Bernie Sanders: Biden Has Achieved a Lot, But 60% of People Live Paycheck-to-Paycheck
Progressive senator and former White House aspirant offers his take on incumbent president
President Biden has much to be proud of, but he shouldn't “simply rest on [his] laurels” as he gears up for reelection next year, according to a prominent progressive senator and himself a two-time candidate for president.
Sen Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent from Vermont, offered his views of Biden and Biden's presidency over the weekend.
Sanders ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and again in 2020. He has endorsed Biden for reelection this year.
“Well, what I mean by that, Dana, is that the president has a right to be very proud of many of the accomplishments that we have achieved in the last three years,” Sanders said in an interview with CNN host Dana Bash. “Unemployment, very, very low. We have brought inflation down. We're investing in clean energy. We're rebuilding our infrastructure. We have made real progress in a number of areas.
“But the reality is that today, 60 percent of our people are living paycheck-to-paycheck. We have massive levels of income and wealth inequality,” the senator said. “Three people have more wealth than the bottom half of America. Our healthcare system is a total disaster, 85 million people uninsured, uninsured, underinsured, while the insurance companies make huge profits. The cost of pharmaceutical drugs, prescription drugs, sky-high.
“So, the point is, in my view, the president should tout his very good record. We have got to continue to defend women's right to control their own bodies. But we have to deal with the reality of life today,” he added.
Sanders gave a speech Saturday at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire.
“We're making progress, and Biden has a right to be proud of that. The point of my remarks is that you cannot simply, as president of the United States, rest on your laurels,” he said in a separate interview with Chuck Todd, of NBC News. “What you have got to understand is that today, for structural reasons that have gone on for decades, tens and tens of millions of people are struggling to put food on the table. They can't afford health care. They can't afford prescription drugs. They can't afford housing. They can't afford childcare.
“And meanwhile, in the midst of all of that, you have incredible corporate greed, and the billionaire class has never done better. So my message yesterday for the Democrats — not just for the president — is: If you want to do well in this election, talk to the needs of the American people, have the guts to take on the big money and trusts who have so much power.”
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