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.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
    51·
    11 months ago

    Eh, Obama went hard on election stuff and so did Bill. This hubris seems recent and tied to a belief that Trump isn’t a serious candidate.

    • Blackmist@lemmy.worldEnglish
      26·
      11 months ago

      Did the same thing with Dubya.

      “That other guy is terrible” is a really bad way to go into an election.

      Neither side knows how to fix things, but one of them lies and says it does. Being the incumbent doesn’t help either, because if you do say you know how to fix things the obvious reply is “well why haven’t you done it then?”

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
        4·
        11 months ago

        Neither side knows how to fix things, but one of them lies and says it does.

        I would argue both sides know how to fix things but neither one is willing to do ALL the work required … especially when it comes to re-regulating Wall St, taxing the rich across the board (like they were post-WW2), and clamping down on the billions of dollars donated through super PACs that essentially buys elections.

      • I Cast Fist@programming.devEnglish
        3·
        11 months ago

        the Clinton campaign proposed intentionally cultivating extreme right-wing presidential candidates, hoping to turn them into the new “mainstream of the Republican Party” in order to try to increase Clinton’s chances of winning.

        Gotta love this 'murican culture of nurturing the worst of the worst then wondering why it backfires. Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and the Colombian drug cartels come to mind.