If you’re searching for someone to instruct you on how to connect with working Americans, wouldn’t it be logical to pick someone who has, at some point, actually worked?
This seems like a sensible prerequisite, which makes it even more puzzling that anyone pays attention to Bernie Sanders, the quirky old socialist from Vermont (with a net worth of $15 million) on this subject. Yet, people do listen to this eccentric elder who, after not succeeding as a carpenter, ventured into politics, remained there, and amassed wealth through it. CNN’s Dana Bash listens to him:
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., criticized former Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign on Sunday, highlighting their susceptibility to influence from affluent individuals in 2024 and their failure to address working families’ issues.
CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash questioned Sanders regarding a statement he made during one of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour events about the former vice president.
Bash played a clip of Sanders addressing an audience, saying, “In my opinion, one of the reasons Kamala Harris lost this election is because she had too many billionaires advising her not to advocate for the working-class in this country.”
The CNN host reacted to the clip and said, “ouch.”
Let’s be frank, there were numerous reasons Kamala Harris lost the (2024) election, and having too many billionaires advising her wasn’t among the top ten – or even the top 500. She primarily lost because her personality is abrasive and grating, her cackling laugh is off-putting, she possesses all the charm and charisma of a carbuncle, and candidly, she’s not particularly intelligent. She ran an exceptionally poor presidential campaign, and she faced an opponent who genuinely appealed to the working class – by promising jobs, by ensuring boys wouldn’t play against working-class girls in sports or enter their locker rooms, by promising affordable gasoline, and by pledging to expel millions of illegal immigrants from our country – and he’s delivering on these promises.
We might also remember that Bernie used to complain about millionaires until he became one (remember that net worth? $15 million). Now he complains about billionaires. He’s the very definition of a one-trick pony.
But here’s the really funny part of the Bash interview:
“I think the clue to Democratic victories is to understand that you’ve got to stand unequivocally with the working class of this country. You need an agenda that speaks to the needs of working people,” Sanders said.
“Is it [a] radical idea to say that in the midst of a competitive global economy, we need to make sure we have the best educated workforce that all of our kids, regardless of income, should be able to get a higher education? These ideas exist all over the world. They don’t exist in America, and they don’t exist because of the power of the oligarchs, economically and politically,” he said.
Bernie is, and always has been, deficient in the “clue” department. This is one more illustration of that.
