Awkward? Hypocritical? Nothing?
Bernie Sanders has been making a lot of points lately, criticizing Hillary Clinton on her ties to big oil & gas. He’s even been given 3 Pinocchios by WaPo fact checkers on his claims about her financial ties to them. He was criticized for overstating the significance and actual amount she received from big oil. Normally, I wouldn’t find this type of exaggeration too offensive, because it’s politics. HOWEVER, Mr Sanders has throughout his campaign emphasized transparency, and made more out of facts than were ACTUALLY there in this particular area. It’s for that reason I’ll drop this info on you, and then you can decide on the level of hypocrisy if any.
It doesn’t take long to find info that the Senator might find a bit embarrassing, especially due to the statements his camp has been releasing regarding Secretary Clinton. So...find his assets on OpenSecrets.
Find Valic See Aggressive Growth.
See Aggresive Growth
Then we look at Aggressive Growth Fund and look at it’s Mid Cap Value holdings and investments.
See Mid Cap Value
From here look at Top Holdings for Mid Cap Find Diamondback Energy Inc. and let’s see what they are into...…..
Mid Cap Value Top Holdings see Diamondback
They’re FRACKERS.
Yes, this may suggest that Bernie himself has a connection to a company that fracks. This is in no way a blockbuster, or stop the presses story. Not a bombshell and not a hit piece. The only reason I mentioned it, is there is a hypocrisy about the exaggerated claims the Sanders camp made against Hillary Clinton’s connections to big oil and gas, and it really didn’t take much digging to find out that quite possibly some of the Senator’s own money has at one point been invested in a companies that frack. There is NOTHING nefarious about it. Irksome and a bit of an embarrassment for someone who has preached and touted their own spotlessness?? You make your own judgment there. As I’m sure Sanders supporters will be quick to point out, and it is true his record and platform are in line with anti-frack environmental voters. So if this how we are to judge, I’m going to suggest the same standards apply across the board. Look at their records. That’s where the truth is.
I’d like to thank my twitter pal @SmoothKobra for putting this out on twitter for us political nerds to mull. He was able to connect the dots, and put the info out so people like me can write about it, and let YOU make up YOUR OWN MIND as to what it means or doesn’t.
Update: For those who are confused, and think I’ve insinuated in any way that this is a giant bombshell that would take Bernie down, PLEASE READ AGAIN AND VERY SLOWLY. The fact is that a man who holds himself up to be spotless when it comes to fracking, and someone who calls out others using inflated truths, and is running for president of the the United States, REALLY should vet his own finances first and release them and his taxes publicly so that questions like these don’t come up and you don’t further complicate matters for yourself by appearing to have something to hide by not doing so. ESPECIALLY if you are Mr Transparency. YA THINK??? Think the GOP will go easy on him??? What do you think THEY would make out of info like this???? And better yet, kinda makes you wonder why we don’t get to see his tax records. That would answer many questions that have been raised. Think Bernie supporters wouldn’t be raving mad if HRC refused to turn hers over?? That’s what’s at play here. A different standard, has been put on one candidate by the other, and there is hypocrisy there people are starting to notice. Also, if Bernie is the nominee, I’ll be voting and campaigning for him vigorously. This isn’t a mountain, it isn’t even a mole hill. It’s an itch that releasing financials and tax records will easily scratch. He needs to do it, and soon.
Update: Others have looked at this information as well. See here. If you can read you can see, this diary was no hit piece. I saw this info floating around, there is even more in previous years that could be embarrassing connections, and folks ready to make a deal out of it.(GOP) I AM an HRC voter, but I also DO NOT feel like weaponizing info is good for any of us regardless of which candidate you support. It polarizes us, and makes us forget that while we may disagree on who the best person is for our nominee, we want the same things. We may not agree on how to achieve the goals we share, but maybe we should remember we do want the same things. And yeah, I’m not taking this down. As other similar info comes out, I’ll add it here, and have the same comment. Not a bomb, embarrassing for someone who has been caught exaggerating fact, & has a whiff of hypocrisy to me, and I would like to see Bernie’s taxes, and do I not have the right to ask?? If he wins nom and I campaign for him, I would like the transparency he requires of others. That’s rational and NOT an attack.
