Bernie Sanders: 'We're taking on the political establishment' ... like Planned Parenthood?

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday January 20, 2016 · 6:44 AM PST

2016/01/20 · 06:44

MANCHESTER, NH - NOVEMBER 29: Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner at the Radisson Hotel November 29, 2015 in Manchester, New Hampshire. The dinner is held annually by the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton has gotten a wide range of endorsements from progressive and labor groups, outdoing Bernie Sanders in that regard (although he has been endorsed by MoveOn, Democracy for America, and a handful of unions). Asked about Clinton’s endorsements on MSNBC Tuesday night, Sanders put endorsements into his broader outsider vs. the establishment frame:

"What we are doing in this campaign -- and it just blows my mind every day, because I see it clearly, we're taking on not only Wall Street and the economic establishment, we're taking on the political establishment."

"And so I have friends and supporters in the Human Rights Fund, in Planned Parenthood," Sanders continued. "But you know what, Hillary Clinton has been around there for a very, very long time and some of these groups are, in fact, part of the establishment."

The Human Rights Campaign as establishment? I can pretty much go there with him. But Planned Parenthood? Planned Parenthood that’s under constant attack from Republicans in Congress and in state governments across the country? Planned Parenthood that provides affordable healthcare to millions of women each year, most of them low-income? That’s … unfortunate language from Sanders.

In response, Planned Parenthood tweeted “We respect @SenSanders. Disappointed to be called ‘establishment’ as we fight like hell to protect women’s health,” and many allies joined in expressing that disappointment. NARAL’s Ilyse Hogue tweeted “Sadly, establishment is anti-choice forces out to end legal abortion & contraception, not our friends @PPAct and @HRC.”

Bernie Sanders: 'We're taking on the political establishment' ... like Planned Parenthood?

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