'Conversation with the Candidate' with Bernie Sanders: Part 1 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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ANNOUNCER: THIS IS A WMUR COMMITMENT 2020 SPECIAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS, CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE, TONIGHT SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS. >> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE SERIES, I'M ADAM SEXTON AND OUR GUEST IS BERNIE SANDERS. TONIGHT WE'LL GET TO KNOW THE SENATOR AND WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES. AT THE START OF OUR SHOW I'LL BE ASKING THE CANDIDATE SOME QUESTIONS AND AFTER A BREAK WE'LL HAVE OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR QUESTIONS IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT. BEFORE WE BEGIN LET'S LOOK AT THE CANDIDATE'S BIOGRAPHY. BERNIE SANDERS WAS BORN IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, IN 1941. HE WENT TO JAMES MADISON HIGH SCHOOL AND EARNED HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO IN 1964. HE MOVED TO VERMONT AFTER GRADUATION AND IN 1981 WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF BURLINGTON FOR THE FIRST OF FOUR TERMS. SANDERS LECTURED AT HARVARD AS WELL AS HAMILTON COLLEGE IN NEW YORK AND RAN UNSUCCESSFUL BIDS AS AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FOR VERMONT GOVERNOR, U.S. SENATE AND CONGRESS BEFORE BEING ELECTED AS AN INDEPENDENT TO VERMONT'S ONLY CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN 1990, A POSITION HE HELD UNTIL TAKING OFFICE AS A U.S. SENATOR IN 2007. VOTERS HAVE RE-ELECTED HIM TWICE. AS CHAIR OF THE SENATE VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, SANDERS HELPED PASS V.A. HEALTH CARE SYSTEM REFORM IN 2014. HE SAT ON SEVERAL OTHER COMMITTEES, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS, FOCUSING ON GLOBAL WARMING AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES WHERE HE HAS WORKED TO MOVE THE U.S. AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS. SANDERS RAN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2016 AND WON THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY IN A LANDSLIDE OVER THE EVENTUAL DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE HILLARY CLINTON. SANDERS IS MARRIED, HAS FOUR CHILDREN AND SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN. SENATOR SANDERS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON "CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CANDIDATE. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. AS NOTED YOU WON THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY IN 2016 IN UNPRECEDENTED FASHION IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE AND YOU SAID YOURSELF THIS IS ESSENTIALLY WHERE YOU WERE ABLE TO PROVE YOUR IDEAS COULD NOT ONLY WIN BUT WIN BIG WITH DEMOCRATIC VOTERS. HERE FOUR YEARS LATER NOW, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO EXPAND YOUR BASIS SUPPORT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE BEYOND THE CORE PROGRESSIVES YOU GET? BERNIE: IT'S NOT JUST THE CORE PROGRESSIVES WHEN YOU WIN THE STATE BY A 24% MARGIN, IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE. WHAT NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOWED -- AND I WANT TO THANK THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR THE SUPPORT THEY GAVE ME FOUR YEARS AGO AND WE'LL BE WORKING REALLY HARD BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR GRANTED IN THIS STAT WE DID THREE EVENTS YESTERDAY AND TODAY AND WORKING HARD IN THIS STATE. WHAT NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOWED THAT HEALTH CARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT AND WE HAVEO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO A LIVING WAGE AND WE NEED EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN AND WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND IMMIGRATION REFORM. WE HAVE TO REBUILD OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE AND CREATE MILLIONS OF GOOD PAYING JOBS. NOW, WHEN I BROUGHT FORTH THOSE KIND OF AMBITIOUS GOALS, THE POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT, THE MEDIA ESTABLISHMENT WERE SAYING THOSE WERE EXTREME AND RADICAL IDEAS. IT TURNS OUT HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND IOWA AS WELL, PEOPLE SAID NO, THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO REBUILD THE CRUMBLING MIDDLE CLASS, THAT WE CANNOT CONTINUE THE LEVEL OF INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY, THAT WE NEED AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR ALL OF US, NOT JUST THE 1%. THAT WAS I THINK THE MESSAGE THAT CAME OUT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. ADAM: YET THERE ARE SOME DEMOCRATS IN THIS ELECTION CYCLE, IT'S CLEAR THEY'RE LOOKING FOR QUOTE, UNQUOTE, THE SAFE BET AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE DEMOCRATS WHERE THEY SAY WE LIKE YOUR POLICIES BUT IT'S TOO MUCH OF A RISK AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP. BERNIE: THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. MY WIFE AND I THOUGHT LONG AND HARD WHETHER TO GET IN THIS RACE BECAUSE YOU CERTAINLY APPRECIATE HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS AND THE KIND OF ATTACKS -- UGLY ATTACKS THAT COME ON FAMILIES AND SO FORTH. BUT WE CONCLUDED THAT I SHOULD RUN FOR TWO REASONS. NUMBER ONE, I BELIEVE, AND I THINK MANY DO, THAT I AM THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE, AND THE MOST DANGEROUS PRECEDENT IN THE MODERN HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. TRUMP HAS TO BE DEFEATED. I THINK I'M THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY. TO DEFEAT TRUMP YOU'LL NEED A LARGE VOTER TURNOUT AND YOU'LL HAVE TO REACH OUT TO YOUNG PEOPLE, TO WORKING PEOPLE IN AN UNPRECEDENTED WAY, AND I THINK OUR CAMPAIGN HAS AND IS GENERATING THAT KIND OF EXCITEMENT. SECOND OF ALL, IN STATES LIKE NEW HAMPSHIRE OR STATES LIKE PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, INDIANA, THERE ARE ISSUES THAT I FOUGHT FOR THAT RESONATE VERY STRONGLY WITH THE PEOPLE THERE. I WAS ONE OF THE LEADERS IN OPPOSITION TO THESE TERRIBLE TRADE AGREEMENTS, NAFTA, PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA WHICH HAVE COST US MILLIONS OF DECENT PAYING JOBS. IF YOU LOOK AT MY RECORD, IT'S A RECORD THAT I HAVE STOOD UP FOR WORKING PEOPLE THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE POLITICAL LIFE AND HAVE HAD THE COURAGE TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE HAVE TO TAKE ON THE GREED OF CORPORATE AMERICA AND CREATE AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR ALL OF US. I THINK MY MESSAGE WILL RESONATE IN THOSE STATES TRUMP WON AND MAKES ME IN FACT THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE. ADAM: WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MORE COMPETITIVE RACE IN 2016. AND YOU HAVE A CANDIDATE LIKE ELIZABETH WARREN IN COMPLETE OVERLAP IN POLICY. DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO WORK HARDER TO MATCH YOUR PLANS AND THE INTELLECTUAL FIREPOWER SHE'S BRINGING TO THE RACE? BERNIE: I'M PROUD TO SAY MANY IDEAS WE INTRODUCED FOUR YEARS AGO ARE NOW THE IDEAS MANY, MANY CANDIDATES ARE TALKING ABOUT. WHEN I WAS HERE ON WMUR FOUR YEARS AGO AND TALKED ABOUT MEDICARE FOR ALL, WHO WAS TALKING ABOUT IT? NOBODY. WHO IS TALKING ABOUT IT NOW? A LOT OF PEOPLE. RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $15 AN HOUR. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT. I'M PROUD MANY OF THE IDEAS I INTRODUCED FOUR YEARS AGO ARE BEING TALKED ABOUT BY A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE. CLEARLY THIS RACE IS DIFFERENT. FOUR YEARS AGO I WAS RUNNING AGAINST ONE CANDIDATE, SECRETARY CLINTON AND NOW WE'RE RUNNING AGAINST THE LATEST COUNTY, 22. IT MAKES IT A VERY DIFFERENT RACE. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO WIN HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND WE'RE GOING TO WIN THE PRIMARY BECAUSE WE HAVE A VERY STRONG COALITION OF WORKING PEOPLE, OF YOUNG PEOPLE, OF BLACK ACTIVISTS AND LATINO ACTIVISTS, PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE BOARD WHO ARE PREPARED TO STAND UP AND FIGHT WITH US TO HELP NOT ONLY WIN THE ELECTION BUT TO TRANSFORM THIS COUNTRY. ADAM: DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE IMPEACHED AND IF SO ON WHAT GROUNDS? BERNIE: I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS A DISASTER AND EMBARRASSMENT AND EVERY SINGLE DAY YOU SEE ANOTHER OUTRAGE. THE IDEA THAT HE HAS NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, THE OPERATION OF POWERS, HE DISRESPECTS THE CONGRESS IN A VERY SIGNIFICANT WAY, ETC., ETC. AND I THINK WHAT THE HOUSE IS NOW DOING IS LOOKING TO DETERMINE WHETHER IN FACT HE HAS ON JUCTED JUSTICE WHICH IS AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE. I THINK THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IN THE HOUSE SHOULD GO FORWARD WITH AN INQUIRY INTO IMPEACHMENT AND SEE WHERE THAT GOES. I THINK WE HAVE TO DO TWO THINGS. I THINK WE CANNOT GET AWAY WITH THE OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR AND ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOR OF TRUMP BUT WE CAN'T JUST DEAL WITH THAT BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WATCHING THIS PROGRAM ARE SAYING BERNIE, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THE FACT I CAN'T AFFORD HEALTH CARE OR AFFORD TO SEND MY KID TO COLLEGE OR CLIMATE CHANGE. IF WE WORRY ABOUT TRUMP WE FALL IN HIS TRAMP AND WE DEAL WITH THAT. BUT YOU DEAL WITH THE REALITY HALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK AND SO MANY KIDS ARE STRUGGLING TO GET THEIR FEET ON THE GROUND ECONOMICALLY AND WE CAN'T FORGET THOSE PEOPLE AS WELL. ADAM: THANKS FOR ANSWERING THE EASY QUESTIONS HERE. THE NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS' QUESTIONS AWAIT. NEXT WE'LL BRING THE STUDIO AUDIENCE INTO THE CONVERSATION. STAY WITH

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