“As you may be aware, I am not the candidate, so my views are not the dominant views,” Sanders said. “But what I will credit strongly the Biden campaign for is that Joe and I talked about this and he and I agreed that we should have task forces dealing with some of the major issues facing this country, including the economy and healthcare, climate change, immigration, education, et cetera. And the people on those task forces worked very, very hard.”
“I’m not here to tell you, as a strong advocate for Medicare For All, that we got everything we wanted. We surely did not. But I think if people look at the outcome of those task forces, they’ll find the reality that if those task force proposals are implemented, you know what, Joe Biden will become the most progressive president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And that, in this moment, is what we need,” Sanders said.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you about one aspect of the Democratic Party platform. There is one reference we could find to Medicare For All. I’m going to read it here. “We are proud our party welcomes advocates who want to build on and strengthen the Affordable Care Act and those who support a Medicare For All approach. All are critical to ensuring that healthcare is a human right.” It is the only reference we could find to Medicare For All. How do you feel overall about the party platform? And do you feel like you’ve got enough of your views represented in it?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: Well, Chuck, as you may be aware, I am not the candidate, so my views are not the dominant views. But what I will credit strongly the Biden campaign for is that Joe and I talked about this and he and I agreed that we should have task forces dealing with some of the major issues facing this country, including the economy and healthcare, climate change, immigration, education, et cetera. And the people on those task forces worked very, very hard. And I’m not here to tell you, as a strong advocate for Medicare For All, that we got everything we wanted. We surely did not. But I think if people look at the outcome of those task forces, they’ll find the reality that if those task force proposals are implemented, you know what, Joe Biden will become the most progressive president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And that, in this moment, is what we need.
CHUCK TODD: Kamala Harris, the pick of her, in many ways this is also Joe Biden’s vision of the future of the Democratic party, a future — perhaps a future president, perhaps a future nominee. Is she a future progressive leader of the Democratic party, in your mind?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: Well, Chuck, all that I can say is that I think what almost all progressives understand, that in this moment we have got to do everything we can to come together to defeat Donald Trump, who in my view is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country, and elect Joe Biden. But as I have said many, many times, the day after Biden is elected, we’re going to be working with the grassroots in this country, with working people, with people of color, with young people, to stand up and fight for an agenda that works for working families, not just the 1%. And that most certainly includes Medicare For All. So, we’re going to rally the American people around an agenda. And I look forward to doing that the day after Biden is elected.
