Sanders warns Biden: address working-class fears or risk losing to demagogue
www.theguardian.com
Sanders warns Biden: address working-class anxieties or risk losing election to demagogue

In an interview with the Guardian from his home base in Burlington, Vermont, Sanders urged the Democratic president to inject more urgency into his bid for re-election. He said that unless the president was more direct in recognising the many crises faced by working-class families his Republican rival would win.

“We’ve got to see the White House move more aggressively on healthcare, on housing, on tax reform, on the high cost of prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “If we can get the president to move in that direction, he will win; if not, he’s going to lose.”

The US senator from Vermont added that he was in contact with the White House pressing that point. “We hope to make clear to the president and his team that they are not going to win this election unless they come up with a progressive agenda that speaks to the needs of the working class of this country.”

Sanders’ warning comes at a critical time in American politics. On Monday, Republicans in Iowa will gather for caucuses that mark the official start of the 2024 presidential election.

Biden faces no serious challenger in the Democratic primaries. But concern is mounting over how he would fare against Trump given a likely rematch between them in November.

  • BedSharkPal@lemmy.ca
    1022·
    10 months ago

    Every once in awhile I catch myself thinking about how different the world would have been if Bernie was president and it’s just so fucking sad.

    I get that all the other problems would still exist, but there would be a glimmer of hope to cling on to.

    • rayyy@lemmy.world
      82·
      10 months ago

      It wasn’t just Bernie who got the screws from Democrats. Henry Wallace got the same shaft from Democrats. On the other hand, Republicans don’t have populist fliers, they have fascists fliers who are promoted to the top.

    • SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world
      74·
      10 months ago

      A significant portion of the US population think Biden is a communist, how would Sanders have a chance of winning enough votes?

      There’s a reason Trump fought so hard to have Bernie as the democratic nominee in 2020.

    • Yewb@lemmy.world
      0·
      10 months ago

      Remember when debbie Wasserman shutlz stole the dnc nomination from bernie to give it to Hillary?

      That one rug pull gave donnie the win.

        • Facebones@reddthat.com
          0·
          10 months ago

          With an election coming up, the Schrodingers Leftist dilemma is in full force, even on Lemmy -

          Where we’re simultaneously both powerful enough to be personally behind every Republican win of the past 20 years, and also so insignificant that we must be ridiculed and bullied at every turn to remind us that we have NO PLACE in their party they blame us for not backing.

          The best part is that most of the time people hit both sides of the coin in the same comment.

            • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
              01·
              10 months ago

              Centerists, or people who voted for Biden in the primaries tell progressives and leftists we’re minority viewpoints within the Democrat party. Implying that we have no business trying to influence the direction of the party. These same centerists also blame us when their garbage candidates don’t win in the general election and tell us things like “Biden was a good compromise” or “You got pretty much everything you wanted” despite neither of those things being true.

              Centerists got so comfortable winning elections on their own they forgot how to compromise and accuse anyone else trying to negotiate as “throwing a tantrum”.