Dem Debate Night One: Did Republicans Write the Script for CNN?
By the end of Tuesday’s debate on CNN, I couldn’t let go of my disappointment at the network for its attempt at “spectacle journalism.”
The privilege enjoyed by the network’s executives and mouthpieces allowed them to conveniently ignore the looming destruction of American democracy, the quiet desperation of those facing no prospects for a better life, and a planet on the highway to hell.
Make no mistake about it. The questions asked of the candidates amounted to a defense of the status quo, implicitly deeming the current occupant of the White House as an aberration rather than a systemic outcome.
Instead we got the “liberal/progressive” vs “moderate” debate, broken into four camps.
We’re ready with duct tape, bubble gum, and fear of commies:
Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland
Things suck but, trust me, I’m gonna fix it, maybe:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas
We need to fix this mess, and here’s a plan:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Remember, Everybody Thought Trump was unelectable:
Author Marianne Williamson
The ‘winners’ were Warren and Sanders, if for no other reason than the numerous attempts to split them failed.
I’m sure it wasn’t just CNN pushing this garbage. Political consultants for the second and third tier candidates no doubt advised playing the fear of “radicals” card in hopes of a breakout moment.
At the Guardian, Bhaskar Sunkara nailed it, calling the debate “It’s Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren v the 'No We Can't' Democrats”
Despite polling showing how popular the core progressive agenda of universal healthcare, jobs, and free education is, centrists are desperate to portray themselves as the only sane, electable option out there. This isn’t just the strategy of some long-shots in a crowded field – it’s the argument keeping Joe Biden at the top of Democratic polls.
But the electability bubble is in danger of bursting. Centrists used to run on lofty rhetoric: the “Yes, we can”, “hope and change” stuff. Now they’ve ceded that ground completely to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1156364672288874501?s=20
There were some high points.
Sen. Bernie Sanders
“I wrote the damn bill.” & “I get a little bit tired of Democrats afraid of big ideas. Republicans are not afraid of big ideas. They could give $1 trillion in tax breaks to billionaires and profitable corporations. They could bail out the crooks on Wall Street. So please don't tell me that we cannot take on the fossil fuel industry. And nothing happens unless we do that”.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
“I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for. We’re not going to solve the urgent problems that we face with small ideas and spinelessness.”
Rep.Tim Ryan
“We need to convert our industrial agriculture system over to a sustainable and regenerative agriculture system that actually sequesters carbon into the soil. And you can go ask -- you can go ask Gabe Brown and Allen Williams, who actually make money off of regenerative agriculture. So we can move away from all the subsidies that we're giving the farmers. They haven't made a profit in five years. And we could start getting good food into our schools and into our communities. And that's going to drive health care down. That's another part of the health care conversation…”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg
“We cannot have a vision that amounts to back to normal. Because the only reason we got this president is that normal didn't work. We have to be ready to take on this president and, by the way, something that hasn't been talked about as much tonight, take on his enablers in Congress.
You know, when David Duke ran for Congress -- ran for governor, the Republican Party, 20 years ago, ran away from him. Today they are supporting naked racism in the White House, or at best silent about it. And if you are watching this at home and you are a Republican member of Congress, consider the fact that, when the sun sets on your career and they are writing your story, of all the good and bad things you did in your life, the thing you will be remembered for is whether, in this moment, with this president, you found the courage to stand up to him or you continued to put party over country.”
Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke
“I want to acknowledge something that we're all touching on, which is the very foundation of this country, the wealth that we have built, the way we became the greatest country on the face of the planet was literally on the backs of those who were kidnapped and brought here by force.
The legacy of slavery and segregation and Jim Crow and suppression is alive and well in every aspect of the economy and in the country.”
Marianne Williamson
“I think that all domestic and international policy should be based on the idea that anything we do to help people thrive is a stimulation to our economy. That's how you stimulate your economy. So if a few people take advantage, but there are four or five people who were going to take the money that they then have in the bank -- when you look at this $1.5 trillion college debt -- this is why I agree with Bernie, or I would be -- OK, why don't we swap it? We had a $2 trillion tax cut, where 83 cents of every dollar goes to the very, very richest among us, that does not stimulate the economy.
If we get rid of this college debt, think of all the young people who will have the discretionary spending; they'll be able to start their business. The best thing you could do to stimulate the U.S. economy is to get rid of this debt.
This is not just about a plan to to do it. It's about a philosophy of governing. And I've heard some people here tonight, I almost wonder why you're Democrats. You seem to think there's something wrong about using about using the instruments of government to help people. That is what government should do. It should -- all policies should help people thrive. That is how we will have peace…”
I’m not writing this post to endorse anybody, but last night’s debate DID make me wonder if I could knock on doors and sell Mssrs Bullock, Hickenlooper, and Delaney.
At one point in my past I tried selling Encyclopedia Britannica door-to-door. I lasted about three days because I didn’t have what it took to make suckers out of people.
Encyclopedias were a good thing back in the day, but the sales programs run by those companies were based on appealing to people’s vanity to spend money on something they couldn’t afford. We as a nation can’t afford another overconfident white guy who thinks he can persuade our corporate overlords to throw a few crumbs our way.
It’s early in the game, and in a larger sense these debates are a good thing. Anything’s gotta be better than reading about Ranty McRacist’s latest tirades.
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