Sen. Sanders: GOP's function in life is to protect the wealthy

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Wednesday insisted it was important that the Senate rejected the extension of Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, even though the legislation had no chance of passing the GOP-led House.

“I think what today is about is educating the American people," he explained on Viewpoint. "And the American people are going to sit home and say, ‘Really, at a time when the wealthy are doing phenomenally well, do we really need to give them huge tax breaks?’ So I just think this helps educate the American people to understand what is going on in Congress. I think the vast majority of the people support our position."

Sanders said the Republican Party's only "function in life" was to protect the wealthy. He added that the United States could cut the federal deficit without cutting safety-net programs, but "the wealthiest people and large corporations are going to have to start paying their fair share."

Sanders also said there was progress being made on efforts to override the Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United ruling, which gave rise to Super PACs. He noted that six states and more than 200 cities had called on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling.

"We have one individual who can spend $400 million -- the Koch brothers -- on a campaign," he noted. "This is not what American democracy is supposed to be about."

Watch video, courtesy of Current TV, below: