Former Vice President Joe Biden is moving left to attract progressive voters, but his efforts may not be enough to win their full support.
Nina Turner, Sen. Sanders’ campaign co-chair and an avid progressive activist, recently told The Atlantic how she really felt about having to choose between Biden and President Donald Trump.
“It’s like saying to somebody, ‘You have a bowl of s*** in front of you, and all you’ve got to do is eat half of it instead of the whole thing.’ It’s still s***,” she said.
So much for the “Unity Platform”…
It’s not the first time that Turner has publicly degraded the former VP. in January, she penned a scathing op-ed pointing out that, as a senator, Biden worked with “segregationists” to enact laws that had a direct, negative impact on black Americans.
It is surprising that Turner is publicly airing her grievances at a time when many Democrats are trying to bring the party together in order to defeat President Trump in November. Her tirade is not likely to go unnoticed either. Turner was a prominent figure in Sen. Sanders’ campaign, and some progressive activists are already calling for Biden to consider her as a possible running mate.
Turner isn’t the only progressive who has voiced public disappointment and distrust in the former vice president. Harvard Professor Cornel West recently called former Biden a “milquetoast neoliberal centrist” — which is a deep insult in Lefty Land. Well-known podcast host Joe Rogan, who has voiced support for Sanders in the past, has told his followers that the former VP doesn’t have the mental faculties to serve as President of the United States.
There are many other progressive voters who may not have a public platform but feel exactly the same way as Turner and her fellow activists. While some of these voters may turn up to vote Democrat in the upcoming election just because they hate President Trump, others may opt to stay home rather than make the effort.
There is evidence that the lack of support from Sen. Sanders’ supporters cost Hillary Clinton the election in 2016. It’s not unrealistic to think that history could repeat itself with Biden in 2020.
