In a fiery exchange during a televised CNN town hall Wednesday night, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders did not mince words as he criticized the network — and the media at large — for what he called a failure to address issues that matter to everyday Americans, particularly health care and economic inequality.
Responding to a question from a civil rights attorney on why many Americans are distancing themselves from the Democratic Party, Sanders offered a candid assessment.
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“The failure of the Democratic Party, in my view, is that they have not been aggressive in standing up to powerful corporate interests in laying out and implementing an agenda that speaks to the needs of the working class,” he said.
During the discussion, Sanders invited the audience to participate in a series of questions about the state of the U.S. health care system, asking them to raise their hands if they believed it was working. A few hands went up. But when he asked who thought it was not working, more hands were raised.
“All right, let me rephrase the question — raise your hand if you think the American health care system is working well,” Sanders said. Turning to moderator Anderson Cooper, he asked, “Anderson, how many people are raising their hands?”
“None,” Cooper replied. “Now, raise your hand if you think the American health care system is broken,” Sanders continued. “The majority. Everyone,” Cooper began, before Sanders interjected, “Not a majority. Virtually everyone in the room,” prompting laughter from the audience.
Sanders pointed out that the United States remains the only wealthy nation that does not guarantee health care as a human right, expressing frustration that such facts receive little media coverage. “You’re not going to hear much about that on corporate television. You’re not going to hear much about that in the United States Congress,” Sanders said.
As Cooper attempted to steer the conversation toward additional audience questions, Sanders pushed back. “I know you do, but I want to talk about —” he began, prompting Cooper to respond, “I know you do!” The senator then launched into a broader criticism of media and political institutions.
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“Sometimes these issues about health care, about income and wealth inequality, are not get talked about in the corporate media. And it’s time we did talk about them. That’s why — the question a moment ago — ‘Why are people losing faith in the American system?’ We don’t talk about it on CNN. We don’t talk about it in Congress.”
He went on to blast the influence of billionaires in American politics. “And that has got to change,” he said. Turning back to CNN, Sanders issued a direct challenge: “We need CNN to talk about these issues. We need members of Congress to talk about these issues.”
Cooper responded, “We’re literally talking about it right now.” “Yeah — but I’m forcing you to talk about it, Anderson!” Sanders said, pointing at the host. “We invited you!” Cooper replied with a grin.
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