more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. Let's do more deregulation of Wall Street, if you can believe it, when it was the crooks on Wall Street who, as a result of deregulation, have driven this country into the terrible recession that we're in right now.

So, I don't know what the Republicans have to say in terms of creating any jobs at all.

BLITZER: All right. What they say is that if you lower the taxes on big business, if you deregulate, that will give incentive for the big corporations out there -- and they're sitting on trillions of dollars, by all accounts -- to go ahead and invest that money and start creating jobs for a lot of American people.

SANDERS: I understand -- Wolf, that's what they're saying. There's nobody in America who believes that, because we've seen that movie before. That is the Bush trickle-down economic theory. It failed.

Over the last 10 years, despite all of the huge tax breaks that the largest corporations in this country have received, you know what? The largest corporations have laid off -- they have laid off millions -- no, it was 1.5 million workers in the last 10 years.

So, we give them tax breaks. So what do they do? They run to Mexico. They run to China. And we've lost 50,000 factories over the last 10 years.

Trickle-down economics, tax breaks for the very rich, huge tax loopholes for large corporations is a failed economic policy. What we need to do, in my view, what the president is beginning to talk about, is invest in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, make sure that we're not firing teachers and police officers and firemen, rebuilding our water systems, rebuilding our crumbling schools. That is what brings jobs, not giving tax breaks to millionaires.

BLITZER: But where are you going to get the money for all of that? The Republicans -- and you know -- you're in the Senate, in the House -- they're not going to vote for any tax increases right now. So where do you get the money under these very tight budget restrictions?

SANDERS: Well, that's what the American people are going to have to decide. Overwhelmingly, including many Republicans, they think it's absurd that when the middle class is disappearing, when real income is going down, while the richest people are becoming richer and are paying, by the way, the lowest effective tax rates in decades, most Americans, the vast majority, say, you know what? The wealthiest people in this country are going to have to pay more taxes. Let's invest in our infrastructure, let's invest in our schools, and let's create the millions of jobs we desperately need. Mitt Romney is wrong and is way out of touch with the American people when he thinks that what we need to do is give more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and large corporations.

BLITZER: Did Mitt Romney's health care reform law when he was governor of Massachusetts set the stage for the president's health care reform law, which is now the law of the land in the United States? In other words, is Obamacare, as they like to call it, based on Romneycare?

SANDERS: I think most objective observers would say yes, that that's the case.

BLITZER: So, you like that, as far as Mitt Romney's record is concerned?

SANDERS: No. I happen to believe -- and one of the problems they're having in Massachusetts right now is health care costs are soaring.

In terms of health care, Wolf, the question that we have got to ask ourselves is, how is it we are spending almost twice as much per person on health care today, despite the fact we have 50 million people who are without any insurance whatsoever? We have a wasteful, bureaucratic system. My view is, we should move to a Medicare for all, single-payer program.

BLITZER: Who among the Republican candidates do you believe represents the greatest threat to President Obama becoming a one-term president?

SANDERS: I have no idea, but all I can tell you is these guys are absolutely bereft of any serious ideas. That they are simply talking about -- here's their trilogy: more tax breaks for billionaires, deregulate Wall Street, and unfettered free trade so we can continue to lose more jobs to China and low-wage countries around the world. That's all that they believe in. Those are failed policies.

So, I don't know who will get their nomination, but I'm not impressed by what they're saying.

BLITZER: Senator Sanders, as usual, thanks very much for coming in.

SANDERS: My pleasure.

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