Democratic Party Unity Under Biden: A Foolish Pursuit or a Reasonable Goal?
Grace Rapaski, Staff Writer
In June 2020 it was confirmed that Joe Biden would be the Democratic party’s presidential nominee—just seconds later came an unrelenting storm of critique. It was Millennial and Gen Z Democrats, disheartened by Biden’s victory in the primaries over more left-leaning candidates like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, who drove this backlash.
When Joe Biden was declared victorious in the Democratic primaries, young leftists were still mending their wounds from nearly four years of Donald Trump and the tumultuous political climate he helped incite. What we craved was sweeping change, a dismantling of our inherently corrupt systems, a recrafting of the American status quo. What we were given was a moderate Democratic candidate running a campaign representing a lot of smaller steps; steps that do not compliment our ambitious visions. To many progressives like myself, it felt like a bit of a tease. To most of the Democratic establishment, it felt very tactical.
Now 2021 is in full swing and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the sitting President and Vice President of the nation. Although young liberals are overjoyed to see Trump out of the White House, there still exists a common feeling of concern that the Biden/Harris agenda will not attack issues of climate change, systemic racism, healthcare disparities, and economic injustice with the degree of revisionist energy progressives seek.
Over the last few years, young leftists from across the country have mobilized in outcry against systems of oppression. They are not seeking moderate reform but a subversion of the American status quo.
Democracy Journal
Over the past decade, there has been much speculation that far leftists will breach from the Democratic party and form their own affiliation. It is this younger wing of the democratic party who are the voices so disillusioned with establishment politics. We see establishment politics and the hegemonic systems nurturing it as entities reinforcing the power of privileged, white men, large corporate businesses, and a neoliberalist philosophy. We see the political establishment and our own party easily monopolized by big money and thus representative of the desires of a select few. We, on the other hand, are a generation for the people, for the underdog, for the common folk and are cognizant that the contemporary establishment is not designed to cater to this demographic. To be clear, “we” are not just a bubble of zealous, opinionated Berkeley students; 42% of Gen Zers who identify as liberal are registered as independent voters, reflecting their less favorable approval ratings of Biden, congressional Democrats, and the binary party system. These 42% are significantly more open to substantial societal transformation compared to their older, moderate-leaning counterparts.
In 1994 Joe Biden took great pride in the passage of an extensive crime bill in which he was one of the lead writers. This piece of legislation is harshly scrutinized by contemporary liberals for being crafted hand in hand with segregationists.
John Duricka/Associated Press
Kamala Harris alleges she took on the role as a prosecutor to be “a voice for the voiceless and vulnerable,” but her track record reveals a different narrative.
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, familiar establishment faces for decades, have had countless opportunities to confront pivotal issues and procure their reputations. One of Biden’s most contentious decisions was his vote in favor of the 1994 Crime Bill which undeniably exacerbated the issue of mass incarceration and disproportionately harmed black and brown Americans. Kamala Harris, a once self-proclaiming “progressive prosecutor'' has a history of being tough on crime, boasting of prosecuting parents for truancy. Harris, a disputed character among liberals, received much criticism while serving as San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General for often seeking to further her own reputation at the expense of marginalized groups. In tracing their political careers, it can be objectively stated that both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have continuously proven unwilling to embrace too “radical” an agenda in fear of threatening our political, economic, and legal institutions.
Knowing the overall stance of the Biden/Harris administration, it would surely take a number of tangible steps for them to potentially win over the younger generation of progressives. The most pressing matters on the minds of leftists today are enstating a universal healthcare system, abolishing ICE, dismantling the carceral state, relieving student-debt, and working towards a Green New Deal. Joe Biden, advertising a slogan of “Build Back Better, Unite for a Better America,'' certainly has some more moderate plans to address these issues but also seems willing to meet the progressive wing of his party somewhere in the middle. His first day on the job, Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, signed an executive order to include undocmunted immigrants into the 2021 census, reaffirmed DACA, and requested an extension of the freeze on student-loan payments. Recently, Biden’s $1.9 trillion covid relief bill passed through congress, guaranteeing Americans a $1,400 stimulus check, a $300 per week unemployment insurance supplement, an expansion of the child tax credit, and increased funding for vaccine distribution. His administration as well as Congressiona l Democrats are currently fighting for a $15 minimum wage and an extension of Obama’s Affordable Care Act that will give Americans a public insurance option. Biden vows to prioritize the climate crusade, a critical issue for progressives, at the top of his list of plans. Although no Bernie Sanders, Biden has been surprisingly ambitious given his reputation. But is all of this enough to satisfy us?
As a young, ardent leftist I have recently felt more hopeful for what is to come seeing as Biden has a much more progressive agenda than I expected. Although I do not foresee systematic overhauls in the Biden era or think it is rational to have that expectation from him (remember, we settled for Biden), I see him picking up the pieces from a volatile presidency and working closely with more left-leaning politicians. I talked to some fellow young progressives (from UC Berkeley and other campuses) in attempts to understand if there is a scenario where Joe Biden can deliver to them or if they think party unity is a lost cause.
Jessica Blelloch is a native San Franciscan and outspoken environmentalist here at UC Berkeley. She currently works for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition which is one of the largest bicycle advocacy groups in the county, aiming to promote environmental and social justice in the city streets. Jessica, a steadfast optimist, recognizes the stark division along party lines but holds a glimmer of hope for party unity: “Throughout Biden’s candidacy I witnessed countless peers state they wouldn’t even vote if Bernie wasn’t nominated citing the fact that Biden was much too moderate. I personally find this ridiculous. Although I love Bernie’s policies, he simply would not have won and those refusing to vote for Biden would be stuck with Trump for another 4 years. Now that Biden has been elected, I believe there have been much greater shows of unity in the Democratic Party. This may be due in part to the pandemic, but I believe Biden has made a great effort in his first month in office to implement policies to please his far-left constituents.”
In line with this optimism, I also received an up-beat take from Jessica regarding Biden’s climate plans: “When I read about the executive orders President Joe Biden signed in his first hours in office, I could have cried with joy. Not only did Biden re-enter the Paris climate accords, he revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, reversed rollbacks on vehicle emission standards, and instated a temporary moratorium on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. With so much of Biden’s environmental goals being coupled with a push for job growth in the renewable energy sector, I truly believe that his measures for environmental change will go down in history with bipartisan support.”
Although Biden has not endorsed policy objectives like the Green New Deal, he is surely taking strides to appease his progressive wing. However, for the loud and angry progressive branch, he has his work cut out for him.
Another devout leftist I chatted with was William Taylor, a senior at USC pursuing a global health degree and a future career in international diplomacy. William has some burning takes on Joe Biden, our contemporary two-party system, and critical policy reformation: “In order for Biden to demonstrate his recognition of progressive values there are three/four things he needs to do ASAP. Cancel student debt, raise the minimum wage/$2000 stimulus, stop the current immigration practices, and end the current military complex (i.e. stop all wars.) Each is extremely easy in my eyes. The stimulus money needs to be given out. Failure to do so will lose us the upcoming primaries and elections in the future. Minimum wage and student debt continue to harm low income neighborhoods and minorities. The minimum wage should be higher due to the strength of the US dollar. The final issue is immigration policies. Biden has implemented new detention facilities that are basically a cage with a bow on top. It is completely unethical and continues to be an error in human rights.”
In regards to the call for party unity, William is a skeptic at best: “The current administration will soon lose favor with young ‘democrats’ (which are actually progressives) by trying to appease moderates. The two party system does not work, so I expect an offshoot to become available sooner rather than later. To me there are already three parties, the true left (being progressives and socialists), the moderates (the current democratic and republican elites), and the right (right-wing extremists focused on nationalism and conservatism).”
Kaleo Mark is a ringing voice for radical change studying political science at UC Berkeley. While Kaleo hopes Biden will deliver progressive policy goals during his term like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, he is not holding his breath: “While we continue to try and push the Biden administration further to the left, progressives should be organizing grassroots efforts with groups like the Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement to get ready for the 2022 midterm elections and even preparing who we want to run as our candidate in the 2024 democratic primary election.”
Grassroots organizations, esteemed for prioritizing sweeping societal reparations and denying corporate money, are making their way onto the front lines of liberal politics. If all of these interest groups and organizations were to unify, we might be looking at a legitimate third political party.
As we can see, even among college-age leftists exist diverse sentiments concerning party unity and what it entails. In light of these discourses, only time will tell if Biden will manage to garner substantial support from his young, visionary left wing or only further our parties’ divide. Biden, to some extent, may stretch his hand to progressives but who can say if the left will ever reach back in compromise. Biden has certainly begun his four years with eager energy and high aspirations; if his hope is for greater party unity he must not slow down. Now is the time for Biden to explore what is outside of his comfort zone. It is going to be a long and tough ride and he is just getting started.
Keep looking left, Joe.