“Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are expected to continue pushing Biden to endorse a wider range of their policy positions”
A funny thing happened on the way to the Biden coup. The widespread Dem donor revolt has gotten both Schumer and Pelosi to privately pressure Biden to step down. As the number of House and Senate Dems telling Biden, privately and publicly, to leave, where is his support coming from?
The New York Times notes that among the revolting donors, “there are a few exceptions. Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, has been the most voluble supporter of staying the course. Alex Soros, the head of one of the Democratic Party’s most generous families, has urged the party not to abandon Mr. Biden.”
Notably, Bernie Sanders vocally came out in support of Biden staying in. The ‘Squad’, normally troublemakers, has either stayed silent or backed Biden. AOC has also backed Biden.
What’s going on here? Beyond the obvious, following the money, from Soros to the Squad, the Left finds Biden quite useful because he traded his authority to them in exchange for the presidency. Biden cut deals with Elizabeth Warren that stacked the government with her radicals and then Obama negotiated a similar deal for Bernie. Shaking up the system doesn’t benefit them. Maybe Kamala would let them play the same game, but what if it’s someone else? Someone they can’t ride around the barnyard?
And while establishment Dems are terrified of a Trump apocalypse, lefties figure they can do very well for themselves once again by radicalizing their party even further and staging four years of riots. AOC isn’t worried about losing her seat. Neither is Bernie. That’s something for the party leaders to worry about.
Meanwhile, they can cash in their chips for political support.
The endorsements and behind-the-scenes strategizing reflect a careful calculation that Biden offers the best hope for advancing liberal policies — and that such policies offer the best hope for reviving Biden’s political fortunes, according to people close to Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Democrat also has spoken privately with White House officials to push for more aggressive government interventions, particularly on housing, a top concern for young voters, according to two other people familiar with the matter, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect private negotiations.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are expected to continue pushing Biden to endorse a wider range of their policy positions — a strategy that carries clear risks for both sides.
One adviser to lawmakers on the left, speaking on the condition of anonymity to candidly critique the strategy, said: “If Biden’s not going to be president, what do these concessions really do?”
They create facts on the ground. Especially if they can get Biden to move on some policies. Even if they’re not implemented, they create a new high water mark.
The Left knows what it’s doing even if Biden doesn’t.
Article posted with permission from Daniel Greenfield
