Biden is an 'effective' POTUS and Dems need to end 'circular firing squad': Bernie Sanders

13 July 2024

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has come out forcefully for President Joe Biden to be the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential nominee, and he's urging Democrats in Congress to unite around the president in order to address the threat posed by former President Donald Trump's candidacy.

In a recent op-ed for the New York Times, Sanders praised Biden as "the most effective president in the modern history of our country" despite his many disagreements with his 2020 Democratic primary rival. He added that Trump — who he referred to as a "demagogue and pathological liar" — was too great of a threat for Democrats to remain divided about the incumbent president.

"[Biden] is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump," the Vermont senator wrote. "It’s time to learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France who, despite profound political differences, came together this week to soundly defeat right-wing extremism."

As Sanders referenced, the second round of French elections, in which the far-right National Rally was denied a majority in parliament despite being projected to win, leftist and centrist politicians joined forces to prevent authoritarian Marine Le Pen's party from controlling France's government. He called out both beltway media outlets and Democrats proposing Biden step aside with less than four months before Election Day, and reminded them what's at stake if Trump wins this fall.

"The media has frantically searched for every living human being who no longer supports the president or any neurologist who wants to appear on TV. Unfortunately, too many Democrats have joined that circular firing squad," Sanders argued. "Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump. But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate."

"Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate," he added. "And with an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking."

The Vermonter's endorsement is significant for the 46th president of the United States, who has so far had 19 Democrats — including Vermont's junior U.S. senator — call for him to end his reelection campaign. Sanders is regarded as the most high-profile progressive in Congress, very nearly won the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination and won millions of votes in the 2020 primary before eventually conceding to Biden.

Sanders made it clear that his endorsement still does not mean he shares Biden's point of view on many issues. In fact, the independent senator, who is Jewish, asserted that he still "strongly" disagrees with Biden's full-throated support of Israel as it continues its offensive in Gaza. He also maintained that he disagrees with the president's view that the Affordable Care Act is sufficient to address the injustices in the U.S. healthcare system.

And while Sanders reminded readers that while "those are not my only disagreements with Mr. Biden," he nonetheless maintained that the president has "a strong record" to run on. He observed that the 2024 election "offers a stark choice on issue after issue," and that his former rival has accomplished significant progress on recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and rebuilding the economy.

"If Mr. Biden and his supporters focus on these issues — and refuse to be divided and distracted — the president will rally working families to his side in the industrial Midwest swing states and elsewhere and win the November election," he wrote. "And let me say this as emphatically as I can: For the sake of our kids and future generations, he must win."

Click here to read Sanders' full op-ed for the Times (subscription required).

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