Advertisement

Progressive Groups Demand Changes From Joe Biden After Bernie Sanders’ Withdrawal

Eight youth-heavy progressive groups challenged former Vice President Joe Biden to adopt a host of left-leaning policy stances in order to earn the support of the young voters who overwhelmingly supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The organizations ― including Justice Democrats, which backs primary challenges against moderate Democratic incumbents, and the youth-focused NextGen America, which is funded by liberal billionaire Tom Steyer ― laid out their demands in an open letter to Biden shortly after Sanders withdrew from the Democratic primary on Wednesday.

Together, the groups promise to spend more than $100 million helping turn out young voters in the coming general election, but they warn that those funds will be less effective if Biden does not accommodate young voters’ policy preferences.

“Messaging around a ‘return to normalcy’ does not and has not earned the support and trust of voters from our generation,” write the progressives groups, which also include the gun safety-focused March for Our Lives Action Fund, the IfNotNow Movement to end the Israeli occupation, the Sunrise Movement for climate action, the immigrant rights group United We Dream Action, Student Action and Alliance for Youth Action. “For so many young people, going back to the way things were ‘before Trump’ isn’t a motivating enough reason to cast a ballot in November.”

“We are uniquely suited to help mobilize our communities, but we need help ensuring our efforts will be backed-up by a campaign that speaks to our generation,” the groups added.

The likelihood that Biden adopts the groups’ ambitious demands varies greatly from one proposal to the next.

The assembled groups ― some of which, like Justice Democrats, are run by younger adults, but do not explicitly target or mobilize young people ― want Biden to sign on to “Medicare for All,” empower the federal government to manufacture generic drugs, back tuition-free public college, get behind a wealth tax, fight to enact a $10 trillion green infrastructure bill capable of making the country’s energy use 100% renewable by 2030, endorse rolling back decades of tougher immigration enforcement, work to halve the country’s incarcerated population, set a goal of halving all national deaths by gun violence, require congressional authorization for any war, as well support the abolition of the filibuster and the expansion of the Supreme Court.

The Democratic Party’s last presidential nominee failed to mobilize our enthusiasm where it mattered. We can’t afford to see those mistakes repeated. Progressive groups' open letter to former Vice President Joe Biden

The letter also features detailed suggestions for how Biden should staff his administration in order to govern in a progressive fashion.

The coalition of groups recommends that Biden appoint elected officials who endorsed either Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as leaders of his transition team, such as Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna and Katie Porter of California, Pramila Jayapal of Washington state and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. They are asking Biden to pledge not to appoint Wall Street executives, corporate lobbyists or any individuals associated with the fossil fuel, health insurance or private prison industries to any roles in either his transition team or his administration itself.

Instead, they want Biden to task a “trusted progressive” with running the White House office in charge of hiring. The organizations are encouraging him to break with the recent Democratic presidential tradition of hiring economic advisers from the business-friendly establishment, and draw from a brain trust of more liberal economists, legal experts, labor leaders and health policy specialists.

Biden, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is his party’s second consecutive standard-bearer to win despite a lack of support from younger voters, who generally skew more liberal in their views. Sanders bested Biden among voters under 30 by significant margins, even in states like South Carolina, where Biden trounced the Vermont senator.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, seen here participating in the March 15 debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), now faces the task of uniting the Democratic Party behind him. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Former Vice President Joe Biden, seen here participating in the March 15 debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), now faces the task of uniting the Democratic Party behind him. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The urgency around pushing Biden to the left ― an unusual move for candidates who have historically sought to project a more moderate image in the general election ― reflects a desire by progressive groups to avoid the apparent mistakes of the 2016 cycle.

Hillary Clinton, who defeated Sanders for the Democratic nomination in 2016, adopted a more progressive college aid proposal afterward. But critics cite her failure to ignite youth turnout as a major reason she ended up losing to Donald Trump in November 2016.

“The victorious ‘Obama coalition’ included millions of energized young people fighting for change,” the authors of Wednesday’s open letter write. “But the Democratic Party’s last presidential nominee failed to mobilize our enthusiasm where it mattered. We can’t afford to see those mistakes repeated.”

It is virtually unthinkable that Biden will accede to every last one of the coalition’s demands. For example, he has made his opposition to Medicare for All a staple of his candidacy.

But in other respects, he has already proven more pliable. After Warren’s withdrawal in early March, he adopted a bankruptcy reform proposal very similar to hers, effectively reneging on his leading role in the passage of 2005 legislation making it harder to declare bankruptcy. And he has also embraced the proposal Clinton backed in 2016 to make public college tuition-free for families earning less than $125,000.

Ben Wessel, a spokesman for NextGen America, said that his group and its allies still want to see more from Biden in terms of climate action, pro-democracy institutional reforms and measures to close the income and wealth gaps.

“He’s started making movements in the last few months, but there’s still room to grow,” Wessel said.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Vice President Joe Biden during an event at the White House in 2017. Obama awarded Biden with the highest civilian honor, commemorating an "extraordinary man with an extraordinary career in public service."
President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Vice President Joe Biden during an event at the White House in 2017. Obama awarded Biden with the highest civilian honor, commemorating an "extraordinary man with an extraordinary career in public service."
Obama, right, speaks as Biden looks on in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 1, 2013. 
Obama, right, speaks as Biden looks on in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 1, 2013. 
Biden kisses his wife, Jill, at the U.S. Capitol after Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president on Jan. 20, 2009.
Biden kisses his wife, Jill, at the U.S. Capitol after Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president on Jan. 20, 2009.
Biden is sworn in by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens during the inauguration of Obama as the 44th president on Jan. 20, 2009.
Biden is sworn in by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens during the inauguration of Obama as the 44th president on Jan. 20, 2009.
Jill and Joe Biden and Barack and Michelle Obama wave to the crowd at "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial" on Jan. 18th 2009.
Jill and Joe Biden and Barack and Michelle Obama wave to the crowd at "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial" on Jan. 18th 2009.
Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Biden (D-Del.) greets potential supporters at a VFW hall on Dec. 2, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Biden (D-Del.) greets potential supporters at a VFW hall on Dec. 2, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) takes the stage with Biden, his vice-presidential pick, on Aug. 23, 2008, in Springfield, Illinois.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) takes the stage with Biden, his vice-presidential pick, on Aug. 23, 2008, in Springfield, Illinois.
U2 frontman Bono walks with Biden to a meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 3, 2007.
U2 frontman Bono walks with Biden to a meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 3, 2007.
Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, listens to opening remarks from General David Petraeus on Capitol Hill on Sept. 11, 2007, in Washington.
Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, listens to opening remarks from General David Petraeus on Capitol Hill on Sept. 11, 2007, in Washington.
Biden, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during an interview in his office about the possibility of war with Iraq and Secretary of State Colin Powell's intelligence briefing of the United Nations Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003.
Biden, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during an interview in his office about the possibility of war with Iraq and Secretary of State Colin Powell's intelligence briefing of the United Nations Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003.
Biden talks with Lt. Gen. Daniel Zanini, commander of 8th Army chief of staff of UNC & USFK, left, and Lt. Gen. William Miller, UNC security battalion commander, on Aug. 11, 2001, at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea.
Biden talks with Lt. Gen. Daniel Zanini, commander of 8th Army chief of staff of UNC & USFK, left, and Lt. Gen. William Miller, UNC security battalion commander, on Aug. 11, 2001, at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea.
Biden, right, questions John Ashcroft during his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, 2001. To his left is Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), far left.
Biden, right, questions John Ashcroft during his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, 2001. To his left is Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), far left.
Gen. Colin Powell and Biden share a light moment during a photo op before a question-and-answer session with the press on Jan. 9, 2001.
Gen. Colin Powell and Biden share a light moment during a photo op before a question-and-answer session with the press on Jan. 9, 2001.
Biden walks through the subway servicing Capitol Hill while the House Judiciary Committee considered impeaching President Bill Clinton on Dec. 16, 1998.
Biden walks through the subway servicing Capitol Hill while the House Judiciary Committee considered impeaching President Bill Clinton on Dec. 16, 1998.
Biden stands with his family on the back of a train after announcing his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on June 1, 1987.
Biden stands with his family on the back of a train after announcing his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on June 1, 1987.
Biden and his wife wave to the crowd after he announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on June 1, 1987.
Biden and his wife wave to the crowd after he announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on June 1, 1987.
Biden at a Senate hearing on Feb. 1, 1986.
Biden at a Senate hearing on Feb. 1, 1986.
Biden with his mother, Jean, speaking on Nov. 7, 1978.
Biden with his mother, Jean, speaking on Nov. 7, 1978.
Biden in a "Bicentennial Minutes" segment, a series of nightly shorts commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution, which aired from 1974-1976, on Aug. 12, 1974.
Biden in a "Bicentennial Minutes" segment, a series of nightly shorts commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution, which aired from 1974-1976, on Aug. 12, 1974.
Biden circa January 1973.
Biden circa January 1973.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.