On Thursday night, Bernie Sanders appeared on Stephen Colbert‘s Late Show to offer his critique of Trump’s RNC acceptance speech - although he confessed that he “gave up after the first hour and a half.”
Sanders, in his delightfully brusque style, wasted little time with pleasantries (he charged past the host to get to his seat).
As he settled in, the audience greeted him with a rapturous chant, “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie.“ With a broad smile, he replied, “I accept your nomination.“ Then it was down to the nitty-gritty and Sanders’ observation that despite Tump’s torrent of words, the man said little of substance.
What stuns me about these things Stephen, is how little the real problems of the country are discussed. And how few real solutions are given.
Bernie summarized Trump’s message.
“The country is in terrible shape. Vote for me and I am going to bring wonderful things to all of you. You don’t know how or why. I’m going to do it. Just trust me.”
Then he paraphrased, with derisive sarcasm, how Trump summed up his presidential term.
“It was the greatest time in the history of humankind.”
Sanders then pointed out that almost every climate scientist has called human-caused global warming an existential threat to the health and prosperity of the human race. Yet despite this unanimity of scientific opinion, Bernie scoffed that Trump’s response is:
“Climate change is a hoax created in China.”
Sanders sardonically adds:
“On that basis alone, nobody in America should be voting for Trump.”
Colbert then brings up that Teamster President Sean O’Brien was a keynote speaker at the RNC. He asked Sanders what he thought of that. Bernie replied that “a lot of what he said was good.” However, he added:
“Anybody who has any illusion that the Republican Party cares two wits for the working class of this country is terribly wrong.”
To substantiate his claim, Sanders reveals he has zero Republican support for his campaign to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. And that he also has zero GOP support for his “Pro Act” making it easier for workers to join unions without employer intimidation.
He slams the GOP plan for more “massive tax breaks” for billionaires while 90% of them want to cut Social Security. Adding:
“So, anyone who has any illusions that the Republicans will do anything to benefit the working class is sorely mistaken.”
Colbert then says that Musk, who lied about not giving money to politicians, has now committed to giving a Trump Super PAC $180 million. Bernie replies:
“We should thank Musk for making this issue so obvious. What we have in America now is a corrupt political system — that’s all.
We do not really live in a democracy. We live in a semi-democracy. You have the right to vote. But a billionaire has the right to contribute hundreds of millions for his or her aims.”
Sanders adds that this legal bribery leads to energy plutocrats buying “drill baby, drill” energy policies
(Commercial break)
Colbert turns to the elephant in the room - the push by some Democratic politicians for Biden to step down and polls that show 2/3 of Democrats agree with them.
Sanders, who had written a New York Times op-ed piece offering Biden his full-throated support, said it was up to Joe.
“The ultimate decision will be with the president. There is enormous pressure on him.”
However, he again expresses his support for Biden, despite being aware of the “disastrous debate he had” and “the problems he has“ because, he says:
“He has been the strongest, most progressive president in my lifetime”
Bernie lists Biden's support for workers, his reduction of drug costs, his investment in infrastructure, his actions on climate change, and student debt relief.
He goes on to highlight Biden’s ‘100-day Plan’ for a second term. And says the program to expand Social Security by increasing taxes on billionaires will prove a huge vote-getter.
Sanders adds that rent caps and increases in affordable housing will appeal to working families. Expanding Medicare to dental, hearing, and vision will appeal to seniors. And genuine universal healthcare and no medical bankruptcies will appeal to everyone.
(Commercial break)
Colbert asks Sanders about the state of the two major political parties — opening the door for a Bernie zinger.
”I’ll tell you what nobody else will tell you. Why not? It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. Who is listening anyhow?
He gets serious:
“There was once a time when the Democratic Party was the party of the working class. Those days are long gone. The Republican Party was the party of the rich and the bankers. And now they claim to be the party of workers. And that certainly is not true.”
He points out that many voters are demoralized. That the solution is a nonviolent political revolution. And the first thing to do is get billionaire money out of the political process.
Bernie concludes with a call to progressive action.
“Our job right now is to defeat Trump. If Biden stays in - but reelecting Biden and Democrats is not enough.
We need to transform the Democratic Party. To force those doors open. So that ordinary people, young people, people of color, working-class people can come in and drive an agenda that says we are not going to be the only major country on earth not to have healthcare for all people. We’re not gonna have more income and wealth inequality than in any time in our history. We are not going to have college unaffordable. Housing unaffordable.
This creating a government and a nation that works for all is not utopian. We are the richest country in the history of the world. We have all kinds of technology that can improve human life. And our job is to make the government work for everybody.
He ends:
“This country belongs to all of us.”
Besides being right, Sanders proves that 82-year-olds can have the mental prowess and intellectual vigor of much younger people.