Bernie Sanders slams Kamala Harris over billionaires’ influence in 2024 campaign

Well, folks, when even a self-described socialist like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) calls out Kamala Harris for cozying up to billionaires, you know something’s gone awry in progressive paradise.

In a blistering critique on CNN’s State of the Union this past Sunday, Sanders tore into Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign strategy, accusing her of sidelining the working class while taking marching orders from the ultra-wealthy elite as the Daily Wire reports.

Sanders didn’t mince words during his chat with anchor Dana Bash, pointing out that Harris’s inner circle seemed more attuned to Wall Street than Main Street. It’s a stinging jab from someone who’s long championed the little guy. And let’s be honest, when your campaign looks more like a yacht club than a union hall, you’ve got a branding problem.

Sanders unloads

“One of the reasons, in my view, that Kamala Harris lost this election is she had too many billionaires telling her not to speak up for the working-class of this country,” Sanders declared. Ouch, indeed — straight from the mouth of a man who’s never been shy about sticking it to the one percent. If that’s not a wake-up call for Democrats, what is?

Sanders doubled down, noting that Harris’s core consultants were “heavily influenced by very wealthy people.” It’s almost as if he’s saying the champagne wishes drowned out the cries of paycheck-to-paycheck families. Turns out, ignoring the folks who keep this country running might just cost you.

Bash, visibly taken aback, could only muster an “Ouch” in response. Even she seemed to sense the weight of Sanders’s disappointment in a campaign that, by his account, forgot its roots.

Economic struggles ignored, says Sanders

Sanders wasn’t just throwing punches for sport; he backed up his critique with hard truths about the state of the nation. “You have 60% of our people living paycheck to paycheck,” he said, painting a grim picture of economic despair that Harris apparently failed to address.

He didn’t stop there, railing against a “health care system which is broken and dysfunctional,” while noting the U.S. stands alone among major nations in not guaranteeing care for all. It’s a damning point—how do you run a campaign and skip over such glaring crises? Sanders seems to think Harris’s billionaire buddies might have something to do with that blind spot.

“How do you not talk about these issues?” Sanders asked, frustration dripping from every word. It’s a fair question for a party that claims to champion the underdog, but, per Sanders, couldn’t muster a strong agenda for working families.

A pragmatic mask or genuine disconnect?

Rewind to a couple of months before this interview, and Sanders had already raised eyebrows by describing Harris as “pragmatic” in downplaying what he saw as her far-left leanings. It’s a polite way of saying she might’ve hidden her true colors to appeal to a broader base. But did that strategy backfire by alienating the very workers she needed most?

Bash tried to interject with a mild defense, noting Harris “talked about affordability” during her campaign. Yet Sanders wasn’t buying it, dismissing such vague platitudes as insufficient for the deep economic pain felt by so many. When even your allies call your messaging weak, it’s time for some soul-searching.

“The clue to Democratic victories is to understand that you’ve got to stand unequivocally with the working class of this country,” Sanders insisted. It’s a not-so-subtle hint that pandering to elite interests over blue-collar struggles is a losing bet. Perhaps a lesson learned too late for Harris’s team.

A missed opportunity

At the heart of Sanders’s critique is a broader warning to his party: ignore the working class at your peril. He’s sounding the alarm on income inequality, which he says is at historic highs, while everyday Americans scrape by. It’s hard to argue with numbers when 60% can’t weather an unexpected financial storm.

For conservatives watching this unfold, there’s a certain irony in seeing Sanders, of all people, school Harris on staying grounded. While we may not align with his solutions, his focus on real economic hardship resonates with those tired of out-of-touch elites on both sides of the aisle. Maybe, just maybe, there’s common ground in wanting leaders who actually get it.

So, where does this leave Harris and her party? Sanders’s words on Sunday weren’t just a critique — they were a challenge to rethink who truly matters in the political arena. And if they don’t heed his advice, they might find themselves on the losing end of more than just debates.