Throughout his campaign, Bernie Sanders turned more scripted and rigid. He became an increasingly generic left-wing set of talking points. The phenomenon has only grown worse in his post-election phase where he seems more worried than ever about deviating from the party line. Like opposing a soda tax.
For weeks, the beverage industry has been capitalizing on Sanders’ public opposition to a soda tax in Philadelphia — a position he took last spring to differentiate himself from Hillary Clinton who had endorsed the tax during the bitter Democratic primary in Pennsylvania.
The fact that Sanders has now publicly condemned the ads gives health advocates new ammunition to counter the beverage industry’s narrative. Advocates had heard that Sanders had sent a cease-and-desist letter and were eager to get it — ostensibly so they could use the text in their own ads. The letter was specific to the Bay Area and did not mention Boulder, a spokesman said. Sanders' office declined to provide a copy to POLITICO.
This election cycle, health advocates have more money for their own mailers and TV ads, thanks to the backing of a handful of billionaires — former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a well-known foe of sugary drinks, and Laura and John Arnold, a Houston-based couple whose fortune stems in part from Enron energy trading.
Bloomberg, who has successfully backed similar soda taxes in Mexico, Philadelphia and Berkeley, Calif., has spent more than $9 million to back tax efforts this year, according to recent estimates. The Arnolds, who backed the efforts in both Philadelphia and Berkeley, have spent more than $2 million. The beverage industry has spent more than $30 million to counter such taxes this year alone, making it by far the most expensive cycle for the issue.
Sanders has not reversed his position on soda taxes. But in his statement Thursday, he noted that the Philadelphia tax was three times the size of the tax being considered in the Bay Area when he came out against it. In Philadelphia, the proposal started out as three cents per ounce, but was ultimately reduced to 1.5 cents per ounce when it passed. That tax is now being challenged in court. In the Bay Area, the tax each city will vote on is for a penny per ounce.
More to the point, this soda tax is aimed at a politically influential area and backed by bigwigs he would like to court. And so Bernie polishes away another of his few independent political positions.