Senator Bernie Sanders this week provided his clearest articulation thus far of his rationale for remaining within the Democratic presidential main
Senator Bernie Sanders this week provided his clearest articulation thus far of his rationale for remaining within the Democratic presidential main regardless of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s commanding delegate lead, arguing {that a} “slender path” stays for his candidacy and that it’s essential for him to maintain pushing his liberal agenda.
“Campaigns are an essential technique to keep that battle and lift public consciousness on these points,” Mr. Sanders stated in an interview on NBC’s “Late Night time with Seth Meyers” that aired early Tuesday. He ticked by way of an inventory of his coverage priorities together with “Medicare for all,” elevating the minimal wage, combating local weather change and increasing paid household and medical go away. “In order that’s I believe one of many arguments for going ahead.”
Mr. Sanders, of Vermont, has confronted rising calls to exit the race from some Democrats who wish to rapidly unify the occasion towards President Trump. Mr. Biden himself has usually sought to keep away from pressuring Mr. Sanders, conscious that he’ll want assist from the senator’s devoted backers ought to he turn out to be the nominee, although he has additionally flashed indicators of impatience with Mr. Sanders’s hopes to proceed debating.
Amid the coronavirus disaster, each males have been compelled off the bodily marketing campaign path, and are as a substitute providing digital outreach. Mr. Sanders spent Monday evening conducting a live-streamed city corridor centered on the virus, the place he lashed Mr. Trump’s stewardship of the disaster and urged the federal government to do extra to assist working people who find themselves going through each financial and well being challenges.
Within the tv interview, Mr. Sanders additionally acknowledged his delegate deficit coming off a month in which Mr. Biden swept many large states, before the coronavirus crisis ground campaigning to a halt, leading a number of states to delay their primary contests.
“We’re about 300 delegates behind; Biden has 1200, we have 900,” Mr. Sanders said. “There is a path. It is admittedly a narrow path. But I would tell you, Seth, that there are a lot of people who are supporting me. We have a strong grass-roots movement who believe that we have got to stay in, in order to continue the fight.”
Mr. Sanders also argued that the outbreak of the coronavirus crystallized the need for his sweeping single-payer health care proposal, “Medicare for all.” He said the crisis highlighted how vulnerable many Americans were without insurance and showed how the current public health system is “so weak, so incredibly weak,” that doctors and nurses don’t have access to basic protective equipment.
“A ‘Medicare for all’ system is designed to provide quality care for all,” he said. “To do preventative work in order to prepare for some types of pandemics, not simply to make huge amounts of money for the insurance companies and the drug companies.”