Senator Bernie Sanders has more than a few things to be proud of: he led a massive, populist political movement that forever changed the structure of the Democratic party, he is incredibly popular with the young crowd despite being very, very old, and he is reviled by most billionaires in America.
And he likes it that way.
Yes, unlike many politicians, Senator Sanders is not afraid to piss off the political elite, many of which belong to what he would call “the top one percent of the top one percent.”
Sanders made clear his coziness with the idea of being disliked by the top earners of the country during an interview on MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe” on Thursday when he laid out a plan for the next four years and touched once again on his favorite political topic: income inequality.
“If the billionaire class hates me, or hates other progressives, we should be proud of that, because we’ve got to start identifying with the working people who have seen their jobs go to China and Mexico, the people who are making 10 bucks an hour, the elderly people who can’t afford prescription drugs.”
During the interview, Sanders also laid out some concrete plans for how Democrats can take back their government, starting with a true 50 state strategy.
“I’m going to be going to Alabama, I’m going to be going to Mississippi. We’re going to do everything we can to fight voter suppression, to reactivate grassroots politics in this country.”
Simply, Sanders is aware that his views are often controversial and do not go with the flow of establishment politics, but that is exactly why he is beloved by millions.
Watch.
