evidence: Bernie Sanders has not chosen the easy road in American politics. During the Cold War, in the early 1960s, he decided to join the Young People’s Socialist League. In the 1970s and ‘80s, he pursued third-party and independent politics in Vermont. In the 1990s and ’00s, he was among the few progressive voices in a rightward-moving Congress. [...] Bernie Sanders: Look, the Democratic Party is a corporate-dominated party, which was increasingly moving to the right, and had turned its back on the working class of this country. That’s no secret. [...] Sanders: Sometimes the politicians don’t come from those [elite milieus], but they are surrounded by people who do. If people are walking in day after day saying, "I represent Pfizer and I represent Novo, so let me tell you my problems. Oh, and by the way, I look forward to attending your fundraiser next week." If you’re surrounded by lobbyists who tell you why tax breaks for billionaires make a lot of sense or why we can’t raise the wages for workers because it’ll be terrible for business, if that is who you are surrounded with and you’re not out talking to ordinary people, that’s the kind of mentality that you develop.