When Bill O’Reilly tried to smear Bernie Sanders as a radical socialist who wants the government to fully control the banking system, Bernie Sanders unloaded on him with a brilliant, truth-packed response that shattered the conservative host’s carefully crafted premise.
During a discussion on the need to break up the biggest financial institutions on Wall Street, O’Reilly began, “Teddy Roosevelt did a little of what you’re suggesting, and I think if you present it in a way where it isn’t the government running the economy, then you might get a hearing on it. But unfortunately, socialists, and you’re one of those…”
At this point, Sanders had had enough and jumped in: “Democratic Socialist!” he corrected O’Reilly. “If Teddy Roosevelt were alive today, a good Republican, he would want to break up these huge financial institutions on Wall Street, and a lot of other industries as well, cause we have a huge concentration of ownership in this country that is very dangerous.”
He continued: “Second point, as a democratic socialist, whose view is very similar to many governments throughout Europe, no, I do NOT believe government should control everything. But I do believe healthcare should be a right of all people, I do believe college should be affordable to all people, and I do believe that the United States Congress should not be owned by a handful of billionaires!”
Bernie Sanders hit the nail on the head. While Bill O’Reilly and the rest of the Republicans smear middle class champions who want to bring common sense back to our financial system, “as socialists who want the government to control everything”, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Watch it here: