Indepedent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Wednesday said the wealthy were taking control of the United States government.
"The wealthy people in this country are becoming wealthier, the middle class is disappearing and poverty is increasing," Sanders said. "Now, when we talk about an oligarchic form of government, what we're talking about is not just a handful of families owning entire nations. We're also talking about the politics of the nation."
He described the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission as one of the worst ever. The ruling struck down limits on independent political contributions by corporations and unions, resulting in a flood of corporate cash into elections.
"What the Supreme Court has said to the wealthiest people in this country, okay, you own almost all the wealth of this nation -- that's great -- now we're going to give you an opportunity to own the political life of this nation," Sanders continued. "And if you're getting bored by just owning coal companies and casinos and manufacturing plants, you now have the opportunity to own the United States government."
"So we have people like the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson. The Koch Brothers are worth $50 billion. That's what they're worth. And, they have said they're prepared to put $400 million into this campaign to defeat Obama, to defeat candidates who are representing working families. Sheldon Adelson says he's only worth $20 billion. He's kind of a pauper. But he's willing to spend what it takes to buy the government."
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube, below:
