We already knew that Bernie Sanders is raising money for the Georgia Senate battle, with his fellow Socialist AOC explaining why it's so important for Democrats to win those races and win control of the entire federal government -- in order to preclude the need to negotiate with Republicans. What wasn't as clear was whether the relative 'moderate' in the race, Jon Ossoff, would distance himself from the more aggressively radical elements of his party, including his own "running mate," Raphael Warnock. On Sunday, Ossoff rhetorically bear-hugged Sanders, making a particular point of praising the Vermont Senator's work on healthcare policy:
Ossoff on @BernieSanders: “I welcome his support. His advocacy for ensuring that healthcare is a human right in this country, for putting the interests of working families over corporate interests is welcome, is necessary, is appreciated. And so is his support.” #gapol #gasen pic.twitter.com/JyVaUOS4vX
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) November 29, 2020
A few thoughts:
(1) In the first quote, Ossoff is explicitly making the case against checks and balances. Georgia voters shouldn't sent Perdue and Loeffler back to the Senate, he argues, because that would empower the Republican majority to prevent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (and Nancy Pelosi) from doing whatever they'd want. This is a strong argument in favor of voting for the Republicans.
(2) Under the fully Democrat-controlled government Ossoff pines for, his new pal Bernie Sanders would be the chairman of the Budget Committee. During his presidential campaign, Sanders proposed nearly $100 trillion in new spending, with no way to even come close to paying for it.
(3) As noted above, Ossoff chooses to specifically lavish praise on Sanders' healthcare efforts. In case you'd forgotten, Bernie's single-payer healthcare legislation would abolish the private healthcare plans of more than 170 million Americans -- the vast majority of whom are satisfied with their existing arrangements. In order to pay for this new government-run system, every single American would be slapped with huge new tax increases.
(4) If Ossoff and his Jeremiah Wright acolyte 'running mate' win their races, Kamala Harris would instantly become one of the most powerful people in the country. She'd be the tie-breaking vote in the US Senate, making Chuck Schumer the majority leader. As a reminder, she co-sponsored Bernie's single-payer healthcare bill, and campaigned on eliminating private insurance as a presidential candidate. She could well become president. Does Jon Ossoff sound like someone who'd stand up -- ever -- to a Harris/Bernie/Schumer/Pelosi agenda?
With vote suppression truther Stacey Abrams reportedly briefing her Hollywood friends about how best to intervene on behalf of Democrats in these races, I'll leave you with a few signs of growing GOP unity. First, Sen. Loeffler's primary opponent, Rep. Doug Collins, has hit the trail with her. Second, President Trump is telling his supporters that they must actively support Perdue and Loeffler -- announcing that he'll be in Georgia campaigning on their behalf this coming Saturday:
NEW: @CollinsforGA joins @KLoeffler on the trail for the FIRST time this morning in beautiful Pickens County, GA. #gapol #gasen pic.twitter.com/ribikjbPSb
— Caitlin O'Dea (@CaitElizabeth5) November 28, 2020
NEW: President Trump will be in Georgia next Saturday, December 5th, to campaign for Senators Perdue and Loeffler.
— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) November 27, 2020
And to remind Georgians that Ossoff is a "lightweight" and Warnock is a "either a communist or a socialist."
Watch -->#GAsen #GApol pic.twitter.com/vFjm50y8Z2
Early voting for the runoffs begins two weeks from today, with election day on January 5.