Sen. Bernie Sanders: Biden's $3.5T plan to help working families depends on Democratic unity

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

So, given this overwhelming support, why is it taking so long for Congress to pass this bill? The answer is simple. Follow the money.

(snip)

It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs by building the affordable housing we need so that millions of Americans are no longer paying over 50 percent of their limited incomes on housing and so 600,000 Americans are no longer sleeping out on the street or in homeless shelters.

It is no great surprise that not a single Republican in Congress supports this bill. After all, this is the party that four years ago provided $2 trillion in tax breaks to primarily benefit the wealthy and large corporations, and came within one vote of throwing up to 32 million Americans off their health care.

So, in a tied Senate which has 50 members each of the Democratic and Republican caucuses and a House of Representatives which has a mere three-vote-majority for Democrats, the question of whether we finally deliver consequential legislation to improve the lives of working class families comes down to Democratic unity.

(snip)


https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-bernie-sanders-biden-3-5t-plan-working-families-democratic-unity

[lapucelle]

1. The junior senator from VT goes to Fox News to chide Democrats.

How unifying.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Which paragraph (s) do you believe was a "chide against Democrats"?

It seems more like an admonishment against Republicans and the people or corporations that own them to me.

(snip)

As part of our corrupt, big-money dominated political system, the pharmaceutical industry is now spending hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying, campaign contributions and television ads to defeat this legislation because it does not want Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. In order to increase their profits they want American taxpayers to continue paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for our medicine – sometimes ten times more than the people in other countries.

Last year alone, while nearly one out of four Americans could not afford to fill the prescriptions their doctors wrote, six of the largest pharmaceutical companies made nearly $50 billion in profits and the ten highest paid executives in the industry made more than $500 million in compensation. In order to preserve their corrupt and greedy pricing system, the drug companies hired nearly 1,500 lobbyists, including former leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, to protect their interests. That is 3 lobbyists for every member of Congress. Unbelievable!

(snip)

Further, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality – when the two richest people in this country own more wealth than the bottom 40 percent – the billionaire class is vigorously opposing this legislation because it wants to prevent Congress from making the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations finally start paying their fair share of taxes.

(snip)

It is no great surprise that not a single Republican in Congress supports this bill. After all, this is the party that four years ago provided $2 trillion in tax breaks to primarily benefit the wealthy and large corporations, and came within one vote of throwing up to 32 million Americans off their health care.

(snip)


https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-bernie-sanders-biden-3-5t-plan-working-families-democratic-unity

[lapucelle]

3. I don't click on links to Fox News.

[sheshe2]

4. Perhaps this part that you hilighted.

Which paragraph (s) do you believe was a "chide against Democrats"?

In order to preserve their corrupt and greedy pricing system, the drug companies hired nearly 1,500 lobbyists, including former leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, to protect their interests. That is 3 lobbyists for every member of Congress. Unbelievable!

From FOX News, a vile media conglomerate. SMDH

[Uncle Joe]

5. That paragraph is a criticism of the system and specifically big money's power grip

on Congress, I don't see Democrats in that paragraph.

FOX misleads their viewers with slanted right wing corporate media propaganda so if one wishes to reach the misinformed, one should go to where most of them are if you wish to counter the corporate/oligarch message and if a miracle should occur with one or two conscientious Republican Senators seeing the writing on the wall, receive the message and vote for the reconciliation bill, I believe that would be a positive development.

If none of them do, then nonetheless Bernie has taken a contrarian message into Republican territory and I do believe this will hurt Republican chances in 2022, so I don't see that as a negative either.

[sheshe2]

6. I don't think DU is misinformed by FOX.

Actually the message is both parties are corrupt. I do see Democrats in that paragraph, they are called corrupt. Unity, not so much.

[Uncle Joe]

7. I never said that but nice try, and again Bernie's

message is the SYSTEM is corrupt.

Why do you believe President Biden did this?

Biden Imposes New Restrictions on Corporate Lobbying

President Joe Biden banned his senior advisers from accepting lucrative bonuses from their former employers for joining his administration in an effort to curb efforts by companies to influence the White House’s agenda.

Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that also prohibits top administration appointees from lobbying senior White House staff for a time, usually two years, after they leave the government, an addition to the current ban against trying to influence former agency colleagues.

The restrictions will also apply to what’s known as “shadow lobbying,” in which former officials advise their new K Street colleagues how to influence the the government. Biden’s ban affects those who would plan outreach to their former agencies and the White House.

Biden’s order lays out lobbying restrictions that are more robust than the rules put in place by either President Barack Obama or President Donald Trump, signaling a tightening of the revolving door between government and corporate interests in Washington.

While Biden’s executive order may limit companies’ methods for shaping legislation and regulations in their favor, it’s unlikely to halt Washington’s powerful corporate influence machine altogether, government reform experts said.

(snip)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-20/biden-to-impose-new-restrictions-on-corporate-lobbying

[sheshe2]

8. Like you said, nice try.

Hmmm

Uncle Joe

7. I never said that but nice try, and again Bernie's

message is the SYSTEM is corrupt.

Welp, we are all a part of that "SYSTEM" are we not?


Your OP link is Fox News...now you changed it to Bloomberg where it is not talking about Bernie but the President of The United States, Joe Biden and his actual actions.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Welp, I still have no idea what your objection is.

We are all but part of the system, so what does that mean, keep our mouths shut and be happy with the status quo?

Be too afraid or sensitive to risk treading into arenas of communication with those that have opposing views?



P.S. The common denominator between the OP and the post I made about President Biden is the recognition of the corrupting power of money in good government.

[sheshe2]

10. Welp.

You rewrote your original OP.

Here is what you first posted sans most of the embolding.

Star Member Uncle Joe (51,241 posts)

2. Which paragraph (s) do you believe was a "chide against Democrats"?



It seems more like an admonishment against Republicans and the people or corporations that own them to me.



(snip)

As part of our corrupt, big-money dominated political system, the pharmaceutical industry is now spending hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying, campaign contributions and television ads to defeat this legislation because it does not want Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. In order to increase their profits they want American taxpayers to continue paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for our medicine – sometimes ten times more than the people in other countries.

Last year alone, while nearly one out of four Americans could not afford to fill the prescriptions their doctors wrote, six of the largest pharmaceutical companies made nearly $50 billion in profits and the ten highest paid executives in the industry made more than $500 million in compensation. In order to preserve their corrupt and greedy pricing system, the drug companies hired nearly 1,500 lobbyists, including former leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, to protect their interests. That is 3 lobbyists for every member of Congress. Unbelievable!

(snip)

Further, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality – when the two richest people in this country own more wealth than the bottom 40 percent – the billionaire class is vigorously opposing this legislation because it wants to prevent Congress from making the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations finally start paying their fair share of taxes.

(snip)

It is no great surprise that not a single Republican in Congress supports this bill. After all, this is the party that four years ago provided $2 trillion in tax breaks to primarily benefit the wealthy and large corporations, and came within one vote of throwing up to 32 million Americans off their health care.

(snip)


https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-bernie-sanders-biden-3-5t-plan-working-families-democratic-unity

In order to preserve their corrupt and greedy pricing system, the drug companies hired nearly 1,500 lobbyists, including former leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, to protect their interests. That is 3 lobbyists for every member of Congress. Unbelievable!

Why did you change your OP? That is what I responded to. Why did you feel the need to rewrite it. Nice switch. So glad I copied the original.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Welp I was addressing the first posters objection

about "chiding Democrats" because I could find nothing.

He/she never said whether said "chiding" took place in the posted OP or elsewhere in the article and I never said it was duplicate paragraphs between the OP and post #2

Afterward said poster revealed he/she never clicked on the link to even read Bernie's opinion piece.

[sheshe2]

12. Lapucelle is a she.

You rewrote your OP to make my posts look to be incorrect which they were not. You changed it pretty quickly to not show the edit. That is decieving.

[Uncle Joe]

13. Okay and

no you're just confused, your first post to me was a response to my post #2 but that paragraph was never in the posted OP it was just in post#2.