The Working Families Party, which Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called “the closest thing” to “my vision of democratic socialism” when he got the group’s endorsement in 2016, is backing a different horse the time around: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
I’m one of those Sanders’ supporters who switched to Warren probably a year ago (whenever it was that it looked like she was seriously going to run) and for reasons connected to what they’re saying here, particularly this statement —“If our focus is on victory, we can’t be delusional about it,”
A well-known writer recently described Sanders as “wild-eyed, scowling and angry as an Old Testament prophet on the downside of the prediction racket.”
Interesting endorsement from WFP. They have standing in NY. If you read the endorsement it seems that they want the left to consolidate behind one candidate to beat Biden. They picked Warren. I think Camp Bernie and his supporters are probably upset. WFP has been on the fringe for a while but now they look like they want to be a part of the tent and they see Warren as able to build coalitions but steer the party in a more anti-corporate/anti-corruption direction as a priority and not an afterthought.
I think Bernie’s base is a bit more durable than this and I think at the end of the day most of the Bernie inclined will end up voting for him. Can Warren expand her base into centrist Dems, particularly white female HRC voters to offset while retaining enough of the left vote to win?
It is nice to know that the self styled progressives are focused on defeating Democrats while actual Democrats of all stripes are focused on defeating the orange asshole.
Anyone who is for real progressive change recognizes that the Democratic Party establishment is just as much of an impediment to progress as is the GOP. Perhaps even more so, because the Dem establishment are a “wolf in sheeps clothing”, while the GOP is an undisguised wolf.
When it comes to progressive change, the GOP is a blatant enemy, but the dem establishment is an insidious one. Both are relentless and vicious when it comes to preserving the privileges of the donor class they answer to – just ask Julian Castro.
Warren and Sanders have the same general policies and, come down on the same end of the spectrum. I wonder if it’s a matter of something/someone “new” or if it’s because (IMO) Warren presents the politics/ideas/beliefs in a more palatable manor?
The question for me, because I haven’t dug into it much as yet: how much of Bernie’s ideas has she picked up, modified and made more palatable? How much of this is Bernie just being too aggravating to too many voters, particularly after his performance at the end of 2016? And what has Bernie done in the Senate lately to make himself more palatable?
by “actual democrats” you mean the party establishment that is beholden to the donor class? They don’t care about beating Trump half as much as they care about protecting their own fiefdoms. If they wanted to beat Trump, they would find someone far better than Biden to carry their flag. Biden is, however, the best option if the main goal is to prevent real, progressive change from happening.
I admire your work Ms. Riga - but I think “winning” would have been an acceptable journalistic word, rather than ‘grabbing’ - shading it a bit anti-Warren doesn’t seem quite right under the circumstances.