Speaker 1: I'd like to talk about dignity, respect, patriotism, and duty,
Speaker 1: and I'd like to talk about Senator Bernie Sanders. He's
Speaker 1: somebody that I have disagreements with, but over the last
Speaker 1: ten years is a person I have come to greatly admire.
Speaker 1: It's important to be able to look at somebody with
Speaker 1: whom you have political disagreements in a functioning democracy, in
Speaker 1: a republic, and be able to find virtue in their character,
Speaker 1: in their decency, in their conviction. How many of you
Speaker 1: have the ability to sit across the table, to sit
Speaker 1: in a room with somebody that you have strong disagreements
Speaker 1: with and just be able to listen, just be able
Speaker 1: to sit through the exposure to somebody's different perspectives. Because
Speaker 1: this quality has been eradicated in America over recent years.
Speaker 1: There is a brittleness, There is an intolerance to the
Speaker 1: concepts of dissent. People being exposed to a contrary opinion
Speaker 1: routinely lose their minds. And the only person that in
Speaker 1: the end all of that accumulates towards helping is, of course,
Speaker 1: the person who believes in American democracy the least and
Speaker 1: wants power the most, which is Donald Trump. But back
Speaker 1: to Senator Sanders, this is a man of conviction, a
Speaker 1: man of integrity, a man who looks you in the
Speaker 1: eye and tells you what he believes and why he
Speaker 1: believes it. Bernie Sanders will never cut and run from
Speaker 1: those convictions, even though I think he may be miss
Speaker 1: guided here and there. The issue at this moment in America,
Speaker 1: the great crisis we face, is a crisis of judgment
Speaker 1: and a crisis of integrity, a crisis of decency and
Speaker 1: of duty. And so I want you to watch the
Speaker 1: pain on Senator Sanders face, watch it, observe it as
Speaker 1: this hearing starts to go off the rails. Now, let
Speaker 1: me introduce the characters. Sitting at the witness table. In
Speaker 1: the gray suit is Sean O'Brien. He is the president
Speaker 1: of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters with hundreds of thousands
Speaker 1: of members across North America. He's there under oath, testifying
Speaker 1: before a United States Senate hearing about working issues for
Speaker 1: the American working man and woman. That's what he's there for. Normally,
Speaker 1: he would be at union headquarters, running the union, making
Speaker 1: sure his members are getting the pay they deserve, the
Speaker 1: benefits they deserve, fighting for the American workingman and woman.
Speaker 1: That's what his job is. Of course, you have Senator Sanders,
Speaker 1: he's the chairman of the committee. He's the guy with
Speaker 1: the gavel, and next to him is the Republican member
Speaker 1: Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma. Now, before continuing, let's just
Speaker 1: watch elements of the disgrace unfold, including Mark Wayne Mullen,
Speaker 1: thug of the Senate, stand up and want to fistfight
Speaker 1: with the president of the Teamsters, in front of the media,
Speaker 1: in front of the other senators, in front of the
Speaker 1: Senate staff, in fact, in front of the whole United
Speaker 1: States of America. Let's watch this clown in action. But
Speaker 1: before I do, let me apologize in advance to clowns
Speaker 1: who almost universally comport themselves with more dignity than this.
Speaker 2: Fool's like he's self made, Sorr. I wish he was
Speaker 2: in the truck with me when I was building my
Speaker 2: plumbing company, myself and my wife was running the office,
Speaker 2: because I should remember working pretty hard in long hours.
Speaker 2: Rtunds like he's self made. What a clown? Fraud always
Speaker 2: has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act
Speaker 2: in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me
Speaker 2: any place, anytime, cowboy. Sorry, this is a time. This
Speaker 2: is a place. If you want to run your mouth,
Speaker 2: we can be too consenting adults. If we can finish
Speaker 2: it here.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's fine, perfect, you.
Speaker 2: Want to do it now.
Speaker 1: I'd love to do it right now.
Speaker 2: We'll stand your butt up.
Speaker 1: Then he stands you up on them.
Speaker 2: Oh hold on, oh stop it your solution?
Speaker 1: Oh no, sit down?
Speaker 2: Okay, you know you're United States senator.
Speaker 1: Okay, sit down? Please?
Speaker 2: All right?
Speaker 1: Can I respond it? Hold it?
Speaker 2: If we can't, No, I have I'm sorry, this is
Speaker 2: old said.
Speaker 1: You'll have your time.
Speaker 2: Okay, Can I respond?
Speaker 1: No, you can. This is a hearing. I remember when
Speaker 1: I was ten years old, distinctly, the first time I
Speaker 1: ever saw the United States Capital, I was in absolute
Speaker 1: and utter awe of the building. And the truth is
Speaker 1: I never stopped being in awe of it, not when
Speaker 1: I worked there, not when I work near there, not
Speaker 1: when I visit today to see a friend, or as
Speaker 1: a tourist, or to walk one of my kids through
Speaker 1: the mighty Rotunda, the citadel of American democracy. When I
Speaker 1: was growing up, the United States Senate was known as
Speaker 1: the greatest delibered a body in the world. There were
Speaker 1: giants who served there, men like Daniel Patrick moynihan, Howard Baker,
Speaker 1: Nancy Cassenbaum, extraordinary people committed to the country, not always right,
Speaker 1: but usually decent and always serious. It is impossible, impossible
Speaker 1: to state what would the looks have been on the
Speaker 1: face of a Bob Dole or a George Mitchell if
Speaker 1: they were to witness the spectacle that played out in
Speaker 1: the United States Senate yesterday. Of course, the looks on
Speaker 1: their face would have had the same pain etched on
Speaker 1: it as Bernie Sanders, who properly said, sit down, you're
Speaker 1: a United States Senator, and the American people have enough
Speaker 1: contempt for this institution. I want to say something about
Speaker 1: Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders has measured up in a time
Speaker 1: we're everywhere you look, the leaders in this country, whether
Speaker 1: they be at top corporations, media institutions, political institutions, nonprofit institutions,
Speaker 1: the Boy Scouts, whatever, none of them have measured up.
Speaker 1: They have not kept the faith. They have let the
Speaker 1: American people down with their profound selfishness. And they're taking
Speaker 1: but not Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders, at each crossing of
Speaker 1: the stream at each forging of the river has proved
Speaker 1: himself that he is who he says he is. He
Speaker 1: is one of the few that has passed the character
Speaker 1: test of recent years. It's a mistake to look at
Speaker 1: political leaders and to judge them on a checklist of issues,
Speaker 1: because it's not an issues checklist type of job. The
Speaker 1: jobs we elect these people, too, are jobs of integrity
Speaker 1: and jobs of character. And when we elect people, regardless
Speaker 1: of what we think their positions are in any set
Speaker 1: of issues, lack judgment, lack integrity, lack character, like Mark
Speaker 1: Wayne Mullen, then the country Koreans towards disaster, because that
Speaker 1: is the inevitable consequence of electing unworthy people in a
Speaker 1: system of the people, by the people, for the people.
Speaker 1: If we elect the worst amongst us, the Lauren Boeberts,
Speaker 1: the Marjorie Taylor Greens, and the Mark Wayne Mullins, and
Speaker 1: we send them to positions of responsibility, what they will
Speaker 1: do is do what they have done, which is break
Speaker 1: the country, break the institutions, and all around the world.
Speaker 1: Last night, our enemies got to laugh, got to laugh
Speaker 1: at American democracy, got to laugh at the United States Senate,
Speaker 1: got to laugh at the dignity of the United States,
Speaker 1: and that was brought on us by a United States
Speaker 1: Senator from Oklahoma, A small man, a petty man, an
Speaker 1: angry man, a belligerent man, and aggrieved man, a petulant man,
Speaker 1: a weak man named Mark Wayne Mullen, the president of
Speaker 1: the Teamsters Sean O'Brien. He maintained his dignity, He kept
Speaker 1: faith with his members. Mark Wayne Mullen. What he is
Speaker 1: is worse than a joke. He's a United States Senator
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. Is there a more shameful title in
Speaker 1: the land? Judging from the hearing, if your name isn't
Speaker 1: Bertie Sanders, then the answer to that question is no.