MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Inability to Work with Republicans on Entitlements

Interview

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SANDERS: Good to be with you.

SCHULTZ: Thank you for your time. How important is tonight`s speech?

SANDERS: Exclusively important. You make, I think, the important point. And that is on issue after issue. The vast majority of the people are in strong disagreement with Republican priorities. Republicans want to cut social security, Medicare and Medicaid. They want to abolish the environmental protection agency. They want to give more tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations. Nobody believes that.

What do the American people want? When you talked about it, they want to raise the minimum wage. They want a jobs program which puts millions of people back to work. They want to change in our trade policy so we`re not exporting jobs to China. And they want to deal with this issue of the income and wealth inequality which is moving us in the direction of keen Kochracy (ph) and deal with Citizens United so the Koch brothers and others cannot put hundreds of millions of dollars in electing their friends.

The American people, not just Democrats, not just Republicans, Independents, vastly support that agenda. The president has got to make the issues as clear cut as possible, rally (ph) the American people.

SCHULTZ: When does the president stop trying to lead people that are never going to follow and always going to obstruct? When does that moment happen?

SANDERS: Well, Ed, I mean, this is an issue that drives me a little bit nuts because I think the president should have learned that lesson years ago. Human nature is -- that we try to work together. You reach out to people. You`re prepared to compromise. But after people catch the left off and they catch the right hand off and they punch you in the stomach, you got to finally catch on that these people do not want to work with you. They want to destroy you. They want to obstruct every single initiative (ph) you bring forth.

And what`s the alternative? The alternative is to give the Republicans an offer they can`t refuse. And that is rally (ph) the American people and let them know what the Republican stands.

SCHULTZ: So, if the president goes out tonight and someone of a dogmatic style which is not his style -- he`s not a guy that points fingers too much. At least he doesn`t in public. There`s no downside, is there? I mean, aren`t the people that put the president in office ready for somewhat of a breakout moment from all this obstruction because we know the Republicans aren`t going to change? There`s nothing that president is going to say tonight.

SANDERS: Are they ready? Are they ready? I would say that they are more than ready. You know, they are frustrated that the president has not been tough. Look Ed, we have made progress in the last five years. Remember, five years ago, we`re losing 700,000 jobs a month?

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SANDERS: Now, we`re gaining some jobs. But let`s not kid ourselves. The middle class, the working class of this country is hurting. People on top are doing phenomenally well. One out of four corporations stay zero in federal income taxes. How do the American people feel about it? They are angry. They are frustrated. They want action. They want leadership for the White House.

SCHULTZ: Okay. So, executive actions, what are your expectations of what can be accomplished that would change this dynamic?

SANDERS: First thought, and I want to applaud the president because this is an issue that a number of us have been working on. I want to give him credit for doing the right thing after saying that you -- if you are an employee of a federal contractor, you should earn at least $10.10 an hour. That will impact about 250,000 people. And you know what it also does? It gives us some momentum in the fight to raise the minimum wage for all workers in this country. That is a good start.

SCHULTZ: All right. What do you think the reaction of the Republicans will be of any executive order?

SANDERS: Well, you heard some of it. All of this is unconstitutional. All -- he`s being too bold. We`re going to have to even obstruct more of what he does and who cares? Who cares? What we can expect is what we`ve seen in the last five years, obstruction, obstruction, obstruction. The question is we have got to rally the American people so that in every congressional district in America, they know if folks are going to -- not support raising the minimum wage, not support a jobs program, if they want to cut social security and Medicare. The American people got to know that. If they know that, the Republicans are going to be in serious trouble.

SCHULTZ: Unemployment extensions, is that a possibility at this point?

SANDERS: We are continuing the fight. We just had a caucus today that if it continues. You have 1.6 million Americans who have worked long periods of time, now, have no income coming yet from unemployment benefits. It is a real crisis. We have to continue that fight.

SCHULTZ: Okay. I would imagine the president tonight is going to be talking about the debt ceiling coming up. How much time does he have to spend on that?

SANDERS: Not a whole lot because you have a situation where our Republican colleagues are suggesting that for the first time in the history of the United States of America, they do not want to pay our bills, what we owe. And in doing that, perhaps, drive the entire world into a depression.

This is kind of a no-brainer. Even the business community fully understands. You got to pay your bills. That`s it. No negotiating.

SCHULTZ: Income inequality is going to be an overriding theme of tonight. It`s long overdue. Obviously, you and many other progressives have been talking about this for a long time. Can the president through executive order do something to change all of these when on the other hand he`s pushing the TPP which is in total contrast to what middle class families are going to be facing when it comes to economic pressures? I hope the president tonight talks about the TPP and explains the upside because so far we haven`t seen it.

SANDERS: Well, in my view is, somebody who was voted against NAFTA and against CAFTA and against Permanent Noble Trade Relations with China who does not like the TPP, what you have had is corporate America and the big money interest of reaching out the Democratic president and Republican presidents to get that to pass this disastrous trade agreements. So I`m not a great fan of these agreements.

I think it just makes it easier for companies to lay off American workers, move to China, Vietnam. But second of all, I think the president does have to make the point that the American economy is not sustainable when so few have so much and so many have so little. It`s a moral issue and it`s an economic issue because the people don`t have money to spend. You don`t create jobs.

SCHULTZ: Senator Sanders, good to have you with us tonight. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

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