Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt., said Sunday a lot of changes need to be made to the Democratic Party before it heads into 2018.
Sanders has made the rounds on the media circuit in the past week pushing for changes to the Democratic National Committee and the party’s primary process for nominating a presidential candidate. After a contentious contest, in which Sanders accused the DNC of favoring Hillary Clinton, his supporters argued the DNC needs a big shake-up.
Pressed on his calls for changes to the DNC while continuing to affiliate as an Independent, Sanders pushed back.
“It may irritate [Democratic leaders], but it does not irritate the American people,” Sanders said of his political affiliation. “One of the problems facing the Democratic Party is that it’s got to open up its doors.”
“To say to independents, to say to young people, to say to working people, ‘we don’t want you to come into the Democratic Party’ is totally absurd,” Sanders added. “In my view the Democratic Party needs to make fundamental changes.”
Sanders is calling for a reduction in the number of superdelegates that are allowed to vote in the primary process, open caucuses, and more.
“We need more transparency at the DNC,” Sanders said. “A lot of money goes through there and people need to know how.”
