The corporate mainstream media continued to play favorites even in the one on one debate. CNN’s Dana Bash tried to stymie Bernie Sanders‘ Social Security challenge of Joe Biden‘s past positions. Bernie would have none of it.
Bernie did not let Bash get away with attempted smear
Dana Bash took aim at Bernie Sanders for his past talk on “adjustments” to Social Security. Her defense of Biden did not work. Everyone who follows Bernie knows a Social Security cut is anathema to his core beliefs. He made it clear his “adjustments” were upward, not downward.
The Democratic Debate likely has not changed the trajectory of the race. Joe Biden looked more competent than we normally see. He had no gaffes and the tenuous mind that he seemed to have at times was not present at all. He appeared to be a candidate that could go up against Trump.
Of course, Bernie Sanders stuck to his core progressive values and justifiably challenged Joe Biden for his center-right stances on bankruptcy, war, and other policies.
Joe Biden did some pandering as he committed to appointing a black woman as Supreme Court Justice and a woman as a running mate. In this instant, they were good panders. While Bernie Sanders did not commit fully to a female running mate, he made it clear that it is more likely than not specifying he intends on running with a progressive.
Bernie Sanders continued to press his case for Medicare for All. Joe Biden continue to make the math defying statement that we can not afford it even though arithmetic makes it clear it is impossible for Medicare for All to be more costly than what we have right now. Unfortunately, I think Medicare for All proponents, have not been graphic enough in describing the evil that is the manslaughterous nature of our current health industrial complex. It may be too late for the election but not too late to demand policies of whoever is elected.
Bernie made it clear that our social safety net will make the current coronavirus pandemic much more stressful and difficult than it should be. While both are offering taxpayer-paid healthcare and monetary relief for this specific pandemic, it is clear that Biden’s stance is ad hoc. In other words, your government determines if the population is helped by an incident by incident basis. Ironically, while the government is always concerned about providing predictability for corporations, Biden does not want to afford the population at large that same honor.
Altogether we had a substantive debate for the first time listener. But there was nothing new for the politically inclined. The trajectory of the race is probably set barring some unlikely catastrophic mistake by Joe Biden. Progressives may have allowed this one to get away by not going for the jugular at the many times it was appropriate.
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