Sen. Bernie Sanders defended his supporters against comments from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg at NBC News’ Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas.
HALLIE JACKSON, NBC NEWS: Senator Warren, I have a question for you. on Sunday on Meet the Press, Vice President Biden accused Sanders supporters of bullying union leaders here with “vicious, malicious, misogynistic things”. You said democrats cannot build an inclusive party on a foundation of hate. Are Senator Sanders and his supporters making it harder for democrats to unify in November?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Look, I have said many times before–we are all responsible for our supporters. And, we need to step up. That’s what leadership is all about. But the way we are going to lead this country and beat Donald Trump is going to be with a candidate who has rock solid values and who actually gets something done.
When Mayor Bloomberg was busy blaming African Americans and Latinos for the housing crash of 2008, I was right here in Las Vegas, literally just a few–a few blocks down the street holding hearings on the banks that were taking away comes from millions of families. That’s when I met Mr. Estrada(PH) one of your neighbors. He came in to testify and he thought he had done everything right with Wells Fargo. But what had happened, they took away his house in a matter of weeks.
This man stood there and cried while he talked about what it was like to tell his two little daughters that they might not be in their elementary school–that they might be living out of their van. I spent the next years making sure that would never happen again. Wall Street fought us every inch of the way on a consumer agency they lost, and I won. We need a candidate with unshakable value sand a candidate who can actually get something done for working people. That’s why I’m in this race and that’s how I’ll beat Donald Trump.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): We have over 10.6 million people on Twitter and 99.9 percent of them are decent human beings, are working people, are people who believe in justice, compassion and love. And if there are a few people who make ugly remarks who attack trade union leaders I disown those people. They are not part of our movement. Well, let me also say what I hope my friends up here will agree with is that if you look at the Wild West of the internet talk to some of the African American women on my campaign. Talk to senator Nina Turner. Talk to others and find the vicious, racist, sexist attacks that are coming their way as well. So, I would hope that all of us understand that we should do everything we possibly can to end the viciousness and ugliness on the internet.
Our campaign is about issues. It’s about fighting for the working families and the middle class it is not about vicious attacks on other people.
