The Democrat Party’s transition into radicalism is so obvious that you’d have to put blinders on in order to miss it. Reforms and policies which progressives are rallying behind are further to the left than ever and inherently controversial. Many Americans have stated that this far-leftism will exist to the downfall of the Democrat Party as a nominee goes on to battle President Trump in the general election.
However, there still remains at least one Democrat candidate who takes issue with the radicalism of the left-wing and that would be Joe Biden. According to Biden, extremism does not win general elections. Despite Biden being relatively moderate in compared to his more progressive opponents, he too has moved further to the left in order to appeal to more Democrat voters, as documented by Fox News.
Reviewing Biden’s Take on Far Leftism
At this time, Biden retains his status as the frontrunner of the Democrat Party; however, the extent of his lead has significantly declined since his performance at the first primary debate. Furthermore, Biden continues to take hits from his own party, namely from progressives who harbor concerns about where the former vice president stands on the issues. Progressives have made their desire for a far-left nominee as apparent as possible.
During an interview with CNN, Biden responded to his left-wing critics who are eager for a more progressive candidate to lead their party. The former vice president asserted that most Democrat voters aren’t extreme leftists and that left-leaning moderates are the ones who win general elections.
In Biden’s own words:
“That’s what this election is about. I’m happy to debate that issue and all those issues with my friends because guess what, look who won the races. Look who won last time out. By the way, I think Ocasio-Cortez is a brilliant, bright woman, but she won a primary. In the general election fights, who won? Mainstream Democrats who are very progressive on social issues and very strong on education and health care.”
Winning a General Election
From a purely objective standpoint, Biden’s assertion that radicalism doesn’t win general elections is correct. However, this does not mean that Biden will win a general election or even be chosen as the nominee to represent the Democrat Party.
The former vice president shouldn’t get complacent, though because as a whole, the Democrats are extreme. Various factions of the Democrat Party have also made it clear that a staunchly far-left candidate is their desired pick to run against President Trump in the general election.
It’s also important to remember that the extent Biden’s lead as frontrunner has significantly diminished. Only time will tell which candidate becomes the nominee for 2020.
What do you think about Joe Biden’s assessment of leftist extremism? Sound off in the comments section below!
