Bernie Sanders has criticized Democrats for not doing enough to motivate voters on economic issues that affect everyday life. He warned that next week's midterm elections are the most important in modern American history.
In an interview with The Guardian in Texas, the left-leaning senator from Vermont said, “It's obvious that everyone should come out for the most important midterm election in the modern history of this country. Democracy is decided. The right of women to control their own bodies is being decided. Climate change is being decided, so everyone should get out.”
Sanders, however, said he is "very concerned that the Democrats have not done a good enough job of reaching out to young people and working class people and motivating them to get out and vote in this election."
Sanders, a democratic socialist who ran for president in 2016 and 2020, still has strong support in the Democratic Party. He is a fierce critic of Republicans, especially Donald Trump, but he also does not shy away from pointing out what he sees as flaws in the Democratic Party's strategy.
"People are struggling. Sixty percent of our people live paycheck to paycheck ... while the profits of oil companies are increasing, the profits of food companies are increasing, the profits of pharmaceutical companies are increasing. Corporate profits are at a record high. The rich are getting a lot richer, and Democrats need to get that message out," Sanders said.
Public opinion polls have shown that the economy remains voters' top concern, far ahead of crime, immigration, abortion, and environmental protection.
Voters' concerns about high inflation are reducing the Democrats' electoral chances, and polls show that Republicans are very likely to win a majority in the House of Representatives and could take control of the Senate, which would allow them to block President Joe Biden's legislative agenda in the next two years.
Sanders said his party had not been successful in getting the message across about the threat of corporate profiteering to the cost of living.
On Monday, Biden accused oil and gas companies of "war profiteering" as shareholders reap record profits fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said companies should instead reduce fuel costs for Americans or invest some of their profits in boosting domestic production.
Sanders expected that kind of message earlier in the campaign.
"The truth is that about half of inflationary cost increases are the result of corporate greed. So if people can't afford to fill up their gas tanks, if they can't afford food, if they can't afford prescription drugs - Democrats should explain to them why that is," Sanders said.
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