The political arena erupted into a fiery debate on Wednesday night as CNN hosted a town hall featuring Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, discussing the ongoing government shutdown. But here’s where it gets controversial: while the event aimed to shed light on critical issues, it quickly became a battleground for partisan clashes, with the White House’s RapidResponse47 X account live-posting a barrage of critiques throughout the 90-minute event, aptly titled ‘Shutdown America.’
Moderated by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, the town hall saw Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez fielding questions from audience members, ranging from social media messaging to the shutdown’s impact on leadership. And this is the part most people miss: when student Nicole Plewicka asked why Republican social media messaging seems more effective, Sanders candidly replied, ‘I think the Republicans are effective. They have learned a lot about social media. And by the way, it doesn’t hurt that their friends own all of the major social media platforms.’ This statement, though bold, sparked immediate backlash from MAGA supporters, who pounced on Sanders’s misstep of confusing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with tech billionaire Elon Musk, the actual owner of X. One user even labeled him ‘Biden 2.0,’ highlighting the generational divide in tech literacy.
The RapidResponse47 account didn’t miss a beat, posting, ‘Crazy Bernie thinks Republicans are more ‘effective’ at messaging on social media than Democrats because tech companies and the mainstream media are in the tank for us,’ accompanied by a string of laughing emojis. The White House’s official X account joined the fray, reposting a CNN clip of Sanders with a sombrero superimposed on his head and Latin music playing—a move that some deemed disrespectful but others found humorous.
Here’s where it gets even more heated: when another student, Rohan Naval, questioned Sanders about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s role in the shutdown, Sanders shifted the blame to House Speaker Mike Johnson and former President Trump. Naval’s visible disagreement prompted Sanders to counter, ‘You think it’s a good idea to give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the richest people in the country and then make massive cuts to healthcare for working-class people?’ This exchange led RapidResponse47 to declare, ‘Crazy Bernie just got wrecked on national television.’
The discussion took a darker turn when Sanders accused President Trump of using ICE raids to spread fear, labeling it a ‘movement toward authoritarianism.’ RapidResponse47 fired back, ‘Crazy Bernie says ICE raids—in which some of the most dangerous criminals on earth have been taken off American streets—are ‘about a movement toward authoritarianism,’ calling him ‘Absolutely deranged.’
When bartender Bobbie Harms asked Sanders about ending the shutdown, he vowed to fight, warning, ‘If Trump wins this fight, our health system could well collapse.’ RapidResponse47 seized on this, reposting the clip with the caption, ‘Crazy Bernie responds by admitting it’s all about beating ‘Trump,’ and claiming, ‘They want free healthcare for illegals.’
White House communications director Steven Cheung chimed in, mocking Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez as ‘Wacky Bernie and AOC From the Block,’ and ridiculing AOC’s slip-up about ‘air that is drinkable.’ He also joked about Sanders’s comment that media mogul Larry Ellison might buy CNN, tweeting, ‘LOL! Even Bernie knows CNN will be bought by the Ellisons!’
Now, here’s the question that lingers: Is this partisan back-and-forth productive, or does it further polarize an already divided nation? Does Sanders’s critique of Republican social media dominance hold water, or is it an oversimplification of a complex issue? And what does this say about the role of media and technology in modern politics? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments—agree or disagree, the conversation is far from over.
