It Was Harmful to Paint Joe Biden As the Most Progressive Candidate in History
Liberals are trying to re-define the word progressive
Former President Barack Obama was the first to say that Joe Biden,
Already has what is the most progressive platform of any major-party nominee in history.
Since then, others in the media have written pieces agreeing with this statement. What I find interesting is that none of these claims come from people who actually call themselves progressive. They’re from liberals trying to sell that Biden will be a good president to the group of people who are skeptical. The progressives.
We didn’t buy it during the election, and we aren’t buying it now as Biden waits to take office in less than a week.
I’m not here to say that Joe Biden was, or was not, the most progressive candidate in history. That can be debated by others. What I am here to say is that framing Joe Biden as the most progressive candidate in history was a bad faith attempt at trying to give people a false impression.
The problem I have with this framing is that it’s similar to saying on an 85-degree day in June that it’s the coldest day of June because every day prior was above 85 degrees. Sure, it’s technically true, but nobody would use the word “cold” to describe an 85-degree day. Just like we shouldn’t use the work “progressive” to describe Joe Biden.
Instead of comparing candidates from today to those of 60 years ago on the scale of “progressive” or “conservative,” we need to compare them to modern-day opinions and expectations. Based on current-day attitudes of the public, Biden is not progressive and therefore should not have been called the most progressive candidate in history.
Have we already forgotten the reason Biden was selected as the Vice President in 2008 was that they needed a more moderate (and white) face to go with Obama and comfort centrist Democrat voters?
It’s no secret to anyone who follows me on Twitter that I don’t like Biden, and don’t think he’ll be a good president. But what we should expect from the media is honesty, and that’s something we have severely lacked since the Democratic Primary began one year ago.
I have my opinions and complaints about Biden. But this right here is about a failure of the media as they continue to become hyper-partisan and pick the facts that support their story instead of letting the facts tell the story.
Joe Biden Is Not Progressive
The one statement that sticks in my mind is something Biden said to big-money donors back in June:
Nothing will fundamentally change.
Anyone paying attention to the progressive movement knows they’re demanding structural changes because of problems that are causing economic, physical, and mental harm to people. Saying that if you’re elected nothing is fundamentally going to change is a declaration that you’re not going to try and solve those problems in any significant way.
Biden has already made clear he isn’t going to pursue strong Executive Action orders as it specifically relates to progressive and racial equity ideas. As he says, he wants to work with Congress, yet another red flag. He, like Obama before him, is already laying the groundwork to later blame others for the lack of positive outcomes.
Just weeks ago Biden was talking about the importance of winning both Georgia run-off elections because it meant Democrats could pass $2,000 COVID relief checks. Well, earlier today he back-tracked on that (before even taking office) and it appears the reason is he meant he would turn the $600 into $2,000.
The media loves pointing to his cabinet appointments of diverse individuals. They say it’s a nod to progressives. Meanwhile, progressives are quick to point out that the politics of those cabinet members are far from progressive. You don’t have to look hard to find diverse and progressive individuals that should be in his cabinet, yet aren’t.
I would hate to forget his history of calling for cuts to Social Security, dropping out of a presidential race due to plagiarism, writing and championing the harmful Crime Bill, and being a pro-war advocate.
Why Is This Worth Talking About Now?
The election is over, Biden has won, and will be President of the United States beginning January 20. So why bring this up now?
Because I’m already seeing the media parade that carried on throughout Obama’s presidency and led to the shocking victory of Donald Trump in 2016. When the media and those with a large following distort facts, it’s harmful. It’s harmful to voters and harmful to this country.
When you say the economy is doing great because the stock market rose, people living paycheck to paycheck can see that’s just not true. They stop believing what you say and start believing someone who says the things they feel and experience.
The media needs to be better. They fumbled their way through four years of Trump, who in my opinion would have been re-elected had it not been for the drastic mismanagement of his COVID response.
But, I also bring this up because I view this framing and wording of Biden as a progressive as an actual attack on the progressive movement, not a gesture of good faith as the authors of these articles try to portray it.
They are trying to reign in the progressive movement to a close-to-center position that more accurately describes Biden’s political leaning. They’re trying to re-define the word because it’s gaining popularity.
It’s a smart play on their part. But it’s also an attempt to undermine a grassroots movement to convey success and progress without any of the actual results.
