Bernie Says Dems Lack ‘Vision For The Future’

On Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chided the Democrats, saying they lack a “vision for the future.”

The critique was made as Sanders was being interviewed by moderator Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” who brought up the senator’s so-called “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“What Democrats lack right now is a vision for the future,” Sanders said. “How are we going to provide a decent standard of living for a younger generation, which, everything being equal, will be poorer than their parents? How do we repair a broken healthcare system? How do we raise the minimum wage to a living wage? How do we deal with a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires to control both political parties?”

He added: “Those are some of the issues that need to be discussed. And we’re going out around the country right now asking people – working people, run for office. They want to run as a Democrat? Great. They want to run as an independent? That’s great. But you got to get involved in the political process, because right now, the two party system is failing the working class of this country.”

Sanders made the comment in the middle of responding to a question from Welker, who asked if he was trying to start a third party given his two failed campaigns in the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries over the years.

“No, we’re not trying to start a third party,” Sanders said. “What we’re trying to do is strengthen American democracy, where faith in both the Democratic and Republican parties right now is extremely low.”

He said that Democrats are “appropriately” talking about President Donald Trump’s “movement toward authoritarianism” while opposing the GOP’s reconciliation bill and the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk.

Sanders also pushed back against Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who urged Democrats to stop harping on the “oligarchy” because the term does not resonate beyond coastal institutions, according to POLITICO.

“I think the American people are not quite as dumb as Ms. Slotkin thinks they are,” Sanders said. “I think they understand very well, when the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 90%, when big money interests are able to control both political parties, they are living in an oligarchy. And these are precisely the issues that have got to be talked about.”