Bernie Sanders: Republicans Are Trying to Bring Back Jim Crow Days

Republicans are trying to bring America "back to Jim Crow days," Bernie Sanders charged today.

Appearing at the National Action Network, Sanders claimed Republican are trying to disenfranchise poor, minority voters.

Transcript:

“So let us be clear. Truth number one is democracy means one person, one vote. You want to vote for me, love to have — but you want to vote against me, that’s called democracy. Billionaires who represent the wealthy and the powerful should not be about buying elections. (Cheering and Applause)

That’s why we’re going to overturn citizens united. (Cheering) When billionaires buy elections, that’s called oligarchy, not democracy. Number two, and I know the National Action Network has been fighting this tooth and nail and that is, we have a level of Republican voter suppression that is absolutely outrageous. You would have thought that after all we have gone through, as a country, to make sure that people have the right to vote, regardless of the color of their skin, that these Republican govern — governors would show some mercy and not try to bring us back to Jim Crow days. (Cheering and Applause) 

The idea that they are passing laws, restricting the right to vote, making it harder for people to vote, poor people, old people, people of color — that is moving in exactly the wrong way. And I see my old friend, Reverend Jackson here he has an idea. Others have a different idea. But what we all agree on is that the end of the day, in America, if you are 18 years of age, and you’re an American citizen, you have the right to vote!” (Cheering and Applause)