Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders gave his take on the results of the 2014 elections in an interview with Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report on Monday.
Always the straight-shooter, Colbert prompted Sanders with the results saying, “A couple of weeks ago you liberal types got your asses handed to you by the Republicans. Democrats got slaughtered. Socialists did better… We have rejected liberal philosophy”
Sanders, citing low voter turnout nationwide, responded:
“I will tell you, Stephen, what I think really happened. About 64 percent of the American people rejected the two-party system. They rejected Washington as it now functions. They rejected a political system and a Congress which spends more time representing the wealthy and the powerful than ordinary Americans”
At the start of the interview, Colbert broached the potential for a 2016 presidential bid by Sanders. The senator has entertained the possibility publicly, but no official announcement has been made to date.
On the topic of a presidential bid, it appears he has yet to see whether or not he will be able to garner enough support to drive a national campaign. Later in the interview, Sanders indulged speculation that he may run.
“The news is that I am thinking about running for president… What we have to ascertain is whether or not in this country there is the appetite and willingness to put together a strong grassroots movement to take on the billionaire class,” he said.