A Nevada Culinary Union Tried to Lay a Trap for Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren Played Along

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

Interestingly, they described Warren’s plan as “replacing” their healthcare, rather than bringing it to an “end,” and they sent this information out to members via text and email Tuesday night.

On its face, this is shocking—by all indications, the Culinary Union has indeed negotiated a solid healthcare plan for its members, but in our current for-profit, employer-tied model, it goes without saying that even good plans can go by the wayside in the case of layoffs or other life changes. That wouldn’t be true in a Medicare for All system, and it’s a disingenuous Republican talking point to say M4A would “end” other healthcare plans (or “kick you off your plan,” to use the language that many opponents prefer) without mentioning that it replaces that insurance with a comprehensive government plan that would save money due to the eradication of premiums, deductibles, copays, and etc. Nobody would lose his or her insurance under the Sanders transition to M4A, despite the implication of the culinary union’s flyer. Also, and more importantly for a union, a universal healthcare system would vastly increase the power of unions by removing the need to negotiate healthcare, and removing it from management’s list of bargaining chips. If healthcare was handled by the government, the union would be free to organize for higher wages and better working conditions. This is a big reason why unions are so much stronger in Europe, where government-run healthcare is the norm. Sanders has specifically mandated in his plan that if M4A passed, businesses would have to direct their extra profits to unions and employees.

(snip)

In this case, hilariously, the ultimate aim seems to be painting Sanders as the anti-union candidate ahead of the Nevada caucuses.
But if the pattern was predictable, the origin was not…why was this particular union going after Bernie Sanders, of all candidates? There has long been a stark divide between the leadership of unions, which tend to flock to establishment candidates, and the rank-and-file who disdain that leadership because of its support for political leaders who don’t actually help workers, but this was still a puzzle. Until, that is, more information came about out the most outspoken member of the union’s leadership, Geoconda Argüello-Kline.

(snip)

Sanders supporters may not know the name of Argüello-Kline offhand, but they absolutely know the name of Neera Tanden and the Center for American Progress, a “liberal” think tank closely associated with the Clintons and a longtime opponent of progressive politics, where Argüello-Kline is a board member. Tanden and the CPA are perhaps Sanders's most public enemies, and Argüello-Kline attacking him on behalf of the culinary union makes a lot more sense when you know that association. Amazingly, she tried the same attack strategy in 2016 before those caucuses!

(snip)

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2020/02/culinary-union-nevada-bernie-sanders-warren.html

[RandySF]

1. No

[msongs]

2. ah the old bernie is persecuted ploy nt

[oasis]

20. No sale!

[relayerbob]

3. Nope

[denem]

4. Warren stayed out of it.

It was the Sanders campaign that leapt in like a big snarling dog.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Actually you would know better if you read the article. n/t

[denem]

7. I read the excerpts.

[squirecam]

6. Keep smearing the culinary union

It will keep it in the news.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Criticism and full disclosure is not smearing and

this should be kept in the news.

[squirecam]

11. Oh, I agree. As a NV resident,

This absolutely should stay in the news.

Please continue, Senator.

[Uncle Joe]

12. I'm not a Senator

nor is the author of the OP.

[squirecam]

15. It's a reference to the Obama Romney debate...

Nt

[pnwmom]

30. The author of the piece acknowledges his pro-Bernie bias.

You could have checked him out before posting this.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2020/02/can-bernie-sanders-win-the-primary.html

Of course, it’s no secret that Paste Politics is a progressive outlet, so we have to be on guard for wishful thinking disguised as analysis. In order to fight past my biases, I want to examine the ways Bernie could still lose, from the surpassingly unlikely to the vaguely realistic, in order to see what I might be missing.

[Uncle Joe]

32. I care not whether the author has pro-Bernie bias or not just the substance of the article,

is it true or not?

[pnwmom]

33. When an author acknowledges his bias, you should believe him,

especially when he repeatedly demonstrates it.

[Uncle Joe]

35. So you have no actual rebuttal to the author's points in the OP,

got it.

[pnwmom]

36. There's no way to rebut opinions like this:

A Nevada Culinary Union Tried to Lay a Trap for Bernie Sanders,

except to point out the bias behind his opinions.

[Uncle Joe]

38. The substance of the article which you chose to ignore makes the connections. n/t

[pnwmom]

40. There is no substance to the article. It's an opinion piece disguised as reporting. n/t

[LanternWaste]

23. "full disclosure is not smearing..." unless they're tax returns or complete medial records.

Then (and only then) it's a dirty, filthy smear... because holding others to a higher standard is convenient.

[emulatorloo]

8. Unrec. Smearing Warren, did you run out of snake emojis?

[Uncle Joe]

10. Did you run out of any substantive rebuttal?

[emulatorloo]

17. There's nothing substantive about the intellectually dishonest smear merchants of Paste.

Making a donation to Warren’s campaign in your honor.

[LanternWaste]

24. Ten bucks say you fail to see the irony in you asking for substance from someone else.

[Peacetrain]

14. Oh my GOD that is funny

[George II]

13. Stuff like this is the reason why they're probably not going to endorse Sanders this afternoon.

Just like they didn't endorse him in 2016 because of his campaign's dirty tricks.

[Indepatriot]

16. Neera Tanden is the lowest of the low, and her fingerprints are all over this.

Can't believe I didn't smell the stench all the way out here in L.A. 2016 all over again. Not gonna happen this time. Call out these ratfuckers.

[pnwmom]

18. This writer is a huge Bernie supporter, making no attempt in his frequent pieces to his bias.

So anything he writes must be taken with a baseball size piece of salt.

All his previous pieces can be found here.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/writers?name=shane%20ryan

Here are someof his recent titles, and a couple of quotes.

Is It Possible to Construct a Realistic Narrative Where Bernie Doesn't Win the Primary?

Of course, it’s no secret that Paste Politics is a progressive outlet, so we have to be on guard for wishful thinking disguised as analysis. In order to fight past my biases, I want to examine the ways Bernie could still lose, from the surpassingly unlikely to the vaguely realistic, in order to see what I might be missing.

In Iowa, Bernie Sanders's Student Warriors Are Fighting for History

This Week, We Find Out if the Media Can Destroy Bernie Sanders


Will Obama Actually Try to Tank Bernie Sanders?

Once You Accept CNN's Bias, the Sanders-Warren "Feud" Was a Low-Impact Dud

If you’re a progressive voter, it’s wise to enter any primary debate armed with the certainty that no matter what you see on stage, the reaction from the pundits, at least on CNN and MSNBC, will be the same: Bernie Sanders failed, everyone else was great.

[squirecam]

19. Thanks

Nt

[msongs]

21. at least one of our candidates has spent his/her entire life playing victim and martyr nt

[pnwmom]

22. What is disingenuous is Bernie saying he will give everyone Medicare for all,

and ALSO saying he will eliminate premiums and deductibles.

Medicare includes both premiums and deductibles, as any actual Medicare recipient, or their concerned adult child, knows.

The Culinary workers union and others have good reason to believe that whatever pseudo-Medicare manages to get passed, it won't offer as good a coverage as the plan they have managed to negotiate.

[Uncle Joe]

25. I believe that you're intelligent enough to know that Medicare for All

as written in Bernie's bill has no premiums, deductibles or co-pays, it's 100% coverage, also includes dental, hearing aids and eye glasses with a $200 annual cap on prescription drug cost.

In the first year age qualification is reduced from the current 65 to 55, in the second year down to 45, in the third year to 35 and the fourth year everyone is covered.

Should it come to pass, there is simply no better health coverage in the United States bar none....period.

[pnwmom]

29. And I believe you're intelligent enough to know that will never get 60 votes

in the Senate, and that Bernie hasn't even tried to explain how he'd pay for it.

And I believe you're intelligent enough to know that the label Medicare isn't an accurate way to describe this everything-for-everybody-for-free plan.

[Uncle Joe]

31. I'm intelligent enough to know that I should "never say never."

I'm also intelligent enough to know not to bother with picking nits.

[pnwmom]

34. Oh, right. Because asking how he'll pay for it or who will vote for it is nit-picking. nt

[Uncle Joe]

37. Nobody ever knew the minutiae of how any policy proposed by any Presidential candidate

would be paid for before they were elected President not to mention the Congress.

Bernie has put out some rough guide lines 4% tax over $29,000 of income.

[pnwmom]

39. Warren has written a detailed plan of how she would pay for her healthcare plan.

Bernie could do the same, but chooses not to. He also disingenuously compares it to Medicare, which it is not. Medicare includes both copays and deductibles. That's why people are advised to get a private Medigap policy. And if they don't sign up for Part B and D, they're also screwed.

[Uncle Joe]

41. That's because Bernie knows only a President and Congress can determine how something is paid for

but as I mentioned he has put forth some guidelines.

Medicare is the most popular health insurance in America and Medicare for All is superior to Medicare on all counts but you keep ignoring that while picking nits over the name.

[pnwmom]

42. A pie in the sky might be superior to the one on my plate, but as long as it's pie in the sky

I won't be able to swallow it.

His plan is pie in the sky.

[Uncle Joe]

43. An overwhelming number of Americans don't have any pie and

have not had any for decades, that's why Bernie so strongly resonates with the people.

[pnwmom]

44. Obamacare greatly expanded Medicaid, and then some R states decided not to put it into place.

And yet Bernie thinks he can wave his magic wand -- even though his own state, Vermont, wasn't able to pass it because it cost too much.

[PETRUS]

26. Well, I'm less confused about this now.

Thanks for posting, Uncle Joe.

[tishaLA]

27. misogynist claptrap

They even get to have three female villains in this fable instead of just one. Congrats.

[awesomerwb1]

28. Paste magazine??

[Gothmog]

45. This claim is false

Link to tweet