There's been a lot of coverage - even by the MSM - of the recent interview Bernie did with Cenk on The Young Turks, but I haven't seen either close captioning or a transcription, outside a few clips.

So I transcribed it myself. Please note, I've only edited enough to remove most of the deadwood "uh, oh, ah" sounds. I will probably work on a cleaned up-edited version in the next day or two.

Enjoy!

Cenk: Welcome to the Young Turks! Have we got an interesting show for you tonight. Now, normally we'd go story by story, and we will in the news a little bit later in the program and Anna will join me for that. But right now, we have a very rare live interview. That's because Bernie Sanders is in the studio.

Uh, Senator Sanders, welcome to Rebel Headquarters. [shakes Bernie's hand and chuckles]

Bernie: It's, it's a pleasure to be with rebels, I like that.

Cenk: [laughs] All right, so, uh, there's a lot to talk about. Let me get to it. Uh, almost exactly a year ago, you were down only 59 points in the polls --

Bernie: That was a good poll, actually [laughs and says something incomprehensible].

Cenk: [laughs] And this week you're within five points of Hillary Clinton. You've won twelve contests so far. Um. But I've interviewed you in the past and my honest assessment is that you would have had no chance twelve years ago, eight years ago, or even four years ago. Do you agree with that assessment, and if, and if you do, what do you think has changed so dramatically to put you in this position?

Bernie: Uh, I do agree with your assessment, and I think what's happened is people are looking around the world in which they're living. What they are seeing is they are working in many cases longer hours for lower wages. Uh. They're seeing that they can't afford to send their kids to college. And they worry very much about the future of their children, who may have a lower standard of living than they do. And I think that is, emotionally, very disturbing. And then they're seeing almost all new income and wealth go to the top one percent. And no matter whether you're conservative or a progressive, you know what, you think that sucks? You think that's not what American democracy is about? And I find a lot of people coming together on that. And, and the other issue is, uh, people see a corrupt campaign finance system, where billionaires are buying elections, and they're unhappy about that. And then you got among the most sane people understand that climate change is going to cause devastating problems unless we get a handle on it and they're upset that we're not moving forward more agressively.

Cenk: So why now do you think that that frustration has built to a climax and with a sense of well, nothing's ever going to change, especially with the money in politics issue?

Bernie: Well I think the folks who took on Wall Street deserve some credit for raising the issue of income and wealth inequality and the power of Wall Street. I think Elizabeth Warren over the years has done a great job and a number of people have. But I think the combination of simple, simply the reality of American life -- you know, people ask themselves, "Why are we the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee health care to all people? Why don't we have paid family and medical leave? Why do we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost every major country on earth? Why? Why are kids graduating college deeply in debt?" This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Do you really want to live in a country where the people on top have it all and your family is struggling just to get by?

And I think that is the reality that people are seeing and they are saying enough is enough. Come to the rallies that we do, where we have ten, twenty thousand people out. You see the hope in people's eyes that we can, as a nation, do a lot better.

Cenk: So, we're going to talk a decent amount about the media here, but --

Bernie: Good.

Cenk: Um, one of the things that they say is, "Well that's unrealistic." So, now you just mentioned that all the other developed countries have single payer health care, and have all the things that you mentioned --

Bernie: Right.

Cenk: So why do you think that the media is saying it's all unrealistic?

Bernie: Well, first of all, let's start. We're talking about the corporate media, right? And by the way, without me trying to butter you up here, let me congratulate you because we need to break through the fog of the corporate media which does everything that they can to keep us entertained without addressing the real issues. AMong the corporate media every single day. And you don't know how hard it is just to try to demand that we begin to talk about the real issues. They really do not want to. You can talk about everything under the sun, but not the real issues.

I think what you have is a corporate media, which by definition has conflicts of interest, right? Comcast owns NBC. It's probably one of the most detested companies in the country. Disney is a co-owner. They're paying their workers in Disneyworld eight or nine bucks an hour, bringing in people from around the world to replace American workers. These are issues, important issues that they don't want to discuss.

Second of all, the model for media coverage right now is six second soundbites and an unwillingness to talk about real issues in a serious way. For example, climate change. I have to write a letter to the presidents of all of the networks to tell them that on their Sunday shows they never talk about climate change. Almost never talk about it. Why? Well, does it have to do with the fact that they got a lot of energy, you know, coal company or oil company money advertising? I think it does. But they don't talk about it.

Income and wealth inequality. You ever hear really serious discussions about why the middle class is disappearing and people on top get all of it? Health care? You know, did you see Michael Moore's movie called Sicko?

Cenk: Of course, yeah.

Bernie: It was really a brilliant movie.

Cenk: Mm-hmm.

Bernie: But I talk to young people. They don't even know that we are the only major country without healthcare for all. They don't know that in Germany, or in Scandinavia, college is free. They don't know that. Media is not telling them. So the media is an arm of the ruling class of this country and they want to talk about everything in the world except the most important issues because if you talk about the real issues, and people get educated on the real issues, you know what happens next? They actually may want to bring about change. And last issue on that, you think you see NBC talking about Citizens United? I don't think so. Television stations make huge -- they love Citizens United. All the SuperPAC money going in.

Cenk: So I, I was going to ask about that as well, but before we even get to that, do you think that Time Warner and Comcast should have to disclose that they're among the top ten donors to Hillary Clinton's campaigns throughout her career?

Bernie: Yeah.

Cenk: Because they're doing the debates, they're doing election night coverage, and they never say, "Hey, we're among Hillary Clinton's top donors."

Bernie: Absolutely. Absolutely. Look, I think a focus on media itself, and I don't do enough of it, but I, I try to, but it's hard to talk to the media about the media. You know, they're not particularly interested on that issue. But, yeah, I think that point is right, but the demand has got to be for the media, and I don't think it's gonna happen, I mean these guys can't do it, that's why what you guys are doing, Thom Hartmann and others are doing, kind of going around the system, and using the new technology, is extraordinarily important.

I was at Northern Arizona State University just the other day. Beautiful campus, beautiful kids. And I asked them, do you understand that there's only one country that doesn't guarantee health care to all people? They were not familiar with that at all. Concepts of income and wealth inequality, concepts of justice, learning what goes on around the rest of the world, very little knowledge, never talked about in the corporate media.

Cenk: So, I want to give you some examples of what the media has done to you. I want to show videos five and seven here, and I, I've given dozens of these examples on the show, but I want to have you react to it.

Bernie: Sure.

Cenk: Now there's for example, there's the sixteen headlines against you in the Washington Post in sixteen hours. It was amazing. And then we had Chris Cuomo asking you these questions, I want you to pay attention to how many times he asks you about how you're punishing people in this question. Watch.

[Video]

Cuomo: Your paying for it is actually punitive. You're going to punish, uh, people who make money, you're going to punish the financial district, you're going to punish and wind up changing the idea of an open and free economy because you're going to punish them for speculating.

[/video]

Bernie: [chuckles]

Cenk: Now, I believe that we counted four punishes in there.

Bernie: [laughs]

Cenk: Um. So how come they never ask "Hey, are you going to punish the kids of this country by spending a trillion dollars in Iraq, etc.?" So --

Bernie: That is -- You got the, you asked exactly the right question. Here's, here's the story. I have been a mayor for eight years, congressman for sixteen, a U.S. Senator for nine years. You know how many times people in the media have said, "Bernie, what are you going to do to end poverty in America? This is an outrage! We have 47 million people in poverty. What are you going to do about it, Bernie?!" The answer is zero. Not once.

Cenk: Isn't that amazing?

Bernie: But that is! What is important is not that the media has quote-unquote, you know, right-wing, or whatever it is, it is they frame the discussion.

Cenk: Exactly.

Bernie: And, and that is what we have got to break through. Now, when Chris -- and by the way if you think Chris is the worst, he is not. There are a lot of other people who are a lot more conservative than Chris. Actually he's treated me fairly well. But on this issue, what Chris could have said, "Well, Bernie, in the last thirty years, as you know, trillions of dollars, there's been a massive redistribution of wealth, trillions of dollars have gone from the hands of the middle class into the hands of the top one tenth of one percent. Bernie, this is an outrage! What are you going to do about that?" Now that wasn't quite the question that I was asked. You know how often I'm asked that question? Zero. My ideas are radical and unrealistic, but it is not radical when Wall Street, whose illegal behavior nearly destroyed this economy gets bailed out, "Oh, that's, that's just the way we do things." But to try to help the children or young people afford to go to college, "That is unrealistic."

Cenk: I've got one more for you. This one is Anderson Cooper. ANd again, look at the framing here, and I'm gonna ask you to respond to it, because no one else in the media asks you this, cause they are the media.

Bernie: [laughs]

Cenk: And again, this is CNN owned by Time Warner. This is four questions in a row - we cut out your answers because you're already here. Uh, and all on Castro and Cuba. Watch.

[Video]

Let me ask you about Cuba. President Obama is obviously in Cuba right now, a historic visit. As President, would you also make history? Would you invite Raoul Castro, if he's still the leader of Cuba, to the White House? To normalize relations for you, that would mean even inviting a leader like Raoul Castro to the White House, as other leaders.

The moderators played a video of you back from, way back in 1985 in which you praised Fidel Castro. You said he educated their kids, gave them health care, totally transformed their society. Do you think the Cuban revolution was good for the people of Cuba?

At that debate Hillary Clinton went after you for, in her words, essentially praising the regime of Fidel Castro. This is something in the general election would no doubt be used against you.

[/video]

Cenk: I, what, We get frustrated from time to time is that there's not adequate follow up questions in the media, so Ted Cruz might say, "Oh, I'm going to rebuild the military, and I'm going to spend all this money." And nobody ever asks, "How are you going to pay for that?" Right? But there you got three follow up questions, all on Castro and Cuba in an effort to frame you with that, with that,

Bernie: At a time when the Florida election was taking place, by the way.

Cenk: That's right. So. Now the Republicans have done a pretty good job in fighting the media. They say you got a liberal bias, and then they get scared and they ask about pina coladas and what kind of drinks they, ah, you know, drink, and how nice they are to their wives - literal questions that are asked by the same Anderson Cooper asks Ted Cruz and others. So should you fight back harder, and say, "Hey, wait a minute, you're biased against me, and I'm gonna call you out on it."

Bernie: I'll just give you an example. Two hours ago, I did an interview on PBS. And I had to fight back, because I could see where the discussion was going. I was going to get trapped in little stuff there and I had to fight back and take over that discussion to talk about what my campaign is about. And I do that very often. Now, maybe I should do it more often. Maybe I say, "Hey. Shut up. What you're talking about is irrelevant to the American people. Let me tell you what's going on in this country." Maybe I should do that. But trust me, virtually every interview we do, we have to fight fight -- you know, on this one I think what I ended up doing is saying, "What I was talking about is whether or not we think it's proper for the United States to go around overthrowing governments, whether it's the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, whether it's overthrowing Salvadore Yende, overthrowing Mosa Dekh in Iran or whatever it may be. But. Yeah.

Cenk: Yeah. And the framing sets it up for the audience and so that's why it's important. Now let's move on to the issue of electability, and how the media's covered that, as well, so this is really the last media question. So we have covered all of the different polls because that's what we do, we cover the news here. ANd let me show you how do in the last two polls, but I can go back at least a dozen polls and give you the same results. Quinnepiac poll that just came out, Hillary Clinton actually does pretty well against Donald Trump, she's beating him 46 to 40. Now, you against Trump, it appears that you have a significantly larger lead. WHat is that, 14 points, as opposed to the 6 point lead that she had. Now let's look against Ted Cruz. She's got a three point lead, almost within the margin of error there. You have an eleven point lead. And against the same Ted Cruz.

Now, it's not an outlier, it's not just one poll, I'll show you a CNN poll. CNN says Hillary is beating Donald Trump by twelve points. That's good, that is very positive if you're a Democrat, you like that poll. Are you going to do as well in a CNN poll? No, you're beating him by twenty points.

And then you go to Clinton vs. Cruz. She's tied. She's tied with Ted Cruz.

Bernie: That's scary business.

Cenk: Yeah. You're beating Ted Cruz by thirteen points.

Bernie: Right.

Cenk: Yet -- You know what, I'm going to show you one more clip here from the media, cause they talked about your electability on air on CNN. And I believe this is clip eight. A Begali clip. Uh, yes. Let's listen to Begali, then Anderson Cooper tell the American people who's more "electable." (does finger quotes)

[Video]

Begali: Bernie has a very powerful message. But I think a lot of the people vote for him want to send a message rather than pick a president. And, and it may be, this is just a theory, I don't have data. It may be that the, the violence and the talk, talk of violence at a Trump rally said something to the Democrats, like, "Woah. We need to pick a president here and not just send a message." And I think Democrats mostly think Hillary's a stronger general election candidate and they haven't been voting that way, everywhere, especially younger people. And I wonder if the level of seriousness in the, in the campaign on the Democratic side just reflects that.

Cooper: It would be interesting to see if electability starts to get higher than shares my values.

[/Video]

Bernie: [laughs]

Cenk: Now that's interesting, because Anderson Cooper there at the end seemed to suggest very strongly that Hillary Clinton is more electable, even though a CNN poll clearly shows the opposite. Again, why do you think they do that, and, and do you think it's just an honest mistake?

Bernie: No, it's not an honest mistake. It is, I mean you - Here is the example. You have the facts right in front of them, and they can avoid those facts based on ideology. Look, at the end of the day, and I say this without any disrespect, Hillary Clinton is the establishment candidate. Right? She's the one who's getting fifteen million dollars from Wall Street, money from the drug companies, money from the fossil fuel industry, has all the governors and the senators and, you know, members of Congress supporting her. Okay? That' who these guys want. They're scared to death. They get scared to death at the idea that young people are actually getting involved in the political process and want real change. The working class people are saying, "You know what, we need to end establishment politics and economics and move in a different direction." That is their nightmare. And that's the, that's what you're seeing right there.

Cenk: Senator Sanders, are you charging that these multibillion dollar corporations that run the media might be part of the establishment?

Bernie: That's a hard one, Cenk. [wipes his brow] Why do you ask me such hard, difficult questions? [mock anger]

Cenk: [laughs]

Bernie: That IS the establishment. And, and by the way, you know, when I talk, you know, in most cases in my speeches, I say, "Look. We're taking on powerful economic interests. We're taking on Wall Street. We're taking on the entire political establishment. And we are taking on the corporate media. And the corporate media is right in the middle of it." In all of my speeches, what I tell people is, "Don't accept the status quo or the options." You know, sometimes people go, "Well, Cenk, as you know we have a very large deficit and, you know, we have to cut. Do you think we should cut Social Security or Medicare? I really want your honest opinion on that one."

Cenk: [laughs]

Bernie: Those are the options that you're given day in and day out, rather than saying, "Mm, well, actually maybe we should ask the billionaires to start paying their fair share of taxes or end tax loopholes for corporations." Never part of that discussion.

Cenk: So, now let us move on to those harder questions. Now a lot of people in the movement have decided that you are their leader, partly because you are running for president, but, you know, also you look at some recent polls of millenials. They have you as by far the most popular politician. But they actually have you as more popular as a person they'd like to meet above Beyonce. Okay?

Bernie: [LAUGH]

Cenk: Now that's hell of a thing. Right?

Bernie: Yes.

Cenk: But you have convinced them that Hillary Clinton is the establishment candidate. If you were to lose, and the Democratic Party comes to you and says, "Okay, now take this movement that is full of energy and is againt the establishment and make sure they vote for the establishment candidate." What do you say?

Bernie: Well, you know, what I say. Number one, I'm not big into being the "leader." [does finger quotes] I much prefer to see a lot of, a lot of leaders and a lot of grassroots activism. Number two, what we do is together, a nation and as a growing movement, is we say, all right, if we don't win, and by the way we are in this thing to win. Please understand that. What are the Democratic establishment gonna do for us?

Cenk: You know, that's interesting.

Bernie: All right, for example. Right now, you have a Democratic establishment which has written off half the states in this country. You know that.

Cenk: Mm-hmm.

Bernie: And they've given up on the South, the Rocky Mountain area, are gonna create a fifty state party? Are they gonna welcome into the Democratic Party the working class of this country and young people or is it gonna be a party of the upper middle class and the cocktail crowd and the heavy campaign contributors? Which to a significant degree it is right now. You know, I've talked to Democratic Party leaders and said, "You know what? INstead of going around and raising all kinds of money from wealthy people, why don't you meet in some football stadium, and bring out fifty, a hundred thousand people. Bring the damn Senate in there -- Senate Democrats -- and start talking to people. Ask them what they want you to do. How about that? That a radical -[idea]? So in other words, if I can't make it, and we're going to try as hard as we can to the last vote is cast, we want to completely revitalize the Democratic Party and make it a party of the people, rather than just one of large campaign contributors.

Cenk: Now, normally, politicians would ask for something for them. A cabinet post, etc. What would -- but I'm going to assume that, whether you are going to ask for that, I don't know and you wouldn't say here, anyway. Let's assume for the moment being that you're not going to ask for that. If you're going to ask for policy positions as you just indicated what are the policy positions that you would want?

Bernie: Okay. [nods] I want Secretary Clinton, if she's the nominee, to come out for a Medicare-for-All singlepayer health care system. I want fifteen bucks an hour as the minimum wage. I want to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure -- Flint, Michigan is not the only community in America that doesn't have safe drinking water. Our roads, bridges, rail system is in disrepair. I want a vigorous effort to address climate change. I mean, I am very worried, I mean I talk to these scientists. This planet is in serious danger. And you can't cuddle up to the fossil fuel industry, you gotta take them on and also, what is resonating and I believe very important, making public colleges and universities tuition free. Wall Street tax on speculation to pay for that. Ending all these corporate loopholes. Those are some of the demands I'd be making.

Cenk: So if the Clinton campaign were to promise you that they would take significant action in some of those areas, the question is would you believe them? And so there, let me run some specific things by you. She says now that she's against the TransPacific Partnership. She had been previously in favor it. When she becomes president, do you really believe that she will maintain this position and be against TPP or will she flip and sign that agreement?

Bernie: Well, you know a guy named Tom Donahue who's the head of the Chamber of Commerce.

Cenk: Mm-hmm.

Bernie: Basically, what he said is, "Don't worry about what she said in the campaign, she's just trying to match Bernie Sanders. If she's elected I think she'll be okay on the TPP." Did you read that article?

Cenk: Yeah. So what do you think, do you think she's going to flip on that again?

Bernie: I think, what we need is to create a movement which holds elected officials accountable, and not let them flip on that issue. That's what you need to do.

Cenk: And how about money in politics. Now here's a family that has raised a billion dollars between Bill and Hillary Clinton for their campaigns. They have raised 150 million dollars for themselves, personally, through paid speeches. Do you believe a family that has benefited so much from money in politics is realistically going to fight -- and you're going to need to fight really hard to get money out of politics.

Bernie: Look, Cenk, all I can tell you is I think that Citizens United is one of the worst decisions ever rendered by a Supreme Court in American History. I think we gotta overturn it yesterday. I think we need to move to public funding of elections. And that's one of the reasons, one of the ways that we're revitalizing Amerian democracy. I mean, you've asked a very fair question. But I'm not going to answer it right now. You're asking me to speculate on her intentions and so forth. All I can say is we need, win or lose for me, a political revolution which starts electing people who are accountable to the working families of this country.

Cenk: Well, let's ask Citizens United for a second. Merrick Garland has been appointed by, or nominated by President Obama for the Supreme Court. In speech now, he seemed to back Citizens United. Now, some say, "Well, you know, there was that precedent already existed" but he actually went further and said that there should be unlimited contributions let alone unlimited expenditures.

Bernie: [chuckles]

Cenk: So, you've said that, that you would have picked someone else.

Bernie: Yes.

Cenk: If he does get confirmed, are you confident that he would be against Citizens United?

Bernie: No. I mean, based on what you just told me. And what we know to be the case. What I have said is, you know, the President has the right to nominate whoever he wants and I will support that nomination, and what the Republicans continue to do is to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. And that is absolutely wrong. But if I am elected, and if Garland is not seated, what I would do is ask him to step aside and ask the President to withdraw that nomination.

Cenk: Are you confident that President Obama would withdraw that nomination if you asked him under those circumstances?

Bernie: Well, who knows? Yeah, I think he would. I mean, I think if he is no longer the President I think he would understand the not quite proper but I'm left with somebody that he nominated as opposed to somebody who I nominated. And I will tell you this. Let me be 100% clear. I will not nominate anybody who isn't straightforward and public about saying that person, that nominee will overturn Citizens United. That is my litmus test.

Cenk: Right. And how about President Obama, himself? Do you think he's done enough to get money out of politics?

Bernie: No. Look. I mean, I think. I like the President, he's an incredibly smart guy. He has faced more obstructionism and obviously because of the color of his skin, he has faced the kinds of disgusting opposition that is disgraceful. I think, you know, that money in politics is the major political crisis that we face right now, and I think he could have done more. I mean he's clearly against Citizens United, there's no question about that. But I think he could have been more forthright and stronger in his opposition.

Cenk: Do you think President Obama is the establishment or is fighting against the establishment?

Bernie: I think probably both. I mean I think he's, you know. Do I think he has real views and real concerns deeply felt? I think he does. You know, unlike some people who go with the wind all the time, I think, you know for example closing down Guantanamo. Not a popular position. He believes in it. He does believe in it in his heart and soul. I think he gets very disturbed about the number of people we have in jail. It was brave of him to go to a jail, the first president in a long time, actually visited a penitentiary. Beginning the process of trying to lower our disgracefully high jail population. Yeah. I think, you know, I like him, I think he's a decent guy. But on the other hand, you know, it is not, as Hillary Clinton reminds us, he actually got more money from Wall Street than she did, and that was her excuse. "Hey, I get money from Wall Street," says Hillary, "but Barack Obama got even more." Well, you know. Do I think for example, he stood up to Wall Street in the way that he should have? You know, as I go around the country and speak to people, a lot of things get them angry, but nothing gets them angrier than the fact that some kid smokes marijuana today, gets caught with marijuana, that kid gets a prison record, right? That's what happens. Well, what happens if you're a banker on Wall Street and you've destroyed the American economy because of illegal activity, and you payy, by the way, if you're GOldman Sachs, five billion dollars in fines. Five billion dollars in a settlement with the federal government, and how many of these people are gonna get criminal records? Zero. And that, that shows the American people the corruption of the system.

Cenk: So that happened under Bush, but it also happened under Obama

Bernie: Yes. And the President will tell you, as he's told me, that, look what they did was atrocious and horrible, it wasn't "illegal." [does finger quotes] I'm not so sure.

Cenk: Mm-kay. So, now, Hillary Clinton has started to turn already to the center. Now you can tell that because during the debates with you, she constantly used President Obama as a shield, as you just alluded to. "Oh, Obama did it too, Obama did it too, are you criticizing Obama?"

Bernie: Right.

Cenk: And there's a lot of reasons why you wouldn't do that for political reasons in a primary, right?

Bernie: Yeah.

Cenk: ANd you have been slower to criticize both President Obama in my estimation than you have in the past, okay, so I'm going to keep it real on that front. Now, having said that, it appears she's now done with that, cause, her AIPAC speech she bragged about her policies to the reporters being more "muscular" than President Obama's. [does finger quotes] ANd she said that she would immediately have Netanyahu over to the White House if she's president, setting up a contrast between herself and President Obama.

Bernie: Right.

Cenk: So, it appears she is running what, to what Washington would call the center, what I would call the right now that she thinks she's onto a general election. One, is that condescending that she thinks she's done with the primaries? And two, what does that tell you about Hillary Clinton--

Bernie: Well--

Cenk: --If her positions are ready to shift depending on politics?

Bernie: That's been the criticism of Hillary Clinton from day one. And that is why, frankly, a lot of people don't trust her. I mean, you know, people say, "Oh! She's running against Bernie Sanders. Suddenly she's against the TPP. Suddenly she's against the Keystone pipeline. Suddenly she wants to raise the minimum wage. Suddenly she wants to do this. Suddenly she wants to do that. She sounds like Bernie Sanders." And your point is, well, now she thinks she's won, well, I don't think she has. Now she's doing something different. In terms of Israel, I gave a speech - I couldn't make the AIPAC thing, I really wanted to do it, but I was on the west coast. And my speech was very different than Hillary Clinton's. I am one hundred percent a supporter of Israel's right to exist -- I was on a Kibbutz for a number of months when I was a young people, a young person.

Cenk: Do they really question that with you? You're the first Jewish candidate to ever win a primary in American History. You've won twelve contests. Do people think "ah, no, you're sufficiently pro-Israel"?

Bernie: [laughs] Well, you know, on the other hand, I understand that in Gaza unemployment is 44 percent. Community remains in destruction. There's massive poverty. Massive water problems. Massive problems. You cannot be a president of the United States without understanding that. I don't know how you bring peace to the Middle East if you're just one-sided, you gotta embrace both people. And as a Jewish person I have found, and this is so disturbing, so many similarities between Palestinians and Jews. Under proper circumstances, people can and should get along, get along. I did -- some years ao, I got some money and I had a conference with a number of the people, a number of people from the Arab countries, and Israel. You know what we talked about? Not politics. We talked about water. Which is a huge crisis in that part of the world. And you had intelligent people sitting down. "What do we do? How do we solve this problem?" You know, I think it can be done, but I was not happy with Clinton's speech.

Cenk: So, by the way, you had more Muslims voting for you in places in states like Michigan.

Bernie: Yes.

Cenk: Are you proud that, as a Jewish candidate you got--

Bernie: I am very proud

Cenk: -- got an overwhelming majority of Muslims to vote for you in America?

Bernie: I am -- That is the best of America. And I sat down and I met with some of the Arab American leaders in Dearborn and elsewhere and wonderful people, good people. And what we've got to do and I don't tell you Cenk, that I have a magial solution that others have not had. Clearly there are awful people on both sides, who for their own political gains are fomenting hatred, and there are very decent people on both sides, who understand that the future is peace.

Cenk: So when you were talking about the awful people on one of the sides, are you referring to Ted Cruz and Donald Trump?

Bernie: [laughs] No, it was to say the least, probably Netanyahu woul not be the first person that I would invite to the Oval Office.

Cenk: Mm-kay. And--

Bernie: We should probably wrap it up.

Cenk: Okay, so I want to end then by asking you about what you would do if you would win. So number one, the Clinton people say, oh, the Republicans are going to fight you tooth and nail, do you think if Hillary wins they're going to roll out the welcome mat for her?

Bernie: Oh, they just love her. I mean, you know, over the years they have just shown their enormous respect and affection for her and I suspect the day after they'll probably have some wonderful party, you know, in the Congress they're saying how grateful and happy they are that she was elected. Look. Given the severity of the crises that we face right now, what has got to happen, and I don't just use this rhetorically, we need a political revolution. And I'm beginning to see the seeds of that developing in this campaign, where working class people and young people begin to understand that it is imperative that they participate in the politial process and that they demand a government that represents all of us, not just a few. That's what we have got to do. I can't do it as president alone. We need that mass movement.

Cenk: What do you do with that political revolution if you win? So how do you get the Republicans to go in the direction you're asking for with that revolution?

Bernie: This is what you do. The Republicans are many things, but they're not dumb. And they understand that their agenda succeeds when nobody knows what their agenda is. I'm the ranking member of the Budget Committee. How many Americans do you think know that these guys want to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut Medicaid, cut education, cut or end the EPA and give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to two tenths of one percent. Do you think anyone in America knows that? Well, if I'm president of the United States, they will know that. And what you do is say the things like you get legislation introduced, for one example, to make public colleges and universities tuition free with a tax on Wall Street speculation. That's gonna come up on, you know, September 19 2017 and every person in this country is going to know that vote. ANd they're going to know who's voting for it and who's going to be voting against it. You develop a grassroots mechanism so you focus attention on that. You focus attention on the need for a national healthcare program, and so forth. But you have to educate people, and you have to bring the grassroots in a much closer connection to what goes on in Congress.

Cenk: If you win is Hillary Clinton liberal enough to be in your Cabinet?

Bernie: Ooooh, stop, stop getting me in trouble here!

Cenk: [laughs]

Bernie: There are other people that I would probably go to before Hillary Clinton. People like Elizabeth Warren, for example.

Cenk: All right. Fair enough. Bernie Sanders, thank you so much for joining us on the Young Turks. We appreciate it. We'll be right back with the rest of the show. Thank you guys.