MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Presidential Nominations and Economy

Interview

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: OK. I voted Yes on the budget because it was lesser of two evils. It wasn`t a good budget by any means but it beats in shutdowns in the government. It beats in more devastating cuts to head start meals on wheels, education heeding (ph) assistance and many, many programs that benefit low income in working families.

Clearly, as you`ve indicated, it was an inadequate budget. It did not ask corporate America. One out of four corporations pay zero in federal taxes. We didn`t get another nickel from them, wealthiest people in come cases pay a lower tax rate. The middle income people, we didn`t raise their tax rates at all. So this was in my mind not a good bill, it was a lesser of what the alternative would have been and that`s why I voted for it.

SCHULTZ: Senator, explain this campaign that the Democrats are have to going to wage after the first of the year. What is going to bring the House? I mean, I know Harry Reid will bring it to the floor and you`ll get a vote in the Senate on minimum wage and also unemployment extension. What is going to happen in the Senate that would force John Boehner to bring it for a vote in the House up or down vote?

SANDERS: Well, Ed, I think as you`ve just indicated on all of the basic economic issues, the American people are in strong opposition for Republican ideology. What the American people want very strongly is no cuts and in fact an expansion on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, they want to protect education, they want to protect programs that benefit working families. They do want to ask the wealthiest people and large corporations to start paying their fair share of taxes.

So we have the American people at our backs. What should we do? This is
my view.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: First of all, we have made progress by changing the rules in terms of presidential nominations. In my view, Ed, I know this a radical idea, we`ve got to go further and say to the Republicans, "You know what? The economy is in severe trouble, you cannot continue to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct and .

SCHULTZ: So you want to change -- Senator, you want to change Senate rules that will affect the jobs bill and some other things that will help the economy?

SANDERS: Exactly.

SCHULTZ: You want this to go further?

SANDERS: I think you go to the Republicans and say, "If you guys want to obstruct and obstruct, you know, what we`re going to do? We`re going to pass this with the majority votes because that`s what the American people want." You know what .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: . we`re going to do? We`re going to pass a jobs bill, we`re going to raise the minimum wage, we`re going to extend unemployment, we`re going to do deal with college affordability. We are going to the deal with the issues that the American people care about and we`re .

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: . not going to let you obstruct anymore.

SCHULTZ: You know, Senator, I want to point out. On my radio show one year ago today, the 18th of December 2012, we were having a huge discussion in this country about you can`t let the Bush tax cuts expire. The Republicans had the narration out there going, "You can`t raise taxes on the job creators. This is going to kill jobs. This is going to hurt the economy."

We have added jobs every month since the Bush tax cuts expired. The market went over 16,000 today, a record close today unemployment is going down. Now, all of these things are great things that are happening for the economy and we -- they have been wrong on everything. You know that, I know that, many Democrats know that, they`ve been wrong on everything.

So is this the perfect time for the Democrats for a lack of a better term to go for the jugular when it comes to making sure the Republicans are going to be honest brokers on the economy?

SANDERS: I think, Ed, this is the time we`ve got to clear the air, we have to make sure that everybody in America especially working people understand that the Republicans are opposed to a jobs program, their opposed to raising the minimum wage, they want to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. We`ve got to put those issues right on the floor and let`s have an up and down vote.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: If you want to cut veteran`s programs? You go ahead and do that.

SCHULTZ: Well .

SANDERS: . you want to cut Social Security? You do that. Let the American people see. Let`s have majority rule.

SCHULTZ: And, Senator, what about these veterans retirees and they`re going to see a reduction starting in 2015.

SANDERS: Right.

SCHULTZ: You know, a lot of these retirees, you know, the Republicans love to say they support the troops. Well tonight .

SANDERS: Well .

SCHULTZ: . in this budget, they didn`t.

SANDERS: Well, look, let me just tell you this. The budget that we passed in the Senate because we had revenue coming in by eliminating these corporate loopholes, we didn`t cut one nickel.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: . on veteran`s pensions. And that`s the point. I think this is an issue, Ed, that will be addressed next year.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: Between you and me, I think we`re going to deal with that.

SCHULTZ: All right. And the farm bill, does -- is the farm bill that debate now open even further? Does it get an extension automatically? Because now you`ve got -- you got to hold their feet to the fire when it comes to minimum wage, you got to hold their feet to the fire when it comes to unemployment benefits. I mean, you know those Republicans of the Heartland, they want that farm bill.

SANDERS: We have more poverty in American today than at any time in the history of this country and these guys over a 10-year period want to cut food stamps and other nutrition programs horrendously, $40 billion on food stamps cuts over a 10-year period, it ain`t going to happen.

SCHULTZ: And of course 57 percent of the American people want the Congress to address income inequality. You have done that consistently. People know that. You`ve been one of the strongest voices out there. It`s like the Congress is catching up with you, Senator Sanders, and the people are, I think, are ahead of the Congress when it comes to this discussion. Great to have you with us tonight and I guess it`s official, tonight I`m left of Bernie Sanders. I would have voted No on this. Senator, thank you for work. I appreciate it so much.

SANDERS: Thank you.

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