Senator Bernie Sanders threatens to filibuster tax cut deals.
Video Transcript
SANDERS: Not only is this bad public policy, driving up the deficit, increasing the growing gap between the rich and everybody else… I think it is bad politics. It’s bad politics in the sense of who is going to believe the President, or anybody who votes for this, in the future when you have campaigned for years against Bush’s economic policy and say “Oh, by the way, that’s what I’m voting for. I’m voting for tax breaks for the rich.” And by the way, if it turns out in this deal to be two years, you can bet that that’s just the beginning. It will be extended beyond that. So I think for a Democratic President, Democratic House, Democratic Senate to be following the Bush economic philosophy of tax breaks, millionaires, and billionaires is absolutely wrong public policy, absolutely wrong politically, and I gotta tell you… I will do whatever I can to see that 60 votes are not acquired to pass this piece of legislation.
SCHULTZ: Will you filibuster this?
SANDERS: I will do whatever I can on this. This is a very, very bad agreement.
SCHULTZ: So the two year extension of the Bush tax cuts, the thirteen months on unemployment, that’s the reported meat of the deal. You’re telling us tonight that you will do everything you can to stop this deal—
SANDERS: I will.
SCHULTZ: —this will of course push it into the next session of Congress and we would go back to the old right(?). That’s what would you take right now, Senator?
SANDERS: I believe, Ed, that we have the vast majority of the American people on our side. I think we gotta hold tough on this, hold firm on this, and not concede to Republicans, who as you indicated, have no inclination to compromise. They want it all for their rich friends.
I won’t vote for Republicans - not even when they call themselves Democrats.
This will be a growing story.
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