Thread by @CostanzaPAC

🚨JRE x Sanders 🧵
For the folks who haven’t updated their mental model on politics since 2016, this one’s gonna sting.

Opening fireworks
Rogan didn’t ease into it—he launched immediately, mimicking “Bernie’s awkward deflection” about that Elon Musk/Trump $288M donation. The back-and-forth heated up fast as Rogan repeatedly pressed Sanders.

totalprosports.com/general/joe-ro…

🎭 Spot-on impersonation meltdown
Mid-episode, Rogan unleashed a perfect Bernie impression—sarcastically quoting,

“Only 1.5 million… only the hardworking people…”

Listeners lost it. This mockery undercut Sanders’s image of being the virtuous everyman.

sportskeeda.com/mma/news-joe-r…

⚠️ Musk/MAGA pushback
Sanders tried hitting back on Elon’s massive Trump-boosting donation—again bouncing off Rogan’s relentless skepticism. He never landed a decisive blow

jacobin.com/2019/08/bernie…

😂 Gag-worthy laughs from Rogan’s jabs
Every conservative’s dream—you could hear Rogan literally laughing him off the stage after his drone-like Bernie recitations. It turned serious policy talk into comedic spectacle.

🚨 Bernie declared he’s “never taken a nickel from pharma PACs or executives.”
Bold claim… but let’s check the records. Not true.

mrctv.org/blog/nick-kang…

❗ Sandwiched by RFK Jr.:
At a committee hearing, RFK Jr. blasted Sanders as “the single largest receiver of pharmaceutical money (2020).” Sanders fired back: “Only workers donated—no PACs!” But OpenSecrets shows he took $1.4M+ from the pharma/health products sector in 2020—and that includes those ranked as employees counting toward PAC totals.

⚠️ OpenSecrets game: employee‑donor labeling
Yes, donations may show up as “employees,” but high-ranking employees = industry interests. And OpenSecrets explicitly tallies all employee giving. So Bernie’s “workers‑only” defense fails.

🎯 1/ “1,400 pharma lobbyists” moment
Bernie claimed, “1,400 pharma lobbyists on Capitol Hill trying to block Medicare negotiation.”

🚨 PolitiFact says: That number includes device makers, distributors—not just drug companies. The actual pharma-specific count is closer to 794, maybe 1,098 when including biotech—so it’s inflated by ~40%

Rogan retort: “So is everything you said off by a third?” Mic drop.

Oligarchs shouldn’t run gov’t” agreement… but vague
Rogan praised Bernie: “He’s right, you should be scared of oligarchs.”

Yet when Rogan followed up—which specific billionaires? —Sanders demurred into broad platitudes. Conservative viewers didn’t feel enlightened, just preached to.

Trump/Elon $288M claim unsupported
Bernie slammed Musk for a $288 million Trump donation—but couldn’t cite any receipts.
Rogan pressed hard: “Where’s that number from? Show us a source.”

Sanders backtracked—no follow-up, no breakdown.

💫 Exaggeration alert: Lobbyist numbers inflated by ~40%.

💫 Spin alert: $1.5M pharma defense glosses over exec influence.

💫 Number gauntlet: Rogan forced clarity on the Musk–Trump claim—Bernie floundered.

💫 Policy glare: “Social funding” tagline clashed with complex realities.

Climate emergency? Do you even read newspapers?”
Sanders insisted, “The last ten years have been the warmest on record.”

Rogan dropped a 🎯 Washington Post chart from 485 million years showing Earth’s current position is actually in a cooling period.
Bernie: “I’m not sure—I didn’t read that article.”
Rogan: “Lots of money involved in that too.”

🚨 #FactCheckFAIL by the lead climate crusader himself.

@threadreaderapp can you unroll