Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe this Friday, former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders warned younger voters that now is not the time for a “protest vote.”
After discussing about the numerous ways Donald Trump would destroy the country if elected president, host Joe Scarborough asked Sanders why he was able to “connect with so well with Millennials” while Hillary Clinton “was so bad at connecting with Millennials.”
“Joe, that’s a fair question and I honestly don’t know the answer,” Sanders replied. “But this is what I do know – in politics, too much we look at personality… and I think we got to back away from that and say, ‘We’re not looking at Trump or Clinton, we’re looking at the needs of the American people.’”
Sanders went on to tout Clinton’s experience over Trump’s, praising her commitment to making public college “tuition free.”
“You know what, Joe? That’s pretty good,” Sanders declared. “That’s pretty damn good.”
After briefly mentioning the difference in the two candidates’ tax policies, Sanders had a message for Millennials.
“So I would just simply say to the Millennials – to anybody else – look at the issues. Don’t get hung up on Trump’s kids, or whatever the story, the birther issue – stay focused on the issues of relevance to your life. I think Clinton is far and away the superior candidate.”
Co-host Jeremy Peters then suggested that young voters who support third-party candidates “don’t remember” the effect Ralph Nader had on the 2000 election which ultimately ushered in the presidency of George W. Bush. “What is your pitch to them?” Peters asked.
Sanders replied by reminding the panel that he began his career as a third party candidate.
“But I think that before you cast a ‘protest vote’… think hard about it,” Sanders warned. “This is not a governor’s race, this is not a state legislative race, this is the presidency of the United States – and I would say to those people out there who are thinking of a protest vote, think about what the country looks like and whether you’re comfortable with four years of a Trump presidency.”
Sanders continued:
“And I would suggest to those people, let us elect Hillary Clinton as president, and the day after, let us mobilize millions of people around the progressive agenda which was passed, as you know, in the Democratic platform.”
Watch the video below. You can watch the full segment here.
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