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Lessons from the Sanders [1]
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Date: 2022-07-08
The Fox News debate between Sanders and Graham may have backfired for Fox.
Maybe I missed it, but I’m surprised that no one posted a blog on the Fox News debate between Bernie Sanders and Lindsay Graham on the economy. Because Bernie cut Graham and Fox a new one in the debate. The only reason I would ever give a Fox sponsored event any coverage. The photo link below is an abbreviated version including some key segments of the debate. The full debate can be seen here. I thought Bernie was strongest on pointing out the damaging effect the high prices of oil are having on the economy and it’s relation to inflation and his commentary on health care and social security. The part about oil monkey business begins at about the 3:50 minute mark. It is the super greed of the oil companies that can easily be demonstrated as the main inflationary cause.
Fox News motivations are a subject for speculation, but the debate was perhaps an attempt to present their audience with the illusion of more openness politically and sponsoring both sides by giving time to Bernie, and make them appear to be “fair and balanced?” Perhaps it was even more likely that it was aimed at embarrassing the Democrats? Graham made remarks that often-blamed Biden for almost every issue or problem that arose in the debate, but if the latter was the main reason for the debate, it failed miserably.
If the goal of this Fox broadcast was to score points against Biden, it was more than fizzled by many of the counter-points Bernie made. The debate topic chosen before the debate was on the economy likely because Fox did not want Roe v. Wade brought up, which it was not by either Graham or Sanders. I was surprised and disappointed that Bernie did not find a way to sneak it in there, my main and only significant criticism of Sanders.
Speaking Truth to Power
Gas prices spikes since 1970
Bernie's opening statement was very much like he often made at rallies when he was running for the Democratic nomination for president. While not a great speaker, Bernie does speak directly to the issues before us in a way that many Democratic politicians fail to. Essentially, it is speaking truth to power, and it’s necessary in my view for more Democrats to develop a similar approach. It is also important to identify the roots of our nation’s problems, which is corporate dominance over both the economy and government. It is why our historic internal divisions and biases exist and are often encouraged or exploited rather than being addressed by corporations or government.
The debate also indirectly demonstrated the weaknesses to date of Biden’s response to the record windfall profits oil companies are making. Although Bernie, it should be clear, made no such claims in this debate about Biden. This is how I myself felt after watching. Releasing oil from the nation’s strategic reserves, one step Biden has taken, has had a minimal effect on lowering high oil prices, and much of this release has even gone to prop up Europe’s energy supplies caused by Russian service cuts. He has been savaged over this by Fox News and the Republican friendly media.
$5 Dollar a Gallon Gas Prices and the Mid-terms
Given the approaching Mid-Terms, it’s not hard to imagine that such increases at the pump are often also politically motivated. The oil companies know that many vote based on such issues. One aspect of the increases I am not aware of, and one worth finding out, is if the percentage of increases in at the pump gas prices are similar to industrial use purchases? In any case as Bernie has pointed out, there is more than enough information and facts to call in the oil companies to a White House meeting and hold their feet to the fire by threatening them with a windfall tax. Biden’s to his credit also mentioned this previously. (note: this was corrected after publishing this article, I had missed that he mentioned this.)
Political Lessons of the Debate
Whether or not you’re a fan of Bernie this debate reminded me of how effective reformist political speech directed in the right direction can be. Such speech has a wide appeal, something I’m sorry to say consistently falls short when coming from the Democratic leadership, which so often fails to make their arguments credibly and forcefully — and often not at all. Many of the wounds and loses the Democratic leadership experienced this year seem to be self-inflicted.
Sinema and Manchin’s betrayals can be directly traced to runaway corporate influence in Congress.
Graham also “socialism” bated both Bernie and the Democrats. While Bernie is not a socialist in the traditional sense he can fairly be classified at minimum as a social reformer/social democrat. Reformism was commonly a part of Democratic politics at various times in the past, but the tepid current party leadership has taken the fangs out of reformism and relegated it to past history.
Even on the verge of the corporate-sponsored destruction of our democracy, the leadership seems devoid of answers and direction and most importantly, the will to fight. Truth be told, the party has fighters and potential reformers but only if the leadership, at this very late hour, is willing to share them on the national stage and plot a new direction.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/8/2108950/-Lessons-from-the-Sanders-Graham-Debate
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