Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared to lose patience with a question about the filibuster.
Sanders joined MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell to discuss the For the People Act, which failed to advance in the Senate on a party line vote, and he made it clear that he was not interested in talking about the two Democratic senators who many believed were standing in the way of ending the filibuster. (RELATED: ‘Bernie Sanders And Those Left-Wing Creeps’: Jewish Leaders Diagnose Causes Of Anti-Semitic Attacks)
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Mitchell began by asking Sanders whether he believed there was any way for Democrats to get around Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s objections to the bill.
Sanders referenced Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said that it was “disgraceful” that no Senate Republicans had crossed over to vote for the bill — and argued that Republicans were part of a “concerted effort to deny African-Americans, low-income people, young people the right to vote.”
“We can disagree on education, on health care, on any other damn thing you want to disagree with, but you cannot disagree about whether or not all Americans have the right to vote and that right is being taken away from them,” Sanders continued.
Sanders went on to say he believed the Senate should get rid of the filibuster on that particular issue, saying that voting rights were “an enormously important issue.”
“What do you do about the objection to ending the filibuster from both Senators Manchin and Sinema?” Mitchell pressed. (RELATED: Meghan McCain Blasts Joy Behar For Introducing Kyrsten Sinema As A ‘So-Called Democrat’)
“Andrea, I’m tired of talking about Mr. Manchin and Ms. Sinema,” Sanders sighed. “The American people all over this country understand that now is the time to act.”
Sanders concluded by saying that the solution was for the American people to elect more Democratic senators in 2022.