Is the US Still a Democracy? 'Yes and No,' Says Bernie Sanders

Asserting that money is the "real power" in U.S. politics, Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Wednesday that the country is rapidly moving away from democracy and toward "oligarchy."

Asked by "The Chief Nerd" podcast host Theo Von if the U.S. electoral system is "still democratic," Sanders (I-Vt.) replied, "Yes and no."

"I mean, you want to run for office, can you? Yup, you can," the senator said. "But if... I have 10 times more money than you do, I will beat you 95% of the time... By and large, money people will win. So if you're asking me, are we a democracy, in one sense, we are."

"I use the term 'oligarchy,'" he added. "And oligarchy is a society where small numbers of very wealthy people control the economic and political life of the country. I think we are moving rapidly in that direction."

Reflecting on his 2016 and 2020 presidential runs, Sanders agreed with Von that he "didn't get treated fairly" by the Democratic establishment.

"That's what happens when you take on the establishments," the senator said. "What happened was we won the first three primaries and then the establishment got very, very nervous. And they got a whole lot of candidates in the Democratic primary and they said: 'Hey, be a good idea if you all dropped out. Let [President] Joe Biden be the one candidate.' People rallied around him."

Looking forward to the 2024 election, Von asked if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is the "right person" to take on former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.

"Well, she is the person," Sanders replied. "She'll be the Democratic candidate. She's very smart. You've got to give credit to somebody, a Black woman, to move up the ladder. That ain't easy stuff. There's a lot of resistance to that."

Sanders warned earlier this week in a Senate floor speech that "many, many Americans are giving up on democracy."

"They are hurting, they look to the government, they vote, and nothing happens," he said. "The rich get richer, they get poorer. And they're saying: 'Hey, all of this democracy and all this election stuff, it's all a crock. It doesn't matter.' And they are willing to look to authoritarianism as a substitute for the democracy we have."

"If we care to preserve democracy," Sanders added, "we should pay attention to the long-neglected needs of the working class."