MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript

Interview

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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders with us tonight here on THE ED SHOW. Senator, good to have you with us. The charts don`t lie, do they?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: No, they surely don`t. The day after Obama got elected, I think the Republicans made a decision. They will do everything that they could to stop his agenda. If the issue means
rebuilding our infrastructure and creating jobs, they will obstruct. If the issue means taking on Wall Street and protecting consumers, they will obstruct.

If the issue is transforming our energy system, dealing with global warming, they will obstruct. Because what`s important to them is not rebuilding the middle class or protecting the United States of America.
It`s defeating Barack Obama. And it`s a pretty sad state of affairs.

SCHULTZ: Is Mr. Cordray a good guy? Is he qualified? He`s a former attorney general of Ohio. We have never heard any complaints about him before. All of a sudden,. he`s a no go. What`s happening here?

SANDERS: What`s happening here? As you mentioned, Elizabeth Warren would have been my preferred leader of that agency. But she is running and I think running well for the U.S. Senate. We hope she wins.

Everything that I`ve heard about Cordray is that he is strong. He is a consumer advocate. And that for them, Ed, is precisely the problem. If it comes to whether or not banks can charge you 25 or 30 percent interest on your credit card or if you are going to have somebody in your corner fighting against usury, well, I guess the Republicans are pretty clear which side they are on.

Whether you`re going to have a fair deal when you have a mortgage and not get ripped off, as so many millions of American people have --

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: -- or you protect the banks, they have made it clear which side they`re on.

SCHULTZ: Senator, is he just the man in the bulls eye right now? They would say no to anybody.

SANDERS: Absolutely.

SCHULTZ: They don`t want this agency whatsoever.

SANDERS: Absolutely. Look, this is -- look, they opposed the agency, if you can believe it. After Wall Street, as a result of deregulation, caused this terrible recession, you know what they believe, Ed? They believe we need more deregulation of Wall Street, opposed to any of the stronger provisions in Dodd-Frank.

So it is not Mr. Cordray. It is anybody with any strength at all who will try to protect consumers in this new agency.

SCHULTZ: Shifting gears, what did you think of President Obama`s speech at the place where Teddy Roosevelt gave his speech in Kansas?

SANDERS: I thought it was good. And I hope very much that the president will continue to speak out as a progressive. I hope that he remembers who elected him. And I hope he also understands that it`s not
just words, but it is deeds.

We need this president to be strong, to be a leader, to make sure that the middle class and the working class understands that he is on their side. And that means standing up to Wall Street, taking on the
Republicans, not retreating. I think that`s the right thing to do. And I think it`s good politics as well.

SCHULTZ: And of course the Democrats` plan to extend the payroll tax cut failed again today. You had another vote. So will the Senate, going to be working over the holidays to pass this? What do you think`s going to happen?

SANDERS: Well, Harry Reid was very, very clear. And I think this is an indication of the democrats gaining some focus. And what Reid said to a group of us, if we have to be here until Christmas, we will be here at
Christmas time.

I`m not a great fan of the payroll tax holiday. I am a strong supporter of tax relief for the middle class, making sure it is done in a progressive and fair way. And I think the Democrats are prepared to fight
for that.

SCHULTZ: Every Democratic lawmaker that I have spoken with in recent days is saying that extending the Bush tax cuts is off the table. It`s a non-starter. That`s the term I`m hearing, a non-starter. Could this be
the time when the Democrats actually draw a line in the sand, and go any further, no matter what`s on the table, as far as the Republicans` demands are concerned?

SANDERS: Well, the answer is I certainly hope that`s the case. The American people, Ed, have been extremely clear on this. The rich are getting richer. The middle class is collapsing. And the American people
are saying, you know what? The wealthiest people in this country have got to participate in deficit reduction. They`ve got to pay more taxes.

And also, we`ve got to keep the focus on jobs. And furthermore, in my view, we`ve got to draw a line in the sand, defend Social Security, defend Medicare, defend Medicaid.

SCHULTZ: What about those folks at are on unemployment right now that`s going to end here? There`s going to be a bunch of people, well over a million, coming up on February 1st. And the president seems very adamant about getting these two things done before anybody takes off for the holidays.

SANDERS: Absolutely right. He`s absolutely right.

SCHULTZ: What if it doesn`t happen?

SANDERS: Well, if it doesn`t happen, we`re going to be having Christmas breakfast I think in the Capitol. And we`re going to be here through January. I think you can`t allow tens of thousands of families in
this country to lose their only means of support. It is bad and immoral to do that to those families.

It is bad for the economy. We`ve got to put money into people, working people`s hands, so they can survive and they spend that money helping create jobs.

SCHULTZ: Vermont Senator Bernie sanders, great to have you on the program again tonight, sir. Thank you.

SANDERS: Thank you.

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