Bernie’s Weekly Q&A (10/18)

CBS News, Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. economic policy, and more!

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Let’s get started:

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Bernie, what did you think of Bill Whittaker’s interview of Harris? Bill O’Reilly has been critical of his lack of follow-up questions but I thought over all he asked some tough ones…tough enough that CBS felt they had to make a significant edit! — lens attic

Hurricane Helene knocked power out at my house. I only saw an occasional clip, but not the entire interview. But despite what you’re hearing on Fox News or right wing internet sites, we don’t know if 60 Minutes made a significant (unethical) edit or not. All we know is that they used two different answers EITHER to two different questions or — the answer they used on the actual broadcast was part of the answer they used in promotional clip.

If it’s A, what they did was wrong. If B, it’s perfectly legit — and often done not for nefarious reasons but simply to pick an easier-to-understand sound bite.

That said, because so many on the right have no confidence in CBS News, 60 Minutes should be transparent and release a text of the entire interview so we can see what the editors and producers did.

Sir Bernie & Sir John: Gretchen Whitmer recently came under fire for promoting the values of the U.S. CHIPS Act by imitating an online meme. Whitmer places a Dorito on the tongue of pro-abortion activist Liz Plank. This made it appear that she was mocking the Roman Catholic practice of receiving Holy Eucharist, thus incurring the outrage of many Catholics and other Christian denominations. Whitmer gave what I believe was a somewhat sincere apology, claiming it was not her intention to offend (or give ammunition to conservatives as well, IMO). Liz Plank’s response to the offended was basically “get over it.” SO: do you both think that this was simple thoughtlessness? Bad judgement? Or something that she and Plank thought that everyone would laugh at? Either way, even some liberals are agreeing that this was a dumb stunt to pull. Thoughts? —“Whitmer Walks The Plank” regards from The Emperor

From John: This is what happens when politicians let their much younger staffers convince them that dopey online skits are the key to attracting the support of younger voters. It was a spoof on a social-media trend, not a conscious shot at Christians. Because it was so “inside,” it was left open to interpretation by lots of people.

From Bernie: I barely know who Gretchen Whitmer is let alone Liz Plank. Who knows what the original intent was — but whoever came up with it — to win over young pro-abortion rights voters? — should have come up with a better idea, given the mess it created. All that said, I like Doritos, especially the spicy ones.

Bernie and John: One reason I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Trump is to register my rejection of the entire cabal of leftist moralists. To wit: media "fact checkers", useless bureaucrats and regulators who exercise their moral superiority over Americans they disagree with, and Democrat politicians who talk down/condescend to opposition voters rather than win us over with reason and argument. Regarding the Big Government bureaucrats, I know John writes passionately about small government, and I am in his camp. This not only includes spending, it consists of endless regulation that stifles creativity, growth, and entrepreneurship. How much of Trump's support includes voters like me? — Steve R.