Bernie Sanders Tells Colbert What He Shares With Trump, And Why The Young Love Him
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders followed up his sweeping win in the New Hampshire primary by hanging out on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he ate boiled peanuts, offered a few jokes, and repeated his campaign’s appealing call for revolution.
Sanders also admitted a shred of similarity between himself and billionaire businessman, reality TV star, and GOP presidential front runner Donald Trump.
Earlier in the week, Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly stopped by Colbert’s show and declared that Bernie and the Donald are so similar they could be the same person, except with different — and equally unique — haircuts, the Daily Beast reported.
Videos: Colbert Talks Class Warfare & Health Care With Bernie Sanders https://t.co/87DhKK82HX pic.twitter.com/eLiSmQuUmi
— Gothamist (@Gothamist) February 11, 2016
Colbert, himself, always playing a good-natured Devil’s advocate, also acknowledged some likeness between the candidates.
“The polls show that there were a lot of (voters) in New Hampshire who, up until the last minute, hadn’t made up their mind between you or Donald Trump,” he noted.
That fact didn’t seem to surprise Bernie, who said that his and Trump’s supporters both share one thing: anger, and the right to be angry with the current state of society and the economy, Huffington Post noted.
The critical difference, according to Sanders, is that the GOP candidate has a “false message” that contends that somehow discrimination against minority groups will create a better America. Of course, anyone familiar with Bernie’s message of revolution against the billionaire class knows that he feels much differently, and he explained as much to Colbert.
“People are working long hours for low wages, they’re people who are really worried about what’s going to happen to their kids. But I think what they have done is responded to Trump’s false message, which suggests that is if we keep Muslims out of this country, or if we keep scapegoating Latinos or Mexicans that somehow our country becomes better … We have a right to be angry when we are the only major country on Earth that doesn’t provide paid family and medical leave. When we have more people living in poverty today than almost any time in the history of this country … What we need to be is rational in figuring out how we address the problems and not simply scapegoating minorities.”
Bernie Sanders’ message has more to do with transforming society’s ills by addressing, and reversing, the systems in place that keep the poor from succeeding. It’s a message that has helped the 74-year-old grandfather resonate with young people, an appeal Colbert pointed out during the interview, Uproxx added.
Bernie flying coach. Middle seat even. #BernieOnAPlane #BernieSanders #Bernie2016 pic.twitter.com/sNi3EzNxt0
— Cecelia Cancellaro (@ccancellaro) November 13, 2015
Colbert noted that Sanders’ primary win in New Hampshire included 86 percent of voters aged 18 to 24, an attraction Bernie credited to his promise of universal health care and free college tuition, messages that mean a lot to young people riddled with debt and hoping for a better future.
“Young people are idealistic, and they look at a world with so many problems and they say, ‘Why not?’ Why can’t (everyone) in this country have healthcare? Why can’t we make public colleges and universities tuition-free?”
Colbert response? “The answer is, that it’s expensive. It’s a very expensive thing to do.” He also challenged Bernie’s very appealing message of revolution against the “top one percent,” noting that the wealthy aren’t going to give up their power and that Sanders’ message, therefore, is apt to create class warfare.
Bernie next faces a contest in South Carolina against Hillary Clinton, whose support in the south and among the black community is strong. To help him win the vote there, Colbert gave Bernie some boiled peanuts and beer — which he happily took.
Ahead of that challenge, Colbert asked Sanders to address Clinton’s belief that his solutions are far too idealistic to be achieved.
“The question is, do we have the ability to stand up to the private insurance companies and the drug companies?” Sanders asked, and proceeded to answer. “I believe that when people are aroused, when they’re organized, when they’re prepared to stand up and fight back.”
[Photo via YouTube]
