Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chatted with CNN’s Gloria Borger on Sunday, providing a key insight into why one of the Senate’s most progres...
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chatted with CNN’s Gloria Borger on Sunday, providing a key insight into why one of the Senate’s most progressive members has been able to work so well with the more centrist President Joe Biden.
Borger noted both Sanders and Biden have working class roots, and a “shared history” through their political careers. When Biden decided to not run for president in 2016 and the Democratic establishment gravitated to Hillary Clinton, Biden reached out to Sanders “for a private chat or two, a courtesy Sanders has not forgotten.”
Sanders appreciated Biden’s advice, describing their talks as “very useful conversations and friendly conversations.”
In 2020, as Sanders was preparing to withdraw from the race, he asked his staff to reach out to Biden’s campaign to see “if they want to invite progressive policies and personnel into their campaign — just see what they say.”
The answer, Borger noted, was yes. “Can you talk to me about how welcome they made you feel?” she asked Sanders.
“Very welcome,” he replied.
“It was a little different than from Hillary Clinton in 2016,” said Borger.
“Yes, yes, it is,” said Sanders.
“You weren’t welcomed?” she asked.
“I was tolerated,” replied Sanders. “My support was — they wanted my support, obviously.”
Sanders now chairs the Senate Budget Committee and played an instrumental role in encouraging progressive Democrats to vote for the American Rescue Plan bill even after the minimum wage hike was removed, noted Borger.
“Was it everything we wanted?” said Sanders. “No. Was it a major step forward for the working class in this country? You bet it was.”
Biden “does things sometimes that I think are really not a good idea,” Sanders added. “But I understand why he does it. Because he’s made promises to people, and he wants to keep his promises.”
Asked Borger, “And he’s always kept his promises to you?”
“I think, yes,” said Sanders, who praised Biden’s “very strong sense of loyalty, which I like and respect.”
“We are going to have our differences,” Sanders concluded, “but I ultimately trust you, and you are going to trust me. We are not going to double-cross each other. There will be bad times, but we are going to get through this together.”
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