A teachable moment (for others, not Bernie, who will never learn).

by Rob Roper

Our senior senator made big news last week in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. When the anchor confronted Sanders about the $221,000 he and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have spent so far on private jets during their Fighting the Oligarchy tour, as well as “millions of dollars of campaign funds on private jet travel over the years,” the self-styled socialist responded with his usual belligerence, “When you run a campaign and you do three or four or five rallies in a week, the only way you can get around to talk to thirty thousand people – you think I’m going to be sitting around a waiting line at United while thirty thousand people are waiting? That’s the only way to get around. No apologies for that.”

This, of course, has been described as ironic – flying around in private jets to ostensibly fight the oligarchy! – as well as arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic, hypocritical, obnoxious, tone deaf and several other descriptors unprintable in this mostly family friendly publication. And all those things are accurate and true! Bernie is a jerk.

Most Americans are sick and tired of celebrities and politicians who tell us we need to take the bus instead of driving our own cars to the supermarket and to turn down the thermostat to 58 in winter in order to “do our fair share” to save the planet while they jet-set around the world in the most carbon-intensive options available – because what they do is just so important as opposed to what we do in our mundane daily lives. Go (family friendly language, family friendly language, family friendly language….)

But here’s the thing… the teachable moment and how it applies to policies like Clean Trucks etc. that are being debated in Vermont as we speak….

Bernie isn’t necessarily wrong when he says if you want to get around to five political rallies in a week the only way to do it is via private jet. It’s also true that if you want to transport milk from the Northeast Kingdom to Burlington the only way to do it is in a diesel truck. An electric vehicle, like waiting in line at United, just doesn’t cut it. Same thing goes for plowing roads. Or, if you live in a mobile home and want to survive winter, you’re not trading your kerosene heating system for a cold climate heat pump. Just like waiting in line at United, that won’t work. And like flying though Newark these days, it probably won’t end well. So why does practical common sense prevail over whacko political ideology when Bernie’s travel plans are at stake, but not our trucking and transportation businesses?

Sorry, Bernie. Your speeches – which you could deliver to an even larger audience by Zoom and not burn all that carbon into the atmosphere – ultimately ain’t that big a deal. Is it more important than delivering shipments to groceries stores around the state at a cost that keeps food prices as affordable as possible? I don’t think so. Do your rallies do more good for people than routine garbage pickups? Not by a long shot. While you certainly spew a lot of hot air, it’s not the kind that keeps Vermonters warm in winter. So why should you get unapologetically contribute to the coming planetary heat death because the alternatives – say, simply scheduling your rallies around commercial flight schedules – are just not quite as convenient?

I don’t care if Bernie apologizes for his private jets (unless his conscience won’t let him live with the hypocrisy LOL). He raised the money to cover that cost and if people are stupid enough to give it to him, so be it. He does, however, need to apologize to all his constituents in Vermont and around the country for his narcissistic, selfish attitude that the ideological rules he expects us peons to follow no matter how inconvenient or impractical don’t apply to him and his crowd because what they are doing is just oh so important that climate change, carbon footprints and all those so-called existential threats to our humanity are insignificant by comparison. They’re not.

Bernie thinks that being a so-called public servant means the opposite of what that term means. He sees himself as part of a privileged political class which is served up a certain lifestyle on the backs of the obedient masses. It’s the same attitude that was/is behind the push last legislative session to more than double legislative pay and make micromanaging our lives a full-time gig — we’d shouldn’t have to feel the economic pain we’re inflicting on our constituents. It’s an attitude we can’t vote out of office too soon!

But in the meantime, I’ll just say, when you live in a cold state like Vermont, the only way to reliably heat your home is with fossil fuels. And you think I’m going to be sitting around a waiting line for public transportation or half an hour at a charging station when I can hop in my ICE car, hit three stores and fill my tank in less than an hour? That’s the only way to get around. No apologies for that.