Those who wonder why we lost to the vile Trump, Exhibit A is the vote this week in which 13 Senate Democrats voted for BIg Pharma instead of suffering Americans. Wall Street Cory Booker (D. Pfizer) saw his presidential ambitions immolate as people realized his votes often are for his Big Contributors rather than the American people.
Yes, it is a corrupt campaign finance system and we will continue to get screwed unless we clean up the Democratic Party. When Trump and 12 R senators, including Ted Cruz, are to the left of Wall Street Cory and 12 other Dem Senators, well, we have a problem.
Bernie in US Today tells the truth about 13 gutless colleagues. And why they are so out of touch.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday blasted 13 Senate Democrats for lacking the “guts” to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry after they voted against a measure he pushed to help drive down drug costs by importing them from Canada.
The Vermont Independent and former Democratic presidential candidate said during a Thursday interview he plans to personally speak with the senators who opposed the measure — which failed 52-46 on Wednesday — and try to turn them around. A dozen Republicans voted in favor.
“The Democratic Party has got to make it very clear that they are prepared to stand up to powerful special interests like the pharmaceutical industry and like Wall Street, and they’re not going to win elections and they’re not going to be doing the right thing for the American people unless they have the guts to do that,” said Sanders, the leader of outreach efforts for Senate Democrats. “That 13 Democrats did not is disappointing. I absolutely hope that in the coming weeks and months you’re going to see many of them develop the courage to stand up to Pharma.”
snip
It’s encouraging, he said, that 12 Republicans voted for the measure, and he hopes more will sign on following President-elect Donald Trump’s statement Wednesday that the pharmaceutical industry is "getting away with murder" for what they charge the federal government for drugs.
“If that’s what Donald Trump can say publicly, surely these 13 Democrats can stand up to Pharma, and I intend to do everything I can to see that happen,” he said.
snip
“The Democrats for too many years have not had the kind of contact and interaction with working people, with elderly people, with lower income people, than they should,” Sanders said. “Too many Democrats spend too much time raising money from the wealthy rather than standing up and hearing and listening to the needs of working families. And I want to see that changed.”
USA Today: Bernie Sanders slams Democrats for lacking 'guts' to fight Big Pharma
Update I: Kos weighs in about the 13 Dems senators. Tells Wall Street Cory that Kos will make sure voters remember his bad vote in 2020:
I’ve had my differences on some issues with Kos, but he is right about this.