Bernie Sanders surrogate gets into angry exchange with CNN host on why socialism is unpopular

A surrogate for the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) got into a very testy exchange with a CNN host over the unpopularity of socialism.

Brooke Baldwin accused Nina Turner, the co-chair of the Sanders campaign, of pivoting away from a question about socialism when she subtly accused her of bias.

"There was just new polling," said Baldwin, "because I think we do care about what the electorate thinks. There's this new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll that found that two-thirds of the respondents said that they were actually uncomfortable with a socialist president."

"Well, when you break it down, Brooke," responded Turner, "you know Shakespeare once said, 'What's in a name? A rose by any other name smells just as sweet.' What is democratic socialism? It is government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

"Nina, I appreciate Shakespeare just as much as you do!" interrupted Baldwin. "I had a role in Macbeth, way back in the day, but I am talking about this particular poll, and I want an answer on the fact that the majority of America is not comfortable with a socialist president."

"He is a democratic socialist," Turner corrected, "and the majority of the American people, let me tell you what they comfortable with, they comfortable with Medicare for All, they're comfortable with college for all."

"Nina, you keep pivoting, you gotta answer the question!" demanded Baldwin.

"No, I'm not! I'm answering the question!" said Turner. "I might not answer it the way you want me to answer it, but I am answering the question."

Turner went on to accuse "some people" of trying to "demonize" the word socialism and claimed that polling could be manipulated.

On Wednesday, the dispute over socialism broke out at the Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada, between New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and Sanders.

Here's the exchange between Turner and Baldwin:

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