Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

And I hope you know, and I think many of your listeners may know, that unbelievably, it's not just that we have today massive income and wealth inequality, where three people on top own more wealth than the bottom half of American society. The reality, the economic reality of today is that over the last 50 years, five zero years,

Real inflation accounted for wages, despite huge increases in worker productivity, have not gone up. Workers are making the same, maybe a little bit less than they were 50 years ago. And during that time, there was a $75 trillion transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. So the average worker out there says, yeah, I hear the Democrats, they're this, they're that.

Real inflation accounted for wages, despite huge increases in worker productivity, have not gone up. Workers are making the same, maybe a little bit less than they were 50 years ago. And during that time, there was a $75 trillion transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. So the average worker out there says, yeah, I hear the Democrats, they're this, they're that.

Real inflation accounted for wages, despite huge increases in worker productivity, have not gone up. Workers are making the same, maybe a little bit less than they were 50 years ago. And during that time, there was a $75 trillion transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. So the average worker out there says, yeah, I hear the Democrats, they're this, they're that.

Do they understand what I am going through? Do they understand that I used to have a decent job in manufacturing that's gone and now I'm making half as much as I used to? Do they understand that I can't afford health care? I can't afford child care. I can't afford to send my kids to college. That I'm working 50 or 60 hours a week. That my wife is working. Do they really understand it?

Do they understand what I am going through? Do they understand that I used to have a decent job in manufacturing that's gone and now I'm making half as much as I used to? Do they understand that I can't afford health care? I can't afford child care. I can't afford to send my kids to college. That I'm working 50 or 60 hours a week. That my wife is working. Do they really understand it?

Do they understand what I am going through? Do they understand that I used to have a decent job in manufacturing that's gone and now I'm making half as much as I used to? Do they understand that I can't afford health care? I can't afford child care. I can't afford to send my kids to college. That I'm working 50 or 60 hours a week. That my wife is working. Do they really understand it?

And the answer is no, they don't. So to my mind, the reason that Trump did so well with working people is he said, look, the system is broken. And Democrats said, well, not really. It's just we need a little bit of changes. Trump is right. The system is broken. The problem is his quote unquote solutions are going to make a bad situation even worse. Is the system broken? Yes.

And the answer is no, they don't. So to my mind, the reason that Trump did so well with working people is he said, look, the system is broken. And Democrats said, well, not really. It's just we need a little bit of changes. Trump is right. The system is broken. The problem is his quote unquote solutions are going to make a bad situation even worse. Is the system broken? Yes.

And the answer is no, they don't. So to my mind, the reason that Trump did so well with working people is he said, look, the system is broken. And Democrats said, well, not really. It's just we need a little bit of changes. Trump is right. The system is broken. The problem is his quote unquote solutions are going to make a bad situation even worse. Is the system broken? Yes.

Are you living in a democracy today? Well, maybe. but we have a corrupt campaign finance system which gives you one vote, but Elon Musk the ability to spend $270 million to elect Donald Trump as the next president. That's a broken anti-democratic campaign finance system. We have a healthcare system where despite spending twice as much per capita on healthcare as any other country,

Are you living in a democracy today? Well, maybe. but we have a corrupt campaign finance system which gives you one vote, but Elon Musk the ability to spend $270 million to elect Donald Trump as the next president. That's a broken anti-democratic campaign finance system. We have a healthcare system where despite spending twice as much per capita on healthcare as any other country,

Are you living in a democracy today? Well, maybe. but we have a corrupt campaign finance system which gives you one vote, but Elon Musk the ability to spend $270 million to elect Donald Trump as the next president. That's a broken anti-democratic campaign finance system. We have a healthcare system where despite spending twice as much per capita on healthcare as any other country,

85 million are uninsured or underinsured. The cost of healthcare is soaring. We don't have doctors, nurses, mental health counselors, dentists. Is our healthcare system working well? No, it is broken. Is our educational system working well? No, nobody can afford childcare. Usually expensive. Kids are going deeply into debt to get a higher education. That system is broken. What about housing?

85 million are uninsured or underinsured. The cost of healthcare is soaring. We don't have doctors, nurses, mental health counselors, dentists. Is our healthcare system working well? No, it is broken. Is our educational system working well? No, nobody can afford childcare. Usually expensive. Kids are going deeply into debt to get a higher education. That system is broken. What about housing?

85 million are uninsured or underinsured. The cost of healthcare is soaring. We don't have doctors, nurses, mental health counselors, dentists. Is our healthcare system working well? No, it is broken. Is our educational system working well? No, nobody can afford childcare. Usually expensive. Kids are going deeply into debt to get a higher education. That system is broken. What about housing?

Well, we've got 800,000 people who are homeless, but that's only half the problem. There are 20 million people who are spending 50% of their limited incomes on housing. I talked to people in Vermont trying to bring in a teacher from out of state. They signed up a good teacher. Teacher couldn't come because the cost of housing was so high. True in Vermont, true all over this country.

Well, we've got 800,000 people who are homeless, but that's only half the problem. There are 20 million people who are spending 50% of their limited incomes on housing. I talked to people in Vermont trying to bring in a teacher from out of state. They signed up a good teacher. Teacher couldn't come because the cost of housing was so high. True in Vermont, true all over this country.

Well, we've got 800,000 people who are homeless, but that's only half the problem. There are 20 million people who are spending 50% of their limited incomes on housing. I talked to people in Vermont trying to bring in a teacher from out of state. They signed up a good teacher. Teacher couldn't come because the cost of housing was so high. True in Vermont, true all over this country.

So the system is broken for working class, for the middle class, for low-income people. For the people on top, they're doing fantastically well. So what the Democratic Party has to do is understand that reality, can't keep defending the status quo, and say, you know what, we are prepared to take on the oligarchs who have so much economic and political power.