Town Hall with Bernie Sanders | Part 1

came within a hair's breadth of the 2016 democratic nomination this time senator

bernie

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says he's going to go all the way what's going to be different this time we're going to win with the

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y moving left the independent democratic socialist from vermont reminds you to voters that he is the original Three years ago, during our 2016 campaign, we were told our ideas were radical and extreme, and in the shadow of this once-iconic steel plant, Senator Bernie Sanders talks about the economy, jobs and his vision for America's future. Good evening from the pursuit of the arts. center at the steel stacks here in bethlehem pennsylvania great enthusiastic crowd here I'm brett bailey and I'm martha mckellen thank you so much guys great to have everyone here behind us as you can see it's the now closed bethlehem steel plant in In its heyday, the Belén steel plant operates these furnaces and produces thousands of tons of steel per day.

That steel built skyscrapers and helped the United States win two world wars. The plant closed in 1995, truly devastating this working-class community, but now a new day has dawned. Bethlehem economically and politically here in Northampton country, in Northampton County, which is where we are, they voted for President Barack Obama in large numbers and for the Democrat until Bush 41, actually, but he flipped the script in this county and They voted for Donald. Trump in 2016 by a nine-point swing and that's one of the reasons we're here. Senator Sanders expects those voters to return to the blue column based on all recent polls that he leads among declared Democratic candidates.

Ladies and gentlemen. Senator Bernie Sanders. Thank you. thank you very much for being thank you senator we want to start we are going to receive many questions from the audience martha and I will follow up at all times let's start by addressing our audience directly our first question is from joe he is an allen

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student pa joe what is your question hi joe hi senator

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uh now that your tax returns have been released and you have been identified as a millionaire and in the top one percent you will pay your fair share and how do you plan to implement the policies that you have been talking about and that you have imposed on the people with higher incomes, thank you, Senator Sanders, well, I happen to believe Joe that we have an absurd tax system and although millions of people today actually pay more taxes than they anticipated, amazon netflix and dozens of the big corporations as a result of the Trump tax bill paid nothing in federal taxes, I think it's a shame, so today we announced, now you raise the issue, I'm a millionaire, well, actually this year we had 560,000 in income and that It's a lot of money and all that.

The money in my case, in my wife's case, came from a book I wrote. Pretty good book, you might want to read it. It's a bestseller sold all over the world and we make money, so if anyone thinks I should apologize for writing a bestselling book. Sorry, I'm not going to do that, but let me reiterate that I voted against. I guess on Fox News you said I benefited from Trump's tax bill. Did you tell people I voted against Trump's tax bill? Sure, but you did benefit. but I voted against it and I happen to believe that a tax bill written and pushed by Trump, who told the American people that that tax bill, some of you may remember, would not benefit the rich, remember that oh, I'm not going to bet the profit 83 of the profits went to the top one percent, so I think that's a bad idea and in my opinion, whether it's me, you probably make a lot more money than me, but whether it's me, You or anyone else, I think that rich people and big corporations that are making billions in profits, should start paying their fair share of taxes, but Senator, to your point and Joe's point, your taxes show that He's a millionaire, he made a million in 2017, you're right, 561 in 2018, but his marginal tax rate was 26 because of President Trump's tax cut, so why not say you know I'm leading this revolution.

I'm not going to accept those, come on, we're theory, I paid the taxes I owe. and by the way, once you came to donald trump here and asked him how much he pays in taxes, I'm legally hoping you're doing well, we'd love to have you, we'd love that president, I guess the president watches your chain a little bit right, Hey President Trump, my wife and I just turned 10, please do the same, let the American people know, but in closing, you spend a lot of time vilifying millionaires. I don't vilify the fact that I think people are doing phenomenally well right now, as you know, for 40 years we've seen a shrinking middle class, we have 40 million people living in poverty and today it's happening that the very rich are becoming incredibly rich, it is not vilifying to say that people have a lot of money, in some cases billions of dollars of wealth, they should pay their fair share of taxes, that is not villany, last question on this , many millionaires and billionaires give a ton to charities, you gave three point four percent, my wife.

And I give money to charities, and we're proud to do what we did there. You're right. There are people. The Gates Foundation does phenomenal work. We do what we do well. I have a couple of questions for you. so you recommended a wealth tax 70 wealth tax no, actually I didn't, that was 70 77 no, I think someone else what's your number what's my number well, I'll tell you what I think, I think for make sure that older people don't continue to live in poverty and there are 20 percent of older people trying to earn 13 or 14 dollars a year. I think we should raise that limit for people making two hundred and fifty thousand dollars or more so that we can make sure that our parents can live their lives and their dignity.

I'll tell you what else I think at a time when Wall Street is doing phenomenally well. and we have millions of young people who are deeply in debt for the crime of having gone to university. I think we should pass a speculation tax. Well, okay, but I'm asking you about the rich and how much more would you raise it. You said you don't agree with 70, what would be your number in the 2016 campaign we talked about? 52 okay then 52 so would you be willing to pay 52 percent of the money you earned? you can volunteer you can submit it you can volunteer we also have a but you've suggested that everyone in your group should do it and martha why don't you give it to me?

You make more money than me. I am not suggesting a wealth tax and she is not running for president. Okay, we're going to fight for a wealth tax and we're going to demand that we end the It's absurd that a big corporation behind a big government you know what happened individually in this tax bill that you're defending families as the culprits. . Families like the Koch brothers reap billions and billions of dollars in savings. That's absurd. Trump wants to repeal the entire estate tax. A huge tax. breaks for billionaires you have another question we have a lot of questions we have a lot of questions and listen to them we want to get substance we want to get details let's do it and the audience has a lot of questions too okay martha so our question comes from kathy harrington kathy what is your question hello senator sanders welcome to the lehigh valley so my question is the definition of socialism is simply a society that agrees to work together and combine its resources to make sure that everyone is protected and taken care of, how can you c

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enge the idea that socialism is bad in the mind of the public.

You may have asked them, not me, but is this going to be a constant thing? that you should come on this show and we appreciate it, okay, your network doesn't necessarily have a lot of respect in my world, but I thought it was important for me to be here and have a serious discussion about serious topics. Sally asked a good question thank you for that question sally and let's talk about it I think it's an important topic but it will come up what is democratic socialism fair question okay so let's talk about it for me democratic socialism is creating a government, an economy and a society that works for everyone and not just the top one percent, means ending the absurd inequalities that exist today and I want to put this out there because you're not going to hear as much on Fox and you're not going to hear as much in the media. in general and the American people have to conclude whether we believe it is appropriate and what is about to happen in the United States: that three families own more wealth in the bottom half of American society, 160 million people, if it is appropriate that the first have more wealth. wealth than the bottom 92 if it's correct that 49 of all new entrants go to the top 1 when a lot of people brett and martha who are watching this show have two or three jobs just to pay the bills so first of all we want to create a government that works for all of us and we want to create a political system that is based on one person, one vote, not billionaires buying elections as a result of this disaster, united citizens and also when I speak and you know, people have different points of point of view about capitalism or democratic socialism whatever it may be, but this is my opinion.

I believe that human beings, especially in a rich, democratic and civilized society like ours, have certain basic rights, so let me be very clear and I am sure we will discuss it. Later in the show, Brett, I believe that healthcare is a human right and I believe there is something shamefully wrong when the United States of America is the only major country in the world that does not guarantee healthcare to everyone I live with. 50 miles away. the Canadian border we are going to go into details about Medicare so that medical care is correct. I believe that education, whether you are poor or rich, you have the right to receive all the education you need and that is why I believe.

We should make public colleges and universities tuition-free. We're going to talk about all of this and we're going to try to talk about how it's paid for, which is an absolutely real question, but I just want to go back on the taxes. briefly, you know when you wrote, you wrote the book and you made the money, yeah, isn't that the definition of capitalism, the American dream? No, I mean, you know what we want is a country where everyone has opportunities, you know, I have a college degree like me. I'm a United States Senator, but a lot of people don't have a college degree.

Many people are not central to the United States. I want everyone in this country to be able to have healthcare and education when they turn on the water. have clean water, not toxic water, so what we're fighting for, brett, is a society not where a few people can make a lot of money, but a society where everyone in this country has the opportunity to live with security and dignity. This weekend I'm going to talk a little bit about the field of Democratic candidates that are out there this weekend. Judge Pete Buda, the mayor of South Bend, announced that he too is a candidate for the Democratic nomination.

He's running and this is what he said in South Bend, a moment like that demands hopeful and bold voices from communities like ours and yes, it demands a new generation of leadership in this country, so Judge Buda is obviously the youngest candidate and he would certainly be the youngest president if he were. to win at 37 years old and you are 77 years old, sir, you are calling out a new generation, um, you didn't name anyone specifically, but what do you say to those who have raised the question of whether you would be too old or not? 79 as president, follow me throughout the election campaign, I mean, it's a fair question, it's a fair question and all I can say is if there was wood here, I would touch it, thank God, my health is good, it was When I was a kid, I was a distance runner, one of the best mile runners in New York City and I've continued to have my stamina, but I think when you look at a candidate, yeah, you can look at the age, that's fair. , you can look at the experience.

I was a mayor for eight years a little bit about local government I was a member of the House I'm a member of the United States Senate I've been all over the world talking to heads of state so I think it's a combination of factors but at the end of the day day this is what I honestly believe it is not with young people it is not if you are old but in what you believe and I have to say and I have to say and this is not a criticism of a fox, this is a criticism of the media in Overall, there's too much focus on individuals and not enough on the American people and what their needs are and I want to tell you this and again, this isn't just fox, it's everything else.

I go out and listen to people and tell them: "Give me, they ask me questions." Those questions are often very, very different from the topics Meteor discusses on Capitol Hill. Okay, so, Senator, we want to get back to the audience questions.I mean we understand and we're so grateful you're here we'll give you an hour of substance and talk on our airwaves so we can get over the fox thing if you're okay with that okay Brian is a city councilman here in Bethlehem , Brian, what's your question, go ahead, Brian, wait a second, Brian, you have the floor, Senator Sanders like uh, where is he brother, okay and as a member of the city council of Bethlehem, welcome to Christmas

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My question is like every other question, Kennedy. Democrat, more specifically center-left, my concern is that President Trump has inflamed our democratic base so much that we will move too far to the left and overreach like the Republicans did with the Tea Party in 2010. What do you think about that good question? ? This is what I say every day. I don't agree with Donald Trump on practically every issue and I talk about it and I'll tell you what bothers me but I'll tell you what bothers me the most. I'm going to answer your question is whether you're conservative or moderate or progressive I don't think the American people are proud that we have a president who is a pathological liar and I was just and I say you know it gives me no pleasure to say that okay , he disagreed with george w bush on almost everything Bush was not a pathological eye.

Trump can't even tell the truth about where his father was born. It's really not crazy that his father was born in New York. He says he was born in Germany, but you can't even tell the truth. where your father was born, it's hard to believe everything he says, but to answer your question, look, if we spend all our time attacking Trump, you know what the Democrats are going to lose, okay, our job, our job is to present a vision that makes sense for working families in this country and that's what I'm trying to do over a four-year period and the video that they showed earlier I think captured that we raised issues four years ago that were considered extreme and a little bit there, but today they are accepted by the American people, so I think if you talk to the people of Bethlehem and Burlington, Vermont, tell them what's on your mind, well, you know what, among other things, if you work 40 hours a week, people don't We don't want to live in poverty, we have to raise that minimum wage to a living wage in my state of Vermont and across this country we have infrastructure that is falling a

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because of roads, bridges and water systems that waste water, but we can put 15 million people back to work with an investment of one trillion dollars.

I think that makes sense to people, so I agree with you. I mean, I think Trump is a dangerous president, but if all we do is focus on him, we'll lose our jobs. to develop an agenda that responds to the needs of working people, when we do, we are going to win and win as a great senator, it seems that no one knows for sure, but it seems that vice president joe biden is likely to enter the race, does you are worried? that the dnc if you know he would be a strong establishment candidate has obviously been around for a long time are you worried that the dnc could put their finger on the scale again like they did to you in 2016 with hillary clinton?

You're right, we went through that in 2016. And I think we've come a long way since then, so we talk to the DNC every week and I think the process will be fair, one of the important changes we made. Uh, and we won, as you may remember, you both remember that last time, around 2016, Clinton had 500 super delegates lined up behind her before the first vote was cast in Iowa and that seemed to be pretty silly and unfair, well, that one process. has been changed and I think that works well for everyone, but let me ask you because now the process is that in the next round the superdelegates will come into play and with so many candidates on the democratic side it is possible that someone will not get 50 percent, do you worries?

Are you talking to the DNC about that? Well, that's the rule, I mean, that's where we are now, but you're right. I mean, I hope the Democratic party understands what they did. years ago and that's what we want to hear, it's not the political pundits and campaign contributors that you want to hear from everyday people in Iowa and Pennsylvania and they should determine who the next Democratic nominee will be. Well, let's move on to another question. Jordan is a student. from scotch plains here is the next question Hello senator, thank you very much for being here.

My question is why does he think the government can provide better healthcare than the private sector and why should people who like their plans be forced to change? Well, first. Of course, let's be clear about what we mean by Medicare for All. Well, Medicare is a government-run program for seniors that is very popular and quite effective. In 1965, when Lyndon Johnson passed that bill, some Republicans called it socialism and everything else but you. Go to the average senior and tell them how you feel about Medicare and they will tell you that they will oppose any Republican effort to cut Medicare.

By the way, in Trump's budget he has proposed a cut of $845 billion over a 10-year period. what seniors don't want so answer your question we're not talking about government run healthcare the veterans administration and most veterans think it's a pretty good healthcare system talk to the american legion from vfw, they strongly advocate for veterans, uh, healthcare. that's run by the government, what we're talking about is just a single payer insurance program, which means you're going to have a card that has Medicare, you're going to go to any doctor you want, you're going to go to any hospital you want, and by the way , today millions of people are on networks that prevent them from doing this, so this gives you freedom of choice regarding which doctors or hospitals you go to, but this is the main point when we talk about healthcare today.

Right now we have 30 million people without health insurance and many of you and tens of millions of Americans are underinsured with high deductibles and co-pays, that's right, so what happens is there are estimates that about 30,000 Americans die every anus. a single year because they don't go to the doctor when they should, meanwhile we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, one in five Americans is being scammed by pharmaceutical companies who make billions in profits while charging us the highest prices. highest in the world, and we also spend twice as much per capita on healthcare as people in any other nation, so the question I ask you is: do you think it makes sense to spend twice as much per person? capita like the people of any other nation and be the only country in the world that does not guarantee health care to all people um this audience this audience has many Democrats has independent Republicans conservative democratic socialists I want to ask the audience a question if you can raise the hand here raise your hand how many people get their insurance from work private insurance right now how many get it from private insurance okay now of those how many are willing to transition to what the senator says government run system there are 180 millions of people with private insurance, let's deal with that right, they would be lost, of course, of course, of course, to your assistant question, okay, ask, well, thank you, that's what the right rules out, so let me answer you well, millions of people every single year lose their health insurance, you know why they get fired or quit and go to another employer.

I was mayor for eight years. Do you know what I did? What every mayor in America probably does is look for the best insurance program. The most profitable insurance you change insurance every year. Millions of workers wake up in the morning and their employer has changed the insurance they have. Maybe they like doctors. People nod their heads. Okay, so this isn't new every year. What we're really talking about is stability, that when you have a Medicare wall it's there now and it will be there Senator, let me ask you a question about Vermont because Vermont tried to have a single payer program and in 2014 the Democratic governor abandoned it. because I had to raise income taxes, I had trans payroll taxes, uh, and the people of Vermont didn't want their taxes to go down at all and that's in the abandoned program, so we're getting into the internal politics of Vermont, which I know a little well.

I'm sure I don't want to be here, so the governor did a pretty poor job, but I think if you look at the polls, especially among Democrats, as I'm sure, they'll tell me that a strong majority of Democrats and more than a few few Republicans want to see a Medicare for all program, what are the opponents saying, let's be clear about this, Martha, when it comes to health care that represents 18 percent of our GDP, I mean, we're talking about three trillion and half a dollar a year and you have insurance companies making billions and billions of dollars in profits.

Let me give you an example, if I may, of the dysfunctionality of the current healthcare system. Recently, Aetna merged with CVS. You may remember that big merger that I believe will drive up healthcare costs. The gentleman who was head of uh Aetna is called Mr. Bertolini, do you know what he got by putting together that merger? He got a $500 million bonus. Do you think this is how we should spend money on healthcare? I mean, I think everyone agrees that health care needs to be fixed in this country the question is how and my question to you was will you raise taxes to pay for health care and not only will the rich pay for that, the middle class will also pay very well for it, so how do you justify it and okay martha what are you not including in your discussion?

Tell me, I'll tell you that you're not going to pay any health insurance premium, you're going to pay one way or another, but look, okay, one way, whether it's on your income tax or your payroll taxes. . Look, health care is not free. He never heard me suggest that we were going to march. He simply said it was going to be free for everyone. It will be free the moment you use it. okay and you're going to why are you so surprised by this because this is what someone's going to go to who's okay? okay, one second please, we'll figure this out again. common questions, okay, we were fine, lots of email questions, ask the senator.

Sanders, how it's pretty fair, I get it, it's fair, but the first thing let's say hypothetically okay, you're self-employed and you have a husband and two kids, okay, a family of four, you know? how much does that family pay today for health care how much 28 thousand dollars a year okay, we are spending 11,000 per person, we are telling that family of four that you are not going to pay that 28,000 that you are not paying more premiums you are not paying more copays you're not paying more deductibles how's that 28,000 that you're not paying, but that means you're not going to pay something, of course you are? pay more taxes and make members of Congress who now have gold-plated health insurance, well, they have a special plan that is outside of Obamacare, uh, a different plan, you know, remember, members of Congress, are you going to make that transition too?

I am right. Of course, of course, why would you suggest otherwise? But I want to make it clear that I want to return to Martha Reyes' point. Look, healthcare costs money. Every other country, or virtually every country, does it the same way we do education. our children are fine when a child enters school, a child does not have to take out a credit card, it is paid with public funds, that is what most countries do, so if you ask me if your question is a Fair question, are people going to go? pay more taxes, yes, but at the end of the day the vast majority of people will end up paying less for health care because they don't pay premiums, co-pays or deductibles.

Let's go into much more detail. senator thank you