Sanders’s dull policy thinking is once again obvious

[Bill USA]

Sanders’s dull policy thinking is once again obvious

Even when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is making a good point, his dull sense of the reality of governing — which involves policy details, practical constraints and trade-offs — is obvious.

The insurgent presidential candidate pressed Hillary Clinton on global warming at Thursday night’s Democratic presidential debate. He had some decent things to say about the issue. Lowering carbon dioxide emissions should be a national priority.

But Sanders does not appear to understand why that is. In addition to calling for a carbon tax, he railed against fracked natural gas and stood by his call to eliminate nuclear power. When a moderator pressed him to explain how he would eschew these energy sources and meet the nation’s energy demands without burning more dirty coal, he said that the transition would not happen overnight and that he would invest in things such as rooftop solar.

Sanders ignores or misunderstands the underlying logic of a carbon tax, his own policy. A key benefit of a carbon tax would be that it induces the economy to reshape itself. Fuels that emit carbon dioxide become more expensive. Cleaner energy sources get cheaper. Consumers and businesses respond to these price signals in the goods and services they buy, in the energy infrastructure they build, in the amount of electricity they use, in the number of miles they drive, in the types of appliances and cars they purchase, and their behavior shapes how the country decarbonizes. By enlisting the ruthless efficiency of markets in the battle against climate change, the costs of transitioning onto clean energy are minimized.

But this process might lead to results that Sanders would not like. Perhaps the most cost-effective way to transition onto clean energy is to use fracked natural gas for a while and keep nuclear plants running for decades longer. Perhaps not. A carbon tax allows politicians to set an emissions-reducing policy and get out of the way. But Sanders does not want to get out of the way. It is not enough simply to reduce greenhouse emissions. The country must transition the way he wants it to. No nuclear power. No fracked natural gas.
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[berniepdx420]

1. .

[GreatGazoo]

8. They never run out of strawmen.

It is amazing really at this point. They can't talk about his real policies and proposals (or Hillary's for that matter) so they substitute strawman after strawman.

Sometimes I think the Fire Marshall will come into GD-P and shut this place down due to the fire hazard of having so many strawmen in one place.

Nobody light a match, please.

[CrowCityDem]

2. Dull is the wrong word. Simplistic, or ill-thought-out, is more accurate.

[Hoyt]

4. That also describes many of his supporters at this point.

Last edited Fri Apr 15, 2016, 06:22 PM - Edit history (1)

[DisgustipatedinCA]

7. It don't? When attacking others' intelligence

...it's generally a good idea to get spelling and usage right. Know wut I mean, Vern?

[Hoyt]

10. Gotta quit posting on the phone, but point remains.

[Bill USA]

5. I agree. Although, I wonder if he has "thought these things out" - at all.

[Bill USA]

6. I agree. Although, I wonder if he has "thought these things out" - at all.

[kennetha]

3. I've come to believe that Bernie is intellectually lazy

He let's ideology do his thinking. Plus he just isn't very smart

[berniepdx420]

9. hilarious... really.. you guys are so sad it's funny

[Lucinda]

11. They've found "no fracking, period" works with a subset that isn't

as likely to want to hear the nuanced policy position Hillary offers and they have run with it. They do that in most areas of his policy. Many are fine with him figuring out things as he goes, but I'm not. I prefer the un-sexy, wonky, detailed answers every time.