Colbert, Sanders Suggest Capitalism Is To Blame For East Palestine

CBS The Late Show host Stephen Colbert admitted on Monday that he doesn’t know if deregulation and capitalism are to blame for the East Palestine train derailment, but that did not stop him from encouraging Sen. Bernie Sanders to use the situation to hype his book It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism.

Starting the third segment with Sanders, Colbert proclaimed that, “There were some regulations that were put into place under the Obama Administration. They may or may not have had any effect in this case but they were definitely rolled back all during the Trump Administration, after heavy lobbying from Norfolk Southern and other railroads.”

Colbert does not appear to realize that he broke his own embargo on the word “Trump,” but more seriously, buried near the bottom of a fact-check of Occupy Democrats on the claim “Obama imposed stricter rules on trains carrying toxins. Trump killed them,” that PolitiFact declared “mostly true,” were two sentences that would suggest the opposite, “The Facebook post includes an image of the aftermath of the train derailment in Ohio. However, this rule, if it had remained in effect, would not have applied to that Norfolk Southern train as it was not categorized as ‘high-hazard.’” 

Colbert acknowledged this in his monologue, only to dismiss it here. Still, he asked, “What is happening when something so egregious can happen when steps had been taken to try to end it? What role does the government have here in the face of this kind of corporate money spreading among Congress? What can we do to stop that?”

Sanders began his response by claiming, “this is what the book is about. We live in a system—”

After Colbert interrupted to remind everybody of the book’s title, Sanders continued, “Look, I, you know, it saddens me to say it but the American people understand it. We have a corrupt political system in which money, big money buys elections. Billionaires right now through super PACs, can spend as much money as they want, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars to elect the candidates who they want to represent their interests.”

The whole interview was an opportunity for Sanders preach about socialism with the rare exception when Colbert invited him to accuse Nikki Haley of “ageism” for her suggestion that anyone over 75 take a competency test before running for federal office.

This segment was sponsored by Land Rover.

Here is a transcript for the February 20-taped show.

CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2/21/2023

12:15 AM ET

STEPHEN COLBERT: Nikki Haley this past week in her announcement speech, I think, not her video, but her announcement speech, she said she thinks the presidency — she wants a competency test for all federal candidates over the age of 75. 

Which would include yourself, the former president, and the present president and many other people in the Senate and in the House. What do you make of that call? 

BERNIE SANDERS: Look, we have come, Stephen, a very long way in the last decades in fighting racism, got a long way to go. Fighting sexism. Fighting homophobia. I think what she is saying is nothing more than old-fashioned ageism. 

And, you know, to be honest, look, I know people who are 90 who are as sharp as a tack and I know people who are 40… you know, you got to prod them a little bit. 

COLBERT: Sure.

SANDERS: So, I think the bottom line is, voters judge people based on their competence, their confidence, their views, there are a thousand factors. But to simply say that if somebody is 75 or older they need some kind of test, I think that is just ageism and not acceptable. 

…

12:25

COLBERT:  Hey, everybody. Look here, it’s the author of It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism, Senator Bernie Sanders. Let’s talk about the tragedy in East Palestine, Ohio. 

SANDERS: Yeah.

COLBERT: There were some regulations that were put into place under the Obama Administration. They may or may not have had any effect in this case but they were definitely rolled back all during the Trump Administration–

SANDERS: Trump Administration.

COLBERT: — after heavy lobbying from Norfolk Southern and other railroads. What is happening when something so egregious can happen when steps had been taken to try to end it? What role does the government have here in the face of this kind of corporate money spreading among Congress? What can we do to stop that? 

SANDERS: The railroads in particular? 

COLBERT: Let’s just take the rail—they are a connect key for a bigger problem. 

SANDERS: Alright look, you know, and this is what the book is about. We live in a system – 

COLBERT: The book, by the way, says It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism, Bernie Sanders. 

SANDERS: Look, I, you know, it saddens me to say it but the American people understand it. We have a corrupt political system in which money, big money buys elections. Billionaires right now through super PACs, can spend as much money as they want, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars to elect the candidates who they want to represent their interests.