Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said on Thursday that he disagrees with former President Obama’s assertion that old men, who refuse to get out of the way, play a role in many of the problems in the world today.
The moderator, Politico’s Tim Alberta, mentioned remarks from Obama, who stated during an event in Singapore, “If you look at the world and look at the problems,it’s usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way.”
“Now women, I just want you to know; you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you’re better than us [men],” Obama continued.
“I’m absolutely confident that for two years if every nation on earth was run by women, you would see a significant improvement across the board on just about everything… living standards and outcomes,” he added.
“Senator Sanders, you are the oldest candidate on stage,” Alberta said, to which Sanders replied, “And I’m white as well!”
While Sanders said he respected Obama, he disagreed with his general assessment.
“Here is the issue. The issue is where power resides in America,” Sanders said, explaining that it is not a white, black, male, or female issue.
“We are living in a nation increasingly becoming an oligarchy,” he said, lamenting billionaires who think they can buy elections. He argued that the issue is, instead, rooted in wealth inequality.
“The issue is not old or young, male or female. This issue is working people standing up, taking on the billionaire class, and creating a government and economy that works for all, not just the one percent,” Sanders added.