Bernie’s Weekly Q&A (8/23)

Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Phil Donahue, and more!

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Let’s get started:

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Bernie, How do you compare the seriousness of the coverup of Biden’s health with Watergate. I feel like our country was deceived. And do you think Kamala Harris should be held accountable for knowingly being a part of it. Also, thanks for your integrity in all your opinions. — Rob O.

Not in the same class as Watergate, Rob, not in my opinion anyway. The Watergate crowd broke laws — the people who hid Biden’s condition from the public broke no laws. But I understand your point — that hiding Biden’s frailties was — if not criminal — just plain wrong. And yes, I think Ms Harris should be held accountable for what she knew … but not criminally responsible; politically responsible. And thank you, Rob, for the kind words.

Gentleman, After reading the NYT French article the only thing that makes sense to me is that he will at least be voting. I then read this counterpiece that I tend to relate to much more. We all know and get Trumps many negatives and we all know Harris is not Trump. But that’s not enough to get me not to vote for the lesser of two evils. I have an existence and a family to think of and I have to do my share and vote for the best alternative that benefits our existence. To me, not voting is akin to not chipping in to row a life boat away from the imminent suction of a sinking ship. As McLoughlin easily points out, Harris has brought NOTHING to the table that positively impacts my life, so why would anyone close to center or right vote for that and not grab an oar and start rowing in a safer direction? —ScottyG

From John: I actually thought French’s entire column made sense. As I said last week, I just disagree with his belief that a Trump defeat in November would minimize Trump's influence within the GOP, letting the party heal and rediscover its conservative roots. Like you, I won’t be voting for Harris (I’m planning to write someone in), but I do think there’s a perfectly legitimate argument for a right-leaning voter choosing Harris over Trump, especially if that individual subscribes to the “binary choice” voting philosophy (which most voters do): Trump tried to overturn U.S. democracy to stay in office, and denied our country of its peaceful transfer of power. Harris did not.

Personally, I don’t find it all that mystifying that a constitutional conservative would deem what Trump did 100% disqualifying for public office, and thus hold their nose and vote for the only viable alternative (even if that alternative is wrong on more issues) in an effort to prevent Trump (who’s not a conservative) from regaining office. A President Harris would still have to contend with Republicans in Congress (granted, there would be many more of them right now if Trump hadn’t cost the party so many winnable seats).

One last thing: You wrote, “We all know and get Trumps many negatives.” I assume by “we all,” you’re talking about you, me, and Bernie, right? Because I assure you that millions of Trump supporters absolutely do not see the same negatives with Trump that the three of us do. They think his biggest problem is that not everyone likes his personality (which is far from his biggest problem).

From Bernie: Hey Scotty, it’s me, Bernie, the guy who’s not chipping in to row the life boat away from the suction of the sinking ship. But, sorry, I don’t feel any guilt in not voting. I don’t like either candidate, though for different reasons. I no longer vote for Democrats — they’re not the party I grew up with may years ago. The last Dem is voted for was Jimmy Carter. I’d vote for almost any other Republican — Nikki Haley or Chris Christie would top my list — but I cannot bring myself to vote for Donald Trump because of his many serious ugly character flaws. So let me tell you, Scotty, what I’ve told others who have called me all sorts of names for not voting: Take it up with Donald — not me. And I’ll end with this observation from Ms. Haley — one that I totally agree with: “Many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump privately dread him,” Nikki Haley said in February. “They know what a disaster he’s been and will continue to be for our party. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud. Well, I’m not afraid to say the hard truth out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring.”

Any thoughts on the passing of Phil Donahue? I always appreciated his willingness to debate controversial issues with figures as varied as Noam Chomsky & Milton Friedman to Ayn Rand. By today's standards, those discussions often seem rather...intelligent. — Ryan