Bernie Sanders Slams Michael Bloomberg’s ‘Racist Policies’ At Massive Rally

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders held a massive rally Monday night in Tacoma, Washington, drawing more than 17,000 people. During the event, Sanders pulled no punches and took aim at Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, who has been surging in the polls thanks to a massive advertising blitz across the Super Tuesday states.

“Today, we say to Mayor Bloomberg, we are a democracy, not an oligarchy,” Sanders said, per Common Dreams.

“You are not going to buy this election.”

Sanders slammed Bloomberg’s record as New York City mayor, pointing to “racist policies” like stop-and-frisk. He also noted Bloomberg’s opposition to raising the minimum wage as well as his previous calls for cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

“The American people, working for families all over this country, want an economy and a government that works for all of us — not just a handful of billionaires,” Sanders said, per Breitbart.

The attacks come ahead of Nevada’s caucuses as the pair continues to take shots at each other. Notably, Sanders’ comments came shortly after Bloomberg’s recent attacks on the behavior of Sanders’ campaign. In an email to supporters, Bloomberg likened Sanders’ campaign to the conduct of Donald Trump, pointing to several comments from Sanders staffers who attacked Bloomberg as a racist and an oligarch. In response, the Medicare for All advocate took to Twitter to share a picture of Bloomberg and Trump together at a golf course.

https://t.co/XwB74v3u0w pic.twitter.com/UID9vVK1yi

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 17, 2020

According to David Sirota, Sanders’ speechwriter, Bloomberg’s attacks on Sanders stem from the billionaire’s frustration at the possibility of not being able to purchase the Democratic nomination. Sirota claims that the recent string of attacks is simply an attempt to silence one of his most prominent critics.

“Michael Bloomberg can throw all the temper tantrums he wants, but we will not be silenced — we will continue to show exactly why Bernie Sanders has a far better record and will be a far better nominee than the billionaire former GOP mayor trying to buy the primary.”

Criticism of Bloomberg’s tactics is not isolated to the left of the political spectrum. Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently accused Bloomberg of attempting to purchase votes. He criticized the business man’s campaign, noting its lack of ideas and slammed him for not trying to convince voters via policy but simply overwhelming them with money.

Carlson also noted the massive amount of spending Bloomberg has funneled into advertising — approximately $417 million — and the gap between his spending and his competitors.