Bernie Sanders Draws Thousands On Boston Common Ahead Of Super Tuesday
BOSTON (CBS/AP) -- The Bernie Sanders rally on Boston Common attracted thousands Saturday. Sanders said his success in the Democratic primary race means "the establishment is getting very nervous."
He said the nation's big banks, the military-industrial complex, and prescription drug companies fear his campaign and "tonight they are going to turn on the TV and find that 10,000 people came out to the Boston Common and they are going to get even more nervous."
Sanders said he'd defeat President Donald Trump in November because of his campaign's diverse grassroots movement, which is "not dependent on billionaires, or super-PACs for our funding."
"We're going to defeat Donald Trump because he is a racist, he is a sexist, he is a homophobe, he is a xenophobe, he is a religious bigot -- and those are his better qualities," he said.
Sanders also sat down for a one-on-one interview with WBZ-TV. He attacked the president, saying, "Do you know where Donald Trump was yesterday? He was in South Carolina, trying to disrupt the Democratic primary. I mean, think about it: he has no opposition in South Carolina. One might think that the President of the United States would be meeting with scientists, and doctors, and leading officials all over the world, as to how we can deal with this crisis -- he's going to South Carolina to try to disrupt the Democratic primary, that's how petty he is."
He also stressed the importance of Massachusetts ahead of Super Tuesday and highlighted his stance on multiple issues.
"The message of our campaign is that we need a government and an economy that works for all of us, not just the one percent. We can't deal with this level of income wealth and inequality when you have 500,000 sleeping out on the streets tonight and kids are not able to afford to go to college. People are hearing that message. They believe that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege and that's what we're going to fight for," he told WBZ-TV.
Sanders also criticized Michael Bloomberg, who is gaining speed in Massachusetts primary polls, as well as the recent winner of the South Carolina primary, former Vice President Joe Biden.
"Bloomberg has every right in the world to run for president, but he does not have the right to buy an election," he said. "I've known Joe Biden for a million years. Joe and I are friends. But I think his political record -- I just don't think that's a message that will resonate with working people that will give us the votes we need to beat Trump."
The latest poll shows Sanders in a tight race in the Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary with the state's own senator, Elizabeth Warren. Massachusetts is one of 16 states and territories voting next week on "Super Tuesday."
On Friday night, Sanders held a rally in Springfield.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
