The Democrat Party is split between allegedly centrist politicians and far-left ideologues who want to drastically change the foundation of America. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders falls in the latter category, and he’s warning former Vice President Joe Biden that President Trump will win a second term if the Biden campaign does not cater to the wishes of left-wing voters.
You got to give people an alternative or reason to vote for you other than saying, ‘I’m not Donald Trump,’” Sanders said in a PBS interview on Friday. “And that means speaking about an economic program, which Biden has. It is not as strong as I would like it. It is not the Bernie Sanders program.”
The Vermont senator is urging the former VP to campaign with far-left firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in an effort to encourage voter enthusiasm.
The warning Biden needs to move to the left may sound like a threat from someone intent to remaking the Democrat Party in a socialist image. However, Sanders does have cause to be concerned. As he accurately pointed out, the Biden campaign needs actual plans rather than expecting people to vote for him simply because they don’t like the current president.
Senator Sanders is urging former VP Joe Biden to embrace economic populism and Medicare for All, two issues that are extremely popular with far-left voters. While there is certainly a great deal of opposition to far-left positions on these issues, there are also plenty who won’t bother turning out if the party won’t move to the left on these matters. These voters could make a difference in close races, as they did in the 2016 presidential election.
At the same time, pushing too far to the left could endanger the Democrat Party in swing states. Based on Trump’s polling in those states, it seems like it already has. The fact that President Trump has embraced a “law and order” platform while Biden pays lip service to left-wing protest movements is sure to push some former Democrat to Trump in November. Furthermore, many are leery of the fact that the former VP has given so many far-left voices a leading role in his campaign.
The truth is that there is little Biden can do to win both moderate and far-left Democrats — particularly when running a campaign that generates little to no enthusiasm.
