Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday dismissed a warning from Rahn Emanuel, former U.S. ambassador to Japan, who wrote in The Wall Street Journal that “Bernie bros” could “spoil” the Democratic Party’s chances in the midterm elections.
“There is a strong division within the Democratic Party,” Sanders told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan during an appearance on “Face the Nation.”
“You have an establishment like Rahm Emanuel, who are dependent on billionaire campaign contributions to want to maintain the status quo. Then you have a progressive movement which, by the way, what is getting these guys nervous is we are winning all over this country,” he continued.
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Sanders added that voters “are sick and tired of the Rahm Emanuels and the Democratic establishment and the Republican establishment. They are asking simple questions, Margaret.”
The Vermont independent pointed to high healthcare costs in the U.S. compared to Canada and Europe.
“The American people are tired of a rigged economy, a corrupt campaign finance system, they want real change,” he continued. “They don’t want a Rahm Emanuel and the establishment maintaining the status quo.”
Emanuel’s op-ed in the Journal — titled “The ‘Bernie Bros’ Could Spoil Democrats’ Midterms” — warned against the influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), as candidates from the political organization have been winning primaries against incumbent Democrats.
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“If the Bernie bros were serious about growing jobs and wages, they would support candidates touting substantive ways to help families cover the mortgage or the rent, secure their retirement, and ensure no one is a single medical emergency away from bankruptcy,” Emanuel wrote.
The former Chicago mayor and potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender said “the socialists’ efforts to distract from what should be our message on corruption have had an effect. For months the Democratic Party’s generic advantage widened while the nation focused on Mr. Trump and the Republican Congress.”
“Our lead has narrowed amid recent attention to DSA-led primaries,” he continued. “In November, a continued focus on defunding, decriminalizing and decolonizing will highlight cultural issues that alienate many Democrats, not to mention a huge swath of independents (who make up a record-high 45 percent of the electorate) and disenchanted Republicans.”
Emanuel wrote that the outcome of the election ultimately falls on policy.
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“It was socialists who led the charge to defund the police, open the borders, abolish prisons, release violent criminals onto the streets and degrade the flag,” he wrote. “We know those are electoral losers. In 2020, after protesters chanted to defund the police, Joe Biden was swept into office without coattails.”
Democratic socialists have seen major victories across multiple House seats in New York, as well as victories in Colorado and Pennsylvania, and the cities of Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
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