unknowns. a discussion on veterans mental health issues. later, selections from this house white house medal of honor ceremonies. c-span, newsmakers is next. bernie sanders. then a preview of president obama's trip to asia. conversation with tavis smiley on q&a. >> this week on newsmakers we are joined by bernie sanders from vermont. we have editor and chief of the hill. go ahead with the first question. >> the democrats lost control of the senate. why is that? must you blame president obama? well, i did hear about that.

things, it means i will not become chairman in the new session of the veterans affairs committee. i think what the republicans did the while not good for country, politically very smart. what they said to the american people is, are you happy with what's going on in our country today in terms of the economy. the overwhelming majority are not happy. i not happy. our middle class has been collapsing. real unemployment is close to 12%. youth unemployment is 20%. college is unaffordable for middle-class families. the gap between the very rich and everybody else has grown wider. 95% of all new income is going to people on top. said that the problem is barack obama.

any senator who has worked with barack obama is terrible. we have to throw him out. with a very low turnout. in vermont, voter turnout was the lowest on record. that was true all over the country. people are demoralized. republicans came out and change things. the republicans also -- correct me if i'm wrong -- they did not tell the american people what they wanted to do. with a middle-class collapsing and the need to create jobs, what are they going to do? give more tax breaks for the rich and large corporations. are they going to raise the minimum wage? in states like alaska and nebraska, conservative states, people already raised the minimum wage. do you think they will raise the minimum wage in congress? anythinggoing to do about wealth inequality?

are they going to do anything about pay equity? i think the republicans were very smart in blaming barack obama for what has been happening for the last 40 years. >> doesn't president obama have some responsibility? republicans have not had control of the senate since 2006. doesn't the responsibility end up with president obama? did the democrats of a clear message? >> it good point. the answer is some of the responsibility rests with president obama. i think he has not been as strong and clear about a message and legislation that will protect the interests of working families. most people inside the beltway understand this, the level of republican obstructionism has been unprecedented in the modern history of america. we are looking at hundreds of filibusters. how many people know that in the

senate a majority of us voted to raise the minimum wage? we could not get 60 votes. we voted for pay equity. we could not get 60 votes very we voted for a jobs program. yes, the president does share his part of the responsibility. i think a lot of the blame also has got to go to republican obstructionism. this country faces enormous problems. in terms of a disappearing middle class, more people living in poverty. what do the republicans have to say? what are they going to do on these important issues? carolinagan in north -- there were some surprising races for democrats. many thought that georgia would go to a runoff race. there are a lot of tough losses.

i know you said that republicans did not offer anything. democrats did not also offer a clear message. minimum wage and hay equity, but that did not bring up voters to the polls. what else could have democrats have done to get voters to go to the polls? what part of their agenda did not connect? why? >> that is a great question. your point is right. i think many of the democratic candidates did not run on an agenda which resonated with working people. it did not say that it was worthwhile to, and vote. what is sad -- and i would hope that people, regardless of political views, appreciate this -- we have a situation where i believe that some 60% of the american people did not vote, and about 80% of young people

and low income working people did not vote. our political views, i hope people would see that as a real problem. to answer your question. this is what i think. with the democrats have been week an individual candidates have been week, it is not coming up to the plate and saying that we will have to take on the billionaires. right now, especially with the citizens united supreme court decision, the billionaires are able to spend unlimited sums of money. ,hat congress is doing especially the republicans and some democrats, is working to advance the interest of the 1% and not the 99%. you look at the polls. , what dootally amazing people say? they want to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. they want to have the democrats take on the republicans.

people want a jobs program. they want to rebuild our humbling infrastructure. yes, investing in infrastructure would cost money, but i believe people will support it because they understand that a trillion dollar investment in rebuilding our roads and bridges and water 13 million create decent paying jobs. you know what else? people want to overturn this disastrous citizens united supreme court decision. they are sick and tired of these ugly 32nd ads on television, coming from both parties. they want campaign finance limitations. republicans do not want it. they want to go beyond citizens united. democrat strong enough? i don't think so. people do understand that climate change is real. that the scientific community calls it one of the great environment of crises of our time. they want to move to an energy

efficiency and sustainable energy. where democrat strong enough issue? absolutely not. people know there is something very wrong in our country when we have more wealth and income inequality than any country on earth. we need the wealthy to start paying their fair share. democrats talk about that a lot. have said that you are thinking about running for president. what is the timing of your decision? would you run as an independent or democrat? this -- and as i say this people will breathe a give relief -- i will the american people some time to recover from this last campaign. some folks in the media want never-ending campaigns. >> ok. take your time.

what about independent or democratic candidate? >> fair question. as you know, i am the longest-serving independent in history of the united states congress. hadvery proud that vermont the courage to send some be outside the two-party system. on one hand, there is profound anger and frustration at the two-party system. democrats do very bad. republicans come out worse. people do not have confidence. that is a reality. independent outside the two-party system. if you are going to run as an independent, if i decide to run it all, if you're going to run as an independent, you will have to set up a political

infrastructure in 50 states in this country. in the state of vermont, you have 500 signatures and you're on the ballot. not hard. north carolina, other states, it is difficult. you need to spend a lot of time and energy, and money to establish and develop that type of infrastructure. that is the quandary i am at right now. i am going around the country and speaking to a whole love of folks on the phone, and these are the questions i'm asking. number one, are you prepared to be involved in a campaign which is going to take on the billionaire class. ? whether it's wall street, drug companies, military industrial complex, the people have unlimited sums of money and an incredible power, control over the media. it would be a difficult undertaking. i will not do that unless i can believe that i can do well, that i can run a serious campaign.

i will need millions of people at the grassroots level really fighting hard to protect working families and fighting for a progressive agenda. is that infrastructure there? is there that can support available? the answer is, i don't know at this point. i am trying to find that out. >> democrats have their millionaires as well. are you saying that you would not accept money from a millionaire like tom stier question? >> he's a billionaire by the way. don't insult him. his feelings are hurt. here's what you got. it is absolutely true that there are democratic billionaires and they contribute a lot. let not get into this idea of equivalents. other republican billionaires spend a lot more than do the democrats.

the second issue, tom stier is a rich guy. ist he is trying to do protect this planet from climate change. from the devastation that that would cause. is a moralre equivalence between what he believes and what the coke brothers believe, that we should use more fossil fuel, that we should deny the reality of climate change. if you look at the koch brothers -- these guyshave want to into social security. they want to in medicare and medicaid. they want to end the epa. they have an agenda. it is an extreme right-wing agenda. having said that, i myself believe that we need to overturn citizens united and move the public funding of elections. >> what needs to happen for you -- whatunds as i

needs to happen to get you into the race? if elizabeth warren gets an? if hillary clinton runs unopposed? what needs to happen to get you into the race? , i have been politically successful in vermont. i won my last race with 71% of the vote. -- is the message that i'm going to deliver, does it resonate? is there grassroots support to take on big money interest? here's what i would be telling people. a there support for investing trillion dollars into our infrastructure to create 13 million jobs? my republican friends don't support it.

they talk about all the money we are spending. that iselieve necessary. we are the only country in the world it does not have a national health care program guaranteeing health care to all people. we are the only one. we spend twice as much as any other nation. is there support out there for a single-payer system, guaranteeing health care to all people? is there support for raising the minimum wage to a living wage? is there support on climate change? i believe it's real. i'm on the environmental committee. i hear from scientists all over the world. window oflimited opportunity to transform our energy system away from coal and oil and gas to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. how many people will support that type of agenda? that fundamental reshaping of our energy system. be honest with myself

and the american people. that is what i believe in. if there is not support, if there is not a willingness for people to work hard on a , if there is that not that support, i will not run. i'i want to run a meaningful campaign. if not, i'm not interested in running. >> you mentioned young voters, grassroot movements -- that brings to mind another presidential candidate. ron paul. you see that as the kind of presidential campaign -- he had a youth movement, grassroots, and he did quiet well. is that a model you see to be successful? >> well, no. he ran a very impressive campaign.

he lost. we agree on some issues. i'm very proud to have passed the amendment in dodge frank to get the first audit, which took place during the financial crisis. i think there is a huge challenge. it is very difficult. one would think that the young people for whom the decision is being made today in washington will have a huge impact for the whole life. the young people today who cannot afford to go to college. the young people graduating college or graduate school, deeply in debt, and paying these outrageously high interest rates. one would think that they would gravitate into the political process. you'll youth unemployment is today? it is close to 20%. we have 5.5 million young people in america who dropped out of high school -- you know what to doing now?

they don't have jobs. one might think that they would be involved and thinking about political issues. unfortunately, that is not the case. it is not easy. it is not easy. i have been on college campuses. it is not easy to bring young people into the political process. to answer your question, that is something i would be focused on. you want the idealism and the energy of young people weary .oung peopl young people lead this country in the civil rights movement. young people have played an important role in i environmental issues. can we get them involved in 2016? that is something i would certainly try to do. --the veterans affairs obviously an issue as the chairman of that committee in he stated that he

is working as aggressively as possible. those that are involved in the phoenix medical system. you agree with him? it was a lot that you were so instrumental in helping pass. -- as so focused on the >> let me answer that in a couple of ways. gotten to, i have know him in the last couple of months. i like him very much. he is working really hard. the v.a. is a huge system and you can't bring change overnight. i think what bob is talking about, what the secretary is talking about is you can fire anybody. you don't want to lose on appeal. you don't want somebody running through the court and saying i

was fired unjustly. they are trying. their eyes and cross 30's. cover their bases. year inr in the last the v.a. was the fact that in phoenix and other parts of this country, we have unacceptably long waiting periods. you know what? in a last couple of months, the leadership hass made some very significant progress in making sure that veterans are getting into the ..a. in a timely matter if not, getting out into the private sector in a timely manner. i think what you have seen in phoenix and elsewhere -- and i don't have the statistics in front of me -- what you have seen is a significant reduction in the waiting periods that in certain parts of the country are

vegans had to experience. it -- our veterans had to experience. it is completely and acceptable. not tolerable. we have to deal with those people. at the end of the day, what i hope every veteran in america , what i know the vast majority in vermont understand, once you get into the v.a., the quality of care is quiet good. that is true. the v.a. has some cutting edge medical work in terms of complementary and alternative medicines, in terms of telehealth. they are working on a project called exoskeleton, which is so revolutionary and exciting -- they are testing a unit that people with spinal

cord injuries can utilize. it is battery powered. it allows you to move your legs and arms. people who have been in a wiltshire for years are now getting up, and with the help of this exoskeleton are now moving around and walking. a revolutionary development. very exciting. bottom line, the v.a. does a lot of good things. we need to make sure they do better and provide the quality care every veteran needs in this country. >> you know that politics is a rough business. when you get into a presidential campaign, you have to assess your rivals. the supportton has of more than 60 democrats in congress for the primary alone. she had about 100. what is hillary clinton's biggest weakness? >> i am here to attack hillary clinton. that is not the right question. the right question is what are the problems facing the american

people? why is the american middle class collapsing? why is all new income going to the top 1%? why is that? that is something that has gone on for 40 years. the real question to ask is what are the policies we need to rebuild the american middle class, lower the outrageously high rates of poverty, and in this massive income inequality? i am sure billy clinton has different points of view in coming up with solutions. that is what a good debate is about. the ugly 32ndout ads. that is not what the american people deserve. they need to hear serious debate on serious issues without demonizing the opponents. hillary clinton is a decent person. i suspect we will have differences of opinion if we both run. i look for to that debate. for you told it take

endorse hillary clinton at some point? you are a long shot. what do you want the democratic nominee to say? >> i have told you what my views are. we need to rally the working class of this country, low income workers, the middle class to stand up to the the inner class. that is what i think the $64 issue is. i will be supportive to candidates who are prepared to do that. to say that it is unacceptable that 20% of our young people are unemployed, to come up with a jobs plan, to invest in our infrastructure to create jobs, to deal with climate change, to deal with citizens united. those of the issues. you mentioned that i am a long shot. you are right. i will to tell you something. in my own small state of vermont, i started in politics.

you know what i got in my first direction -- election? i got 2% of the vote. in my last election i got 71% of the vote. whenshots can change people hear the ideas and vision for the future. me end on veterans affairs issues. as we approach veterans day coming up, what reforms have been made since this new law was passed and signed by the president in august. ? the v.a. secretary did say the veterans affairs department is going to need more money. when will they need that money? >> i don't know. i honestly don't know. what i think mcdonald is saying is that we are providing services to 6.5 million people. that number may increase. if you want us to do quality work, we are going to need the money.

to be honest, i have not thoroughly study the issue. thisl, but i have none at point. what we did in the legislation, and it was one of the few bipartisan pieces of legislation passed in the past year -- i am proud. we were able to work with republicans. we're able to pass this legislation. it put $5 billion into the v.a. in order for them to hire the doctors and nurses and other medical personnel they need. when it also did is say, ok, in those errors were we can get veterans into the v.a. in a timely matter, we will pay for you to go to a private doctor or community health center. what it also did -- and i am proud of this -- it said to the wives of soldiers who died in and afghanistan -- afghanistan, you will be able to get a college education and take advantage of the g.i. bill. that is a decent and right thing to do.

it put $16.5 billion in two v.a. health care. we have more to do. >> senator bernie sanders, we have to leave it there. thank you for being on his maker. >> thank you. >> let me turn to the two of you and go through what we heard there from the senator. bob, you think he will run in 2016? >> i think he will run. unless he sees somebody on the , he, like elizabeth warren has said that he does not want a coronation. there are a lot of democrats in his camp. the poll numbers are fantastic. aspect -- not criticizing hillary clinton. not a candidate yet, but she will be. i think he will run to make sure that there is that rich debate,

and who knows? in politics, you never know. >> laura, what does he bring to the table for the democratic party? have does not establishment ties. an enthusiasm grow for young people, for people who do not necessarily find themselves to be true, hard-core democrats. -- democrats just lost north carolina, arkansas, alaska, louisiana. those issues don't play very well in some of these states. if he says he wants to run a successful campaign, a winning campaign, there will be an issue of bringing those ideas to voters in more republican states. that could into being an issue for him to be able to talk about

it. the issues that people in north carolina care about are different than the corner that the senator hills from. -- senator comes from. eyeingr folks that are 2016 -- the platform for what you're talking about is the senate floor. happensyou think that in the 114th congress? ted cruz, rand paul, other folks eyeing 2016. >> i think it will be difficult in the lame-duck and the new congress. let say republicans and the president struck some kind of deal, and they will have to strike some kind of deal to avert government shutdown, raising the debt limit. the left and right -- the people running for president, and they will be people who announce

their intentions for 2016 in the month or so -- they will criticize any dealmaking. it is going to be a big problem for senator mitch mcconnell as well as speaker boehner as well as the president. congress the better than this congress? i think so. this was the least productive congress in history. >> the really interesting thing about the senate starting in january is that you will have mitch mcconnell, who wants to continue to be majority leader, and he will have to contend with ted cruz, marco rubio, or rand paul. peopleu have a number of who are up for reelection in 2016. i guess we have a debate now on how blue and purple the country is. there is going to be so much pressure.

watch mitch mcconnell walk that very tight rope. get -- give up the senate. ted cruz is going to make it even more dysfunctional. every time they try to make a deal, you will have three high-profile figures involved. have thoseg to likely presidential candidates saying i'm going to lose if you do this. i think it will make it paralyzed. >> the republicans will on the next congress. now, the republicans can blame each other. they will own a unpopular institution. bills,they are passing the voters are going to reject them. that is where the relationship between mitch mcconnell and john boehner is key.