Democratic Primaries

JoeOtterbein

(7,793 posts) Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:26 PM Apr 2020

Leftward ho! Biden pivots to progressives

Politico

In a bid to assuage skeptical Sanders voters, Biden proposes expanding Medicare and forgiving some student debt. But they're still wary.

By MARC CAPUTO

04/09/2020 05:55 PM EDT

The day after his last opponent dropped out of the presidential race, Joe Biden took the rarest of turns for a Democratic nominee: to the left.

Biden shed any pretense about his need to win over Bernie Sanders voters when he announced a pair of proposals Thursday aimed at assuaging wary progressives: lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 years old, and forgiving all student debt for low- and middle-income people who attended public colleges and universities, as well as those who attended private Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other institutions that serve minority students.

While unorthodox for a general election nominee, Biden’s decision not to move to the center was both a tacit admission that he has a problem with young and progressive voters, as well as a gamble that he can remain the real centrist in the race against President Donald Trump.

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more at link

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

12 replies

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Highlight:

Leftward ho! Biden pivots to progressives (Original Post) JoeOtterbein Apr 2020 OP

lol the delusion that nobody except bernie people are progressive dies hard nt msongs Apr 2020 #1

That It Does, Ma'am The Magistrate Apr 2020 #3

I say let them think they've won HarlanPepper Apr 2020 #8

Exactly ibegurpard Apr 2020 #9

I'd say with what we're going through, things will be quite a bit different. How many people brewens Apr 2020 #2

These were already positions favored by Democrats TexasTowelie Apr 2020 #4

The left and progressive policies existed before all candidates. Don1 Apr 2020 #5

If this narrative moves people to accept Biden ibegurpard Apr 2020 #7

It's like Democrats have had squid on the menu forever and someone betsuni Apr 2020 #10

Whatever works ibegurpard Apr 2020 #11

These are good policies. Don1 Apr 2020 #6

Jesus. ismnotwasm Apr 2020 #12

msongs

(70,249 posts)

1. lol the delusion that nobody except bernie people are progressive dies hard nt

Reply to JoeOtterbein (Original post)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:28 PM

Apr 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

The Magistrate

(96,043 posts)

3. That It Does, Ma'am

Reply to msongs (Reply #1)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:35 PM

Apr 2020

Both these things have been proposed by many, for some time, and even to a greater degree --- dropping Medicare eligibility to fifty-five, for instance. They have been around so long and so widely that no recollection survives to me of when and by whom they were first proposed.

The commentariat seems to determined to maintain its chosen narrative, derived from rigorous readings of tweets on Twitter, that Sanders is pulling the Party to the left. Actually it is quite clear that the energy in the Party today comes from a rank and file which detests Sanders as a wrecker, and that the energy of the election will come from middle of the road types disgusted with the cheap thug Trump. As it did in 2018.

"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

HarlanPepper

(2,042 posts)

8. I say let them think they've won

Reply to msongs (Reply #1)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:53 PM

Apr 2020

Whatever gets mouths shut and butts to the polls I'm fine with. This isn't going to be a policy-ideas election anyway. it's going to be a referendum on the incompetent incumbent election.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

ibegurpard

(16,884 posts)

9. Exactly

Reply to HarlanPepper (Reply #8)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:54 PM

Apr 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

brewens

(15,359 posts)

2. I'd say with what we're going through, things will be quite a bit different. How many people

Reply to JoeOtterbein (Original post)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:33 PM

Apr 2020

will be ruined financially by this, if we let it be that way? I don't think we have to. Enough has been looted from us over that last 40 years to cover every dime of this and still leave the 1% fabulously wealthy.

I would say it's really practical to move left right now. there won't be any better time.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

TexasTowelie

(117,365 posts)

4. These were already positions favored by Democrats

Reply to JoeOtterbein (Original post)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:37 PM

Apr 2020

long before Bernie Sanders came on the scene.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Don1

(1,659 posts)

5. The left and progressive policies existed before all candidates.

Reply to TexasTowelie (Reply #4)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:45 PM

Apr 2020

Before I was born definitely.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

And movements.

Go Democrats!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

ibegurpard

(16,884 posts)

7. If this narrative moves people to accept Biden

Reply to TexasTowelie (Reply #4)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 05:47 PM

Apr 2020

Who might otherwise be skeptical then who cares. We need all the votes we can get in the states we need to flip. Not just to get Biden elected but to flip the Senate as well.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

betsuni

(27,285 posts)

10. It's like Democrats have had squid on the menu forever and someone

Reply to TexasTowelie (Reply #4)

Thu Apr 9, 2020, 06:04 PM

Apr 2020

comes along and talks about how great calamari is, why don't Democrats serve calamari, calamari used to be radical until I talked about it and now it's mainstream. Fine. Call it something else. It's still squid.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden