Democratic Presidential Candidate, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders makes an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show" as the Senator dances his way on stage for his first talk show appearance since the Democratic Presidential Debate.
The Senator explains why he defended Hillary Clinton on the topic of her emails during the debate. And answers Ellen’s questions about the disappearing middle class and what can be done to solve the problem. Also, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month Ellen put the notoriously private Senator in the Hot Seat to answer some personal questions. With every question, $1000 was donated to Breast Cancer Research. In total the Senator raised $10,000, courtesy of Ulta Beauty, by answering questions like, "Which Republican candidate would he want to be stuck on a deserted island with?” and "Has he ever been in handcuffs?”
On taking the politics out of politics
Ellen: A lot of people like you. A lot. A lot of people are talking about you and like you a whole lot. I’ll tell you. I think what you said, about Hillary and the emails, you said “This may not be political.” And I think that’s the exact thing that people are sick of is people being political. I think people just need to hear you say what you feel.
The Senator: I think that’s absolutely right. I think, Ellen, you hit the nail on the head and I will tell you I have been in many, many campaigns in my political life and I am very proud to say I have never run a negative political ad in my entire life and I’ve been attacked a whole lot.
On the disappearing middle class
Ellen: And I love that about you. Because I don’t think and it was mentioned during the debate, that the republican debates would not have gone this way. There’s a lot of attacking, a lot of bullying. And I love the fact that it was very positive but I don’t understand how we can have that extreme wealth and how the middle class is disappearing I grew up very lower middle class very. I had no money I didn’t have connections. I worked really hard for 25 years and I’ve earned my money by working really, really hard coming from middle class. I think that people should be able to earn money and keep their money and still help everybody else that are less fortunate, but I don’t know why the middle class is disappearing and I understand you’re saying there’s loop holes, but there should should be enough money that helps everybody down.
The Senator: Let me give you my opinion, other’s will disagree, what we’re up against is you would think that if one was making billions of dollars that might be enough to take care of your family and your kids, right? And your grandchildren. But you have in corporate America today you have incredible greed. I don’t know when they think enough is enough. They want more and more and more. So you have multi billionaires right now contributing money to candidates and what these candidates are doing at the behest of the billionaires is saying lets cut social security. You talk about health care for all? They want to throw millions of people off of health care and repeal the Affordable Care Act. They want to cut nutrition programs at a time when millions of families are struggling to put food on the table. They want to cut nutrition programs for pregnant women and little babies. Now I can’t explain to you the mentality of somebody who wants to do that especially people who have so much money. Why? But that’s the kind of greed mentality that we’re fighting.
Ellen: Yeah. I don’t understand it either. And all of these people I assume have children and grandchildren. And you talk about not only nutrition, but again climate change and we are we need to think about the future for our kids. And I don’t understand that mentality either.
