New Bernie Sanders Ad Tells Wall Street Banks, Billionaires 'Enough Is Enough'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Bernie Sanders has rolled out a new ad just hours before he meets with his presidential primary rival in a debate and days before the New York primary.
The 30-second ad takes on big banks and billionaires, saying "enough is enough."
"The ultra-rich employ an army of lobbyists to write tax policy to avoid paying their fair share," the ad, which will air in New York, begins. "It's a part of the corrupt political system that keeps in place a rigged economy where Wall Street buys off elections and stops meaningful oversight."
"Nothing will change until we elect candidates who reject Wall Street money," the ad says.
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It's a point Sanders touched on during a massive rally that attracted thousands in Washington Square Park on Wednesday night.
Sanders presented himself as the lone candidate who has rejected funding from "the billionaire class," as he outlined what he said were the differences between himself and Hillary Clinton.
"You can tell a lot about a candidate and the campaign they run by how they raise the money to run those campaigns," he said. "When we began this campaign, we had to make a choice. Would we do what every other campaign is doing and establish a superPAC? We agreed with you. We do not represent the billionaire class. We do not represent corporate America. We do not represent Wall Street. We do not want their money."
Sanders went on to take Clinton to task for raising money from superPACs – one of which he said raised $25 million from special interests and $15 million from Wall Street alone.
He further criticized Clinton for accepting a fee of $225,000 for a speech.
"It must be an extraordinary speech," Sanders said. "It must be a speech that can solve most of the world's problems. It must be a speech written in Shakespearean prose."
The Vermont senator will come face to face with Clinton at the Brooklyn Navy Yards in their first debate in more than a month Thursday night.
The Democratic race has become increasingly heated. Even getting the two to agree on a debate date and location was a herculean task, underscoring the discord between the rivals.
While Sanders is on a winning streak in primaries and caucuses, he desperately needs a big victory in New York if he hopes to cut into Clinton's delegate lead and slow her march to the nomination.
New York's primary is next Tuesday.
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