December 12, 2022

Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked to weigh in on his Senate colleague Kyrsten Sinema's switch from Democrat to Independent. Sanders responded with a reminder that she's already been sabotaging Biden's agenda for the last two years. She was censured by Arizona Democrats for blocking the voting rights bill, and she managed to make even Joe Manchin look good when it came to blocking some aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act.

BASH: Senator, first, you are an independent. She is now the third official independent of the U.S. Senate, joining you and Angus King of Maine. What do you think of her decision and also what you just heard in her interview with Jake?

SANDERS: I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on Senator Sinema. She has her reasons.

Dana, I happen to suspect that it's probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona. I think the Democrats there are not all that enthusiastic about somebody who helped sabotage some of the most important legislation that protects the interests of working families and voting rights and so forth. So, I think it really has to do with her political aspirations for the future in Arizona.

[...]

BASH: So, I want to talk about some of those issues in a second. But, first, you were a very important figure on the campaign trail for

progressives ahead of the midterms, as you normally are. I'm sure you're going to be campaigning for candidates in 2024.

The outgoing Arizona Democratic Party official, one of them says that he expects Democrats will run their own candidate against her. Is that a good idea? Would you support a Democratic opponent against Senator Sinema?

SANDERS: I don't -- I support progressive candidates all over this country, people who have the guts to take on powerful special interests.

I don't know what's going to be happening in Arizona. We will see who they nominate. But, certainly, that's something I will take a hard look at.

BASH: Does she have the guts to take on powerful special interests?

SANDERS: No, she doesn't. She is a corporate Democrat who has, in fact, along with Senator Manchin, sabotaged enormously important legislation.

We've all known this for some time now. Let's hope her political ambitions eventually become her undoing. If her poll numbers are bad enough when she's up for reelection maybe she'll do us all a favor and go away quietly.

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