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.

  • Facebones@reddthat.com
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    10 months ago

    With an election coming up, the Schrodingers Leftist dilemma is in full force, even on Lemmy -

    Where we’re simultaneously both powerful enough to be personally behind every Republican win of the past 20 years, and also so insignificant that we must be ridiculed and bullied at every turn to remind us that we have NO PLACE in their party they blame us for not backing.

    The best part is that most of the time people hit both sides of the coin in the same comment.

    • Grayox@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      You can look at my post history and see I’m pretty far left, but I’ll be pinching my nose and voting for Joe Brandon, the reason the GOP has built so much power over the years is because their base always pinches their nose and toe the party line. Voting for the lesser evil is still keeping less evil out of the world.

      • Facebones@reddthat.com
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        10 months ago

        Voting for less evil is still addition of evil. Everyone parrots this “blue no matter who” shit but dems have done nothing to stop fascism or serve the needs of citizens, because they benefit from those systems and citizens going without. Voting mid right instead of far right is still voting for the right, voting Democrat doesn’t stop the march to fascism, it just delays the official kick off date by 4 years as Republicans continue to seize power unchecked from the bottom up.

        I’ve always voted third party and will continue to do so cause I’m over this vote between fascism and fascism but with a rainbow pin on its cap. If Democrats wanted the votes to beat Trump, they should have run Bernie who won the primary in 2016 instead of running status quo Hillary then having a court decree that their voters are, legally, not shit to them.

        I’ve said it before and I’ll keep shouting it from the rooftops - if leftists are so fucking important to Democrats maybe they should stop dedicating their lives to insulting and belittling us. 🤷

        • Draedron@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          10 months ago

          If you vote third party you have no right to cry when Trump win. You are as much responsible for it as anyone who didnt vote.

          • Facebones@reddthat.com
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            10 months ago

            If you vote Democrat you have no right to cry when Trump win. You are responsible for voting for a party that explicitly demonizes half of their supposed base as they screech at us for not voting for them.

          • Facebones@reddthat.com
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            10 months ago

            “I’m so against moving away from my right wing duopoly I’m going to call the guy who’s only a few shades less right wing and has done nothing to stem the rise of fascism because his party benefits from the same mechanisms being exploited by fascists ‘oUr OnLy ChAnCe.’”

            Voting for Biden doesn’t stop fascism, it delays it for 4 years as dems continue to turn a blind eye to fascists overriding every system from the bottom up until next time.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It’s not the leftists. Oh the Democrats blame it on them. But we saw this in 2016 with Hillary. It’s a hurt working class that feels like they’re being ignored.

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        “leftists” is just what the centerists are willing to call us even if it’s not technically correct. The point is they blame us for not winning the general elections but outright vote against us in the primaries. It’s fucking pathetic.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          All I know is I get called a socialist all the time and I can’t get in contact with this Soros guy for my check. Seriously though, it is pretty screwed when you can tell whose going to get the nomination by who gets the party chair positions.

    • willis936@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      If Biden doesn’t at least say he wants to do something about housing affordability then I won’t be voting. I’ve voted blue my entire life.