Bill Bennett, Charles Lane debate Bidenflation on Special Report

Bill Bennett got into a heated debate with Charles Lane of the Washington Post on inflation during the Biden administration. When the skirmish ended, Lane had exposed himself as a leftist. It started when Bennett said "Look, this will last maybe two, two-and-a-half. OPEC can lower its production, so prices can remain the same. In any case, it's a very, very temporary thing. There is a problem with the Biden administration right now that's getting acute, and that is keep saying things are getting better, things are OK. You think things are bad, don't believe your own eyes. Don't believe what you see at the gas pump. Believe me. This is what happens in authoritarian countries, and it's a very dangerous road, a very dangerous road to take."

That clearly triggered Lane, who replied "Well, I think we did have a president in the previous four years who did quite often what Bill just, and that was, as he says, a symptom of authoritarianism. As for the gas prices thing, I'm shaking my head over this issue. I'm shaking my head over this issue, 11 -- the vast majority of the cause of gas prices, the global price of oil, this petroleum release won't affect it any. But I wouldn't say that this is Joe Biden's fault either, because even if he ended the gas -- the oil leases and so on, that has a trivial marginal effect.

Probably the worst thing for Biden is to create the implication that he does have some control over the price of gasoline by taking this measure, which probably in the end will demonstrate he doesn't have any control over it."

The definition of authoritarian is "of or relating to a governmental or political system, principle, or practice in which individual freedom is held as completely subordinate to the power or authority of the state, centered either in one person or a small group that is not constitutionally accountable to the people." It's fair to say that President Trump was a bit of a bully at times. It isn't accurate, though, to say that he was an authoritarian.

Further, Bennett didn't call Biden an authoritarian. He simply said that the Biden administration had a habit of telling the public that they shouldn't "believe your own eyes. Don't believe what you see at the gas pump." Then he said that this "is what happens in authoritarian countries, and it's a very dangerous road, a very dangerous road to take."

Bennett was clearly talking about the propaganda this administration specializes in. Whether it's telling people that inflation doesn't exist to telling people that it's "transitory" to telling people that inflation is a good thing, this administration isn't good at being straight with people. This administration also told people that Afghanistan was a great success and that the US-Mexico border is closed. When you have hours of video disproving those statements, it's foolish to tell people that things are fine. This video shows the sparring betweeen Bennett and Lane:

Lane saying that cancelling the pipeline and the leases had a "trivial effect" is foolishness. Saying that Biden doesn't control international oil prices is deceptive. While oil is sold on the world stage, that didn't mean that the US production couldn't be the swing producer. The Saudis knew that the US could quickly increase production if the Saudis cut production. That meant that the price remained stable, US oil companies benefitted and the Saudis took a hit in revenues.

Guy Benson was also part of the Panel. His most important point was this:

Well, it's not just gas prices. It's also heating homes. That's going to become an acute issue all over the country as the weather gets colder. And there are a lot of nonpartisan experts who say that is an area of inflation that's really going to bite a lot of people, and they'll be seeing it in their monthly bills, month in and month out, on top of petroleum and pain at the pump, as the cliche goes.