Carmichael Questions What Separates ‘Mainstream Democrats’ from the Progressives

 

Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Michael Patrick Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.

During the second hour, Carmichael showed that there would be no separation in policy between a Bernie Sanders presidency and a Joe Biden presidency. He went on to explain their differences in rhetoric but noted how their policies would, in essence, produce the same results. Carmichael questioned whether Sanders supporters would get on board a Biden campaign or stay home and not vote.

(Cenk Uygur clip plays)

Leahy: That’s Cenk Uygur. He’s a Young Turk. He’s a far-left guy out on podcasts all the time. Very aggressive far-left guy. He’s predicting, Crom that there is going to be trench warfare between the Bernie Sanders folks and the Joe Biden folks in the Democratic Party. But the establishment is going to try and keep Bernie’s people in the fold.

Carmichael: By the way, we should tell the audience that the Young Turks is actually an organization and not just a description of them.

Leahy: Thank you.

Carmichael: Because you said he is a young Turk because he is both a young Turk and there is an organization called the Young Turks.

Leahy: A show of lefties. Far-left, lefty. He was originally hanging with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the social justice Democrats, and they kicked him out because he was a little bit far left.

Carmichael: Yeah, but here’s the question. What separates the so-called mainstream Democratic Party from the so-called progressive wing of the Democratic Party (i.e. the Democratic Socialists)? What separates them? So let’s review. What is Biden’s position on immigration?

Leahy: Open borders.

Carmichael: He’s essentially open borders.

Leahy: Raising the number of refugees from 18,000 under Trump to 125,000.

Carmichael: Now that’s NOT immigration. That’s political refugees.

Leahy: It’s a small part.

Carmichael: It’s a small part.

Leahy: It’s a small part of immigration.

Carmichael: So you have open borders from the South. Biden is going to do nothing to inhibit immigration.

Leahy: He will borrow a line from Ronald Reagan. Mr. President, tear down this wall!

Carmichael: Well, more or less.

Leahy: More or less.

Carmicheal: And he’ll act like it. Your guest before I came on pointed out that Barack Obama and Joe Biden were very clever in that they talked one way, but they acted another way. So you have to really ask yourself what is the difference?

Joe Biden raised his hand and said that illegal immigrants should all get free healthcare. When he was asked that question, he raised his hand and said so. He says he is for keeping Obamacare.

Now it’s important to realize that under Obamacare premiums and deductibles went up to $6,000 per family in eight years. $6,000! He says I want to keep that. I don’t want to fix it. I want to keep it. Then he says he wants to add on to it.

Then it’s going to cost even more. He wants to go back and take the mandate and stick it back in the law. So for all these young people who are supporting Bernie Sanders, guess what? You’re going to get to pay great big premiums on insurance or pay a great big penalty.

So on immigration, he and Sanders are pretty much aligned. Now, on healthcare, they have a different way to force everybody to either pay through the nose or to force them into insurance.

And so, on unions, there’s not a bit of difference between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden on unions. On how he will treat black and Hispanic parents who want to get a better education for their children. There is no difference.

Leahy: He’s against vouchers.

Carmichael: Against vouchers.

Leahy: He is against charter schools.

Carmichael: He is against charter schools. He is against choice in public schools. On the key issues for Black and Hispanic families who want higher wages. And by the way, under Obama, wages for Black and Hispanics went down. They didn’t go up if you count the healthcare costs for working Black and Hispanic families.

On foreign policy, he did nothing to stop Barack Obama from the hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs to Mexico and China. He did nothing. And so if what you want is to go back to the days of Obama, then you have to look at what those days really were. And that’s what this is going to be about.

And by the way, if Biden says, no no no we’re going to extend and build the wall. We are going to have an immigration policy, and we’re going to maintain the law, then Bernie Sanders people will revolt.

So they won’t do that. They will try to keep that wing of the Democratic Party in the fold. So I see this fall election with Biden at the top of the ticket assuming that Sanders does not recover.

Leahy: Yes.

Carmichael: With Biden at the top of the ticket, I don’t see much difference between Biden and Sanders.

Leahy: Policy-wise.

Carmichael: Policy-wise. Rhetoric wise, Sanders is more honest. And so there’s a certain irony with Biden saying I’m going to run on a policy of civility and go to hell if you don’t like it. (Leahy laughs) Donna Brazile standing over here in the background yelling at opponents.

And honesty which coming from Biden is one of the funnier things to be said. And so one thing we ought to do Michael is we ought to start making a list. For example, Joe Biden claimed that since gun control did not pass 150 million Americans have been killed by guns.

Leahy: We would never get off the air with that list being so long.

Carmichael: The list of dishonest statements.

Leahy: Yeah.

Carmichael: So, this will be a very interesting race. Watching how the media handles it will also be interesting.

Leahy: So do you see Bernie Sanders supporters leaving the Democratic Party in large amounts and large numbers if Joe Biden is the nominee?

Carmichael: No. You are talking about the nominee?

Leahy: Yes.

Carmicheal: That’s an interesting question. I don’t know the answer to that of whether or not they stay home leaving the party. You can’t become an Independent. Bernie Sanders cannot decide today, maybe he could today, but he can’t in two months.

Leahy: He can’t run as an Independent candidate.

Carmichael: He can’t run as an Independent because of this cycle, there are certain things you have to do to get on the ballot.

Leahy: Legal regulations.

Carmichael: The question is whether or not Bernie Sanders people stay home or whether or not they vote. We can talk about that later.

Listen to the second hour here:

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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 am to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Joe Biden” and “Bernie Sanders” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.