You know the political season is getting weird when it comes to this: gotta give Bernie Sanders props for a rare bit of genius. He saw the Verizon workers on strike in New York. Then he joined them. Pure genius linking his populist brand of idiot-socialism with organized labor. Even Hillary and her entourage of advisors couldn’t come up with a social media moment like this.
That’s about as far as Bernie’s genius went though. Once ensconced in the shrieking union throngs, Sanders took to the mic and revealed his ignorance of how things work.
Sanders said that Verizon was out to make workers lives harder.
That’s right.
Sanders said that the telecommunications firm Verizon was actively working to make the lives of average, ordinary workers harder.
At this point if you’re a liberal, you’re scratching the stubble you refuse to shave off your chin as you lust for the day when you, a woman, get to use the men’s room, and you’re wondering how this might be evidence that precious little Bernie is ignorant based on his statement at the Verizon strike. It’s not that hard to figure out.
What does Verizon sell? Internet and phone service mainly.
Who uses the internet and phone service? Workers, also known as customers.
Since Verizon has to sell internet and phone service to customers, and since customers are predominantly workers, what sense would it make for Verizon to make the lives of its customers harder?
Unless you live in a fantasy land where the climate change free pastures are studded with money trees and shovel ready jobs, it’s that easy to figure out. The problem is, Bernie supporters live in that fantasy land just waiting for the rainbow colored unicorn to give them a ride to free college, or to support them while they devote their adulthood to poetry, activism, and purchases of the latest cellular devices complete with Verizon service contracts.
It’s not the first time Bernie’s telegraphed his ignorance.
Not too long ago he was asked to explain how he’d follow through on his promise to rid America of “too big to fail” banks. How Bernie, would you determine which banks were too big to fail? He had no idea. But it’s not just that. He went on to say that the banks themselves would have to decide if they were too big to fail. If they decided they were, then they’d have to figure it out.
To apply that idea to the Verizon strike, shouldn’t Bernie insist that Verizon figure out whether or not it’s agreement with the unions is sufficient and then determine what might be needed to make things better?
Maybe Sanders wouldn’t get a pass if a sizable portion of the electorate wasn’t loitering around on the dole waiting for a unicorn ride to take them to utopia.
Image: Courtesy of Gage Skidmore @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/25879021931
