Bernie Sanders slams Disney corporate greed in Anaheim speech

ANAHEIM -- Beie Sanders referenced Disney as an example of the downside of mode capitalism during his campaign speech Tuesday in Anaheim.

“We’re in a nation where a lot of people are in trouble,” Sanders told a crowd of several thousand at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Then he asked this: “Anybody here working for Disney?”

Many responded that they do.

“Anybody here making a living wage working for Disney?”

Many responded that they do not.

“We have a rigged economy,” Sanders said, saying some Disney workers live in low-rent hotels because they can’t afford housing in Orange County.

Then Sanders noted that Bob Iger, Disney’s chief exective, made $47.5 million in compensation last year (the Wall Street Joual reported that it was actually closer to $46.5 million), before adding:

“I dare say the CEO of Disney is in that wealthiest 1 percent.”

The speech is aimed at wooing voters during a time when Sanders is struggling to make up ground against Hillary Clinton, who will be in Orange County on Wednesday.

Sanders supporters on Tuesday offered mixed predictions on how they’ll vote if, as expected, Clinton wins the nomination.

“It would be so difficult,” said Barbara Smith, 64, who came to Anaheim Tuesday from the Bay Area town of Richmond to express her support for Sanders.

“But I wouldn’t want to stay home.”

A few people at the convention center expressed hesitation to vote for Clinton — even if not doing so could help Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

But Sandra Romero, 18, and Jessica Peralta, 17, both of Anaheim, disagreed with that strategy.

“We would have to vote for Hillary,” Romero said. “She’s a better candidate than Trump.”

Peralta, who tus 18 after the November general election and can’t vote, said of the so-called “Beie or bust movement”: “That’s not a very smart strategy. If they don’t vote, how do you think they can change anything.”

As of 8:50 a.m., the rally-goers were still slowly filing into the ballroom where Sanders will speak.

Cheers from the ballroom periodically echoed throughout the convention center.

Sanders is facing an uphill battle not only nationwide, where Clinton only needs to hold on to her current superdelegates and win 90 more pledged delegates to secure the nomination, but also in Califoia.

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An ABC7-Southe Califoia News Group poll out Monday showed likely Democratic primary voters favored Clinton over Sanders, 57 percent to 39 percent -- about the same as the same polling group found three weeks earlier.

But Sanders continues to push hard in Califoia, with eight Southe Califoia rallies from Saturday to Tuesday, including two in Orange County. He said he has to perform strongly in the the remaining nine primaries and caucuses to have a chance, and Califoia is especially important because its 475 pledged delegates are the most of any state.

While Clinton’s current delegate count makes it nearly impossible mathematically for Sanders to catch up, he is hoping a strong showing in the remaining races will help him persuade super delegates to shift allegiances. Super delegates, who account for about 15 percent of all delegates, have mostly lined up behind Clinton. But unlike pledged delegates can change who they support.

Part of Sanders pitch, which he reiterates at most campaign stops, is that polls show him outperforming Clinton in general election matchups against Donald Trump, particularly in battleground states.

RealClearPolitics.com’s aggregation of the most recent major national polls show Clinton and Trump deadlocked at 43 percent in a head-to-head matchup, while Sanders leads Trump 50 percent to 40 percent.