MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript:

Interview

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Joining me tonight is Senator Bernie Sanders who comes with us tonight from
Austin, Texas. Senator, good to have you with us tonight.

I`m not looking for any kind of confrontation which we knew and Hillary
Clinton or any other candidate. I want to talk about process. We might be
facing the real possibility that Hillary Clinton could run on oppose tell
me how any political party or movement in this country would benefit from
that, Senator.

SANDER: Well, no political party no country benefits from that. Ed, right
now, I`m in Austin, Texas, I was in Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and Las
Vegas in the last few days, talking (inaudible) with thousands of people
who are profoundly disgusted with the grotesque level of income and wealth
inequality. They want to see millions of descent paying jobs creator in
this country, they want to breakup the huge banks on Wall Street, they want
a new trade policy.

And as you and I have discussed, I am giving serious thought to running for
president of the United State. But when you take on the military
industrial complex the Koch brothers and all of the big money people in
this country, that is not an easy task.

And before you jump in, you got to make sure that you`re going to do it
right that you have the political infrastructure to do it in 50 states,
that you can raise a hundreds of millions of dollars that you need, because
if you can do that then it`s not worth doing it.

Doing it badly is worse than not doing at all. So you`re absolutely right,
we need to have a real debate. All we prepare to take on the billionaire
class.

In the last two years, the 40 wealthiest people in this county saw an
increase in their wealth of $157 billion, that`s more wealth in the bottom
40 percent of the American people, 99 percent of all the income going into
the top 1 percent, that is obscene, that is disgraceful, that is destroying
America.

The question is, can we put together the kind of campaign we need to defeat
them? And I`m running around the country right now and I got to tell you,
the response has been pretty. Standing among the crowds (ph), all of over,
you know, California and in Las Vegas and here in Austin. But we`ve got to
make that determination whether in fact we can run a winning campaign.

SCHULTZ: Senator, does the decision and announcement and I`ll take it as
an announcement because there have been new numerous comments by Senator
Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts that she`s not running. Does that
change your landscape at all?

SANDERS: Well I have had the feeling for a longtime that Senator Warren
was not going to be running. I think, Ed, there is profound anger in this
country against the economic establishment with the rich get richer and
everybody else gets for a (ph) -- against the political establishment with
both parties especially the Republicans are controlled by big money
interest.

And as you`ve indicated and often talk about, the media establishment which
time and time again refuses to talk about the real issues facing the
American people.

So I think the anger is out there, I think people want change. The
question is, can we mount, can we bring people together? In 50 states in
this country are people through demoralize that they given up the on the
political process, do they feel that its impossible to take on the
billionaire class?

That`s the question that I`m trying to answer right now. And if I conclude
that we can do it, I`m going to run for president. And if I conclude that
we don`t and it wouldn`t make any sense, I won`t. But that`s the issue
that I`m dealing with right this minute.

SCHULTZ: Senator, if you do run for the nomination, do you think that
Elizabeth Warren would be more incline to support you or Hillary Clinton?

SANDERS: Ed, that`s a question that you`ll have to talk with Senator
Warren about. But what I can tell you, in the last few days we`ve had
thousands of people coming out who want real change in this country, who
want us to stand up to the billionaire class.

SCHULTZ: Senator Bernie Sanders from Austin, Texas tonight here on the Ed
show. Senator, good to have you with us, all the best, I appreciate it.

SANDERS: Good to be here.

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