 Senator Bernie Sanders is going on a tour around the country to promote his 3.5 trillion dollar reconciliation package And if he actually pulled this off and got this package passed, it would be a game changer It'd be the most sweeping set of policies to be passed since the new deal We're talking about a Medicare expansion that would include dental, hearing, vision, universal pre-K to every single child in America tuition-free community colleges and if he actually did this, I think this would secure his legacy permanently Now let's all be honest here This isn't exactly what we wanted when he ran for president right individually each of these policies They are incrementalist like it or not. These are incrementalist policies Medicare for all is preferable to a Medicare expansion free college is preferable to just free community college having said that though what I think Bernie Sanders wants to accomplish is since Joe Biden is a Right-wing Democrat. He's taking all of the good portions of what Joe Biden ran on all the most progressive Provisions in his platform and he's saying okay if you want all this incrementalism We're just gonna pass everything at once. We'll pass all of your agenda at once and that way if we're getting incrementalism We're getting lots and lots and lots of incrementalist changes all at once, which is better than nothing So Bernie is trying to do everything that he possibly can do to make the most progress and I think that it's important, right? I mean if you can't run then walk if you can't walk then crawl as long as we're moving forward That's really important getting everything that we can accomplish before 2022 When the GOP is likely going to take back at least one chamber of Congress is really important because we're not gonna have another chance To put forward any climate-related policies and what this would do is it would invest in clean renewable energy? So this is important. It's not the end. I'll be all it's not a panacea. It's not gonna save the world but would it help yes, so Bernie's going on a tour to promote this and He is considering going to two states in particular of interest to a lot of people Arizona and West Virginia and I think that the reason why he wants to go there is pretty obvious Because two right-wing Democrats who are standing in the way of this reconciliation package come from those states So as he's fully of the Hill reports Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders says he's open to paying visits to Senator Joe Manchin's and Kirsten Sonoma's home states to pitch a $3.5 trillion social safety net package that would advance key parts of President Biden's legislative agenda Sanders made the remarks in an interview with Politico published Thursday as he ramps up travel to promote the massive spending bill Which Democrats hope to pass without Republican support using a process called budget reconciliation But Democrats will need every Democratic senator on board to pass the bill and they faced difficulties achieving unity among members on spending Including the 3.5 trillion dollar price tag for the reconciliation package that both Manchin and Sinema have taken issue with by contrast Sanders has remained steadfast on that dollar amount calling the number which is just over half as much as he initially proposed Non-negotiable in the new interview Democrats have a very slim majority in the house. We have no majority in the Senate That's it. It is 50-50 Sanders told the outlet trust me There are a lot of differences in the Senate among the Democrats But at the end of the day every Democrat understands that it is terribly important that we support the president's agenda And most of these ideas came from the White House he added and he's saying that because I think that he knows among these moderate Democrats Joe Biden like you can't say that Joe Biden is socialist So if Bernie Sanders basically pitches the pitches this as hey, this is president Joe Biden's agenda Like are they gonna call Joe Biden a socialist? I mean Joe Manchin might Kirsten Sinema might but you know He's seemingly more reasonable to these right-wing Democrats if he pitches this as Biden's agenda Biden who is a right-wing Democrat and I like that Bernie is proposing this because This is what he said he'd do if he ran for president if you have you know reluctant senators like Joe Manchin Refusing to support your agenda you you go to their home states and you shame them You cut them in their hole in their home states for lack of a better word you go to their constituents and you sell this package to their constituents They're not gonna want their constituents to turn on them because they want to get reelected So, you know, you do what you can to exert pressure and going to the home states of these senators is I think really really important Now Bernie Sanders Whether or not like this has a chance of passing he is incredibly optimistic I'm not that optimistic but seeing him be hopeful kind of makes me feel a little bit more assured But still my cynicism I think overall is going to win But Bernie thinks that this is gonna pass despite differences amongst party members Sanders expressed confidence in the recent interview That the forthcoming spending package will still fetch the necessary votes to pass both chambers Sanders said that every member of the caucus understands that this is transformative for the American people It is the right thing to do and it is politically popular. He added So look, I mean, he's optimistic. He thinks this is gonna pass So I hope he's right. I really really hope he's right. I'm not that optimistic But the fact that he thinks there's a chance I mean, I'd imagine that he believes that otherwise he wouldn't go around the country wasting his time Trying to sell Americans on the benefits of this package Now he is correct that this is incredibly popular So any senator right wing or not who doesn't support this is Incredibly stupid like this is something that you can brag about to your constituents for the rest of your career A USA Today Suffolk poll found that 52% of Americans support the 3.5 trillion dollar package Now support does decrease as the price tag goes up according to the USA Today Suffolk poll However, a data for progress poll found that support doesn't actually change for this reconciliation package Depending on the price tag So overall the main takeaway is that this is popular and that's the point that he needs to hammer home That's the point that Democrats have got to hammer home This is popular if you want your constituents to be happy with you support this now as it relates to Kirsten Sinema and Joe Imagine they couldn't care less about what their constituents want. They basically serve their donors 100% of the time So what you have to do is make them fearful make them fear that their own constituents will revolt against them if they Don't vote in favor of this reconciliation package All it takes is for one deflection and this whole entire package goes up in flames. So You know, I think that what Bernie Sanders is doing here is really important, you know, it's not What I hoped for right? I wanted Bernie Sanders to be pushing for Medicare for all I wanted him to be pushing for student debt cancellation and tuition free public colleges But that's not the reality that we're living in So what he's trying to do is make the best of this terrible situation and he's trying to push Biden's agenda in any way that he can and look honestly, I think that Bernie cares more about these things than Biden cares about these things I don't even think that Biden cared about any of these solutions if you ask him what was on his Policy proposals like on his website when he was running for president. He couldn't name more than three, right? Biden, I don't think he cares about these things It's evident to me that Bernie cares more about these things because Bernie Sanders Actually cares about the people and he's pushing for this more than Biden is but at the end of the day I don't give a shit who cares about what all I care is that we get the results all I care about is these policies being delivered and it would be nice if Joe Biden did anything to assist Bernie Sanders here in Trying to push for these uses bully pulpit to exert pressure on individuals like Joe Manchin Kristen cinema, but still I think Bernie him doing this here is really important and I hope that the left gets its act together and Assists Bernie Sanders here because what he's doing. I mean even if all of these policies individually are Incrementalist if they're all passed at once it would still have a huge impact on people's lives positively and we need that We need that so I hope that Bernie is successful And I hope that organizations like the Sunrise movement and you know roots action all rise up to kind of help Bernie and You know direct the grassroots to assist Bernie Sanders as he tries to sell this Reconciliation package to Americans across the country because if we got this it would really make a difference