Sanders: ‘What Democrats lack now is a vision for the future’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Sunday that Democrats do not have “a vision for the future.”

“You have Democrats appropriately, and I’m working with them, talking about Trump’s movement toward authoritarianism, vigorously opposing the so-called reconciliation bill to give over a trillion dollars in tax breaks for the 1 percent and make massive cuts to Medicaid, nutrition and housing, opposing what Musk is doing to dismember the Social Security Administration and the Veterans Administration, making it hard for our veterans to get decent health care or benefits on time,” Sanders told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.” 

“We’re on the same page, but what Democrats lack right now is a vision for the future,” he added, following up his statement with questions about fixing “a broken health care system” and increasing the minimum wage.

“Those are some of the issues that need to be discussed,” Sanders said.

In the wake of November’s elections, Sanders accused the Democratic Party of significantly ignoring working class priorities, pointing to it as the largest reason behind Democrats’ loss of the White House and Senate.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders said in a statement at the time.

“While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right,” he said.

Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have recently made their way across the U.S. as part of a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, stopping in places like Idaho and Utah. The Vermont senator even recently appeared at Coachella, a famous music festival in California.

“We need you to help us to create an economy that works well for everybody, not just the 1 percent,” he said while introducing indie pop artist Clairo.