Bernie Sanders: “let me begin by thanking Senator Tom Udall for his extraordinary work over the years in calling attention to this…”

“let me begin by thanking Senator Tom Udall for his extraordinary work over the years in calling attention to this disastrous Supreme Court decision called Citizens United which is doing so much to undermine the foundations of American democracy. It has been a pleasure working with him, and we will continue to fight. My colleagues may not know it by reading the newspapers or watching TV, but this week we are going to be having a debate on what I consider to be the most important domestic issue facing the United States of America; that is, whether this great country retains its democratic foundations--one person, one vote--or whether we move into an oligarchic form of society where a small handful of billionaires is able to control not only the economic life of our Nation but the political life as well. Whether one is a Democrat, whether one is a Republican, or whether one is--as the Presiding Officer and I are--an Independent, the overwhelming majority of the American people do not believe free speech has anything to do with billionaires being able to buy elections. The Washington Post reported earlier this week that one family, the Koch brothers--a family worth $80 billion--has already put on the air some 44,000 ads, and this campaign has 2 months left to it--44,000 ads. America is supposed to be about debates on issues.…”