SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner speaks before Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders takes the stage for a town hall discussion about health care on July 25, 2019 in Los Angeles.
(Photo: David McNew/Getty Images)
Watch: What Is a 'Practical' Democratic Candidate? Sanders Co-Chair Nina Turner Has Some Thoughts
"Does being 'practical' mean that we don't say to the American people that you deserve better than what you are getting?"
Feb 09, 2020
Nina Turner, campaign co-chair for Sen. Bernie Sanders's Democratic presidential bid, rejected the implication that the government doesn't have funding for Medicare for All and pushed back against the notion that a "practical" Democratic presidential candidate is one that represents a continuation of the unjust status quo.
MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle asked Turner about political strategist James Carville's recent assertion that Sanders is an "ideologue" who doesn't possess the "practicality" the Democratic party needs in a candidate.
"Does 'practical' mean that the 89 or so million people who are uninsured or under-insured in this country continue to suffer? Does being 'practical' mean that we don't take steps in this country to deal with climate chaos," said Turner.
"Does being 'practical' mean that we don't say to the American people that you deserve better than what you are getting?" Turner continued. "That's not the kind of practicality we want."
What the American publicans wants, added Turner, is "someone to call out the rigging of the system, and that candidate is Sen. Bernie Sanders."
Watch the exchange below:
Turner's comments drew praise from other Sanders supporters.
Progressive activist Samuel Finkelstein said on Twitter that Turner "just Berned down the MSNBC studio." Sanders' national surrogate Phillip Agnew said that Turner "animates people with the conviction of an impassioned leader with unmatched acuity."
"No candidates are grilled about how we pay for the ever-rising military budget," commented Charles Idelson of National Nurses United (NNU). "No one asks how we pay for the corporate tax subsidies, or the massive tax cut for corporations and the super rich. Just how we pay for making sure everyone gets healthcare."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nina Turner, campaign co-chair for Sen. Bernie Sanders's Democratic presidential bid, rejected the implication that the government doesn't have funding for Medicare for All and pushed back against the notion that a "practical" Democratic presidential candidate is one that represents a continuation of the unjust status quo.
MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle asked Turner about political strategist James Carville's recent assertion that Sanders is an "ideologue" who doesn't possess the "practicality" the Democratic party needs in a candidate.
"Does 'practical' mean that the 89 or so million people who are uninsured or under-insured in this country continue to suffer? Does being 'practical' mean that we don't take steps in this country to deal with climate chaos," said Turner.
"Does being 'practical' mean that we don't say to the American people that you deserve better than what you are getting?" Turner continued. "That's not the kind of practicality we want."
What the American publicans wants, added Turner, is "someone to call out the rigging of the system, and that candidate is Sen. Bernie Sanders."
Watch the exchange below:
Turner's comments drew praise from other Sanders supporters.
Progressive activist Samuel Finkelstein said on Twitter that Turner "just Berned down the MSNBC studio." Sanders' national surrogate Phillip Agnew said that Turner "animates people with the conviction of an impassioned leader with unmatched acuity."
"No candidates are grilled about how we pay for the ever-rising military budget," commented Charles Idelson of National Nurses United (NNU). "No one asks how we pay for the corporate tax subsidies, or the massive tax cut for corporations and the super rich. Just how we pay for making sure everyone gets healthcare."
Nina Turner, campaign co-chair for Sen. Bernie Sanders's Democratic presidential bid, rejected the implication that the government doesn't have funding for Medicare for All and pushed back against the notion that a "practical" Democratic presidential candidate is one that represents a continuation of the unjust status quo.
MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle asked Turner about political strategist James Carville's recent assertion that Sanders is an "ideologue" who doesn't possess the "practicality" the Democratic party needs in a candidate.
"Does 'practical' mean that the 89 or so million people who are uninsured or under-insured in this country continue to suffer? Does being 'practical' mean that we don't take steps in this country to deal with climate chaos," said Turner.
"Does being 'practical' mean that we don't say to the American people that you deserve better than what you are getting?" Turner continued. "That's not the kind of practicality we want."
What the American publicans wants, added Turner, is "someone to call out the rigging of the system, and that candidate is Sen. Bernie Sanders."
Watch the exchange below:
Turner's comments drew praise from other Sanders supporters.
Progressive activist Samuel Finkelstein said on Twitter that Turner "just Berned down the MSNBC studio." Sanders' national surrogate Phillip Agnew said that Turner "animates people with the conviction of an impassioned leader with unmatched acuity."
"No candidates are grilled about how we pay for the ever-rising military budget," commented Charles Idelson of National Nurses United (NNU). "No one asks how we pay for the corporate tax subsidies, or the massive tax cut for corporations and the super rich. Just how we pay for making sure everyone gets healthcare."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.