U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was at Vermont’s largest Memorial Day parade in Vergennes, but he declined to talk politics out of respect for those who gave their lives in service to America.

Sanders said he’s attended this parade for the past 25 years, and he would not take any political questions from reporters or discuss his presidential campaign, to focus more on the significance of Memorial Day and what it means.

His opponent showed no reluctance getting into an off topic controversy.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton march in New Castle’s Memorial Day parade, the former Secretary of State; United States Senator and First Lady told a journalist that early childhood education should be a top priority for the country.

“Education is absolutely key. And you have to start early. The years birth to 5 are critical,” said Hillary Clinton.

Sanders, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs who has been outspoken in the need to provide more resources for veterans, recently proposed making public college education free for every American.

The independent Senator who announced in April he is seeking the Democrats’ 2016 presidential nomination, was on CNN’s Reliable Sources Sunday talking about the media’s campaign coverage. He said there is more focus on political gossip rather than big issues facing the country.

“In terms of campaign coverage… there is more coverage about the political gossip of a campaign, about raising money, about polling, about somebody saying something dumb, or some kid works for a campaign sends out something stupid on Facebook, right? We can expect that to be a major story,” said Sanders. “But what your job is, what the media’s job is, is to say, look, these are the major issues facing the country. We’re a democracy. People have different points of view. Let’s argue it.”

Sanders chided journalists for centering on shallow topics: “I think that, instead of coming up with the next news of the moment, breaking news: there was an automobile accident, a cat got run over, here is breaking news: For 40 years, the American middle class has been disappearing and the rich have been getting richer. Why?”

Sanders will kick-off his national campaign at Burlington’s Waterfront at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

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