--- title: Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders Ties Everything to Wall St description: For Bernie Sanders, almost every policy debate comes back to Wall Street and campaign finance reform. canonical: https://time.com/4184050/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-campaign-finance/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-18T04:41:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:48.492Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Bernie Sanders Blamed Wall Street for Almost Everything og:description: For Bernie Sanders, almost every policy debate comes back to Wall Street and campaign finance reform. og:url: https://time.com/4184050/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-campaign-finance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ecd6fa6033a7185/69887982cf40a81bc9c41852/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-002.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: CHARLESTON, SC - JANUARY 17: Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) participates in the Democratic Candidates Debate hosted by NBC News and YouTube on January 17, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. This is the final debate for og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Bernie Sanders Blamed Wall Street for Almost Everything twitter:description: For Bernie Sanders, almost every policy debate comes back to Wall Street and campaign finance reform. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ecd6fa6033a7185/69887982cf40a81bc9c41852/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-002.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Bernie Sanders Blamed Wall Street for Almost Everything > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=ba50abe9-ec46-428a-9a19-961cc8b1b873&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders on Justice Reform vs. Finance Reform [Watch (HLS stream): Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders on Justice Reform vs. Finance Reform](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uEY7tTXh.m3u8) (0:51)  _Published 2016-01-18. Democratic Debate: Bernie Sanders on Justice Reform vs. Finance Reform_  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jan 18, 2016 4:41 AM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jan 18, 2016 4:41 AM UTC For Bernie Sanders, almost every [policy debate](http://time.com/4183625/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/?xid=homepage) comes back to Wall Street and campaign finance reform. At the [fourth Democratic debate](http://time.com/4183952/democratic-debate-full-text-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/) in Charleston Sunday night, Sanders tied everything from criminal justice to global warming to Wall Street and the big money he sees infecting the political system. When asked how he would pay for many of his expensive plans, including his proposal to alleviate student debt, Sanders said, “I want to substantially lower student debt interest rates in this country as well. How do I pay for it? I pay for it through a… tax on Wall Street speculation. This country and the middle class bailed out Wall Street. Now it is Wall Street’s time to help the middle class. ” On [criminal justice reform](http://time.com/4183979/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-criminal-justice-wall-street/?xid=tcoshare), the Vermont senator also invoked Wall Street boogeymen. “Who is satisfied that millions of people have police records for possessing marijuana when the CEOs of Wall Street companies who destroyed our country have no police records?” he said. When [Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/4183753/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-poll-3/?xid=homepage) was speaking about who would advise her on economic policy, Sanders said, “If you have an administration stacked with Wall Street appointees, it ain’t going to accomplish very much. So here’s a promise that I make—and I mentioned a moment ago how corrupt the system is—Goldman Sachs, paying a $5 billion fine, gives this country, in recent history, a Republican secretary of treasury, a Democratic secretary of treasury. Here’s a promise. If elected president, Goldman Sachs is not going to have—bring forth a secretary of treasury for a Sanders administration.” **Read More:** [_Clinton and Sanders Clash at High-Stakes Democratic Debate_](http://time.com/4183625/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/?xid=homepage) And even on climate change, Sanders said one of the real issues is campaign finance reform: “It is amazing to me, and I think we’ll have agreement on this up here, that we have a major party, called the Republican Party, that is so owned by the fossil fuel industry and their campaign contributions that they don’t even have the courage, the decency to listen to the scientists,” he said. Sanders returned to his favorite issue in his closing statement, when the moderators asked what else the candidates wanted to mention that they didn’t get a chance to talk about. “Very little is going to be done to transform our economy and to create the kind of middle class we need unless we end a corrupt campaign finance system which is undermining American democracy,” he said to end the debate. “We’ve got to get rid of Super PACs, we’ve got to get rid of Citizens’ United.” Sanders has surged in the race through his Brooklyn-accented denouncements of the “billionaire class” and the “rigged” campaign finance system in the U.S. From his performance in the fourth debate, it seems that’s a strategy he’s sticking with. ## Transcript Who in America is satisfied that we have more people in jail than any other country on earth including China. Disproportionately African American and Latino. Who is satisfied that 51 % of African American young people are either unemployed or under employed. Who is satisfied that millions of people have police records for possessing marijuana when the CEO's of Wall street companies who destroyed our economies have no police records [ APPLAUSE ] We need to take a very hard look- Senator. At our criminal justice system investing at jobs and education not in jails and incarceration. 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