ELECTION 2020
Biden Doesn’t Care About Working With Sanders
The “Unity Task Forces” are a head fake
This article can be found in my “Political Analysis” section.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have had many combative exchanges. However, their relationship seems to have changed since Biden established the Unity Task Forces — six 8-person committees that give Biden policy suggestions. Each committee has a specific issue — (1) climate change, (2) healthcare, (3) education, (4) criminal justice, (5) the economy, and (6) immigration.
Both Biden and Sanders appointed people to these task forces so that they’re both represented. After Sanders dropped out of the Democratic primary, Biden created the task forces to extend an olive branch to Sanders. Now, they can work together to build Biden’s coalition and unify the Democrats.
But in my opinion, Biden doesn’t want to work with Sanders. This is simply an attempt to appease the far-left wing of the Democratic party.
Let me explain why.
Why the Task Forces are Meaningless
Composition of the Task Forces
Let’s start with what these task forces look like. Each committee has 5 members appointed by Biden and 3 members appointed by Sanders.
Why don’t both of them get 4 appointees?
Right off the bat, it seems that Biden wants to maintain control. Maybe when these task forces make decisions, they’ll vote, and Biden’s side will always have the majority.
You may argue that “well Biden is in charge, he should have more say. Bernie should be glad that’s he getting representation at all.”
I disagree with that.
The thing is, Biden would have plenty of representation. He appoints his cabinet and other officials, and most Democrats in Congress support Biden over Sanders. Bernie’s representation being limited in these task forces — his only representation in the Executive Branch — indicates that Biden is putting him in his place. If Biden cared about Sanders’ opinion, then the task forces would be split 50–50.
Honestly, if Biden cared about Sanders’ views, then these task forces would only contain Sanders’ people. Think about it. Why does Biden need to pack these committees with his people? His cabinet and Congress are already filled with politicians who think like Biden. Couldn’t Biden create left-wing committees, then balance them with his advisers? The fact that Biden is limiting Sanders’ say from the get-go is not a good sign for Sanders.
Actually, if Biden really cared about Sanders’ views, he’d appoint Sanders (or someone of Sanders’ choosing) to his Cabinet. Let’s talk about that.
Why the Idea of a Task Force is Meaningless
What is a task force? What are its functions and powers?
Well, the task forces will convene before the DNC this summer. They’ll make policy recommendations to Biden and the DNC. They might also recommend who should be in Biden’s White House — if Biden is elected.
Why do you need a task force? All that’s happening is that Biden would communicate with Sanders’ people to hear their ideas. Couldn’t he just… talk to them? Couldn’t Sanders and Biden just meet regularly and hash out deals? It’d be simple and it would show that they’re cooperating.
Actually, the two of them have talked. That’s what the Democratic debates were for. Biden consistently opposed Medicare-for-All, legal weed, doing a Green New Deal, and other trademark policies of Senator Sanders. The debates proved that Biden and Sanders disagree vehemently and that they likely wouldn’t be able to compromise, which is fine. Biden has been in politics for decades, so I’m not surprised that he’d be set in his ways by now.
However, Biden wants to “re-open” discussion via task forces. But Biden already knows everything that Sanders will say — he doesn’t need a “task force” to help with that. If he wants to talk to Sanders, then talk to Sanders!
Think about this — the task forces don’t have any designated powers or governing responsibilities. So there’s no difference between Biden and Sanders meeting regularly versus them using these task forces. The task forces seem like a way for Biden to say “look what I’m doing! These task forces are so official. You can’t deny that we’re working with the other side of our party.”
What Could Bernie Have Done?
Admittedly, Sanders has a shot at pushing his views, and he should take it. He lost the primary, and there’s seemingly nothing else he could do.
But there are things that Sanders could do. He’s a prominent political figure with an army of grassroots support. He can use the bully pulpit to his advantage.
Let’s say Sanders has just dropped out. He’s still polling well with young people, but Biden isn’t. Sanders has 2 options. First, he supports Biden and gets his base to vote for Biden. Second, Sanders sits out of the election, in which case young voters may not vote at all, making things harder for Biden.
This is leverage. Sanders could demand that Biden enact certain policies or appoint people of Sanders’ choosing in return for Sanders campaigning for Biden. If Biden says no, then Sanders doesn’t help Biden, making Biden’s chances of victory slimmer. This would put Bernie in the driver’s seat.
What Could Sanders Demand of Biden?
Sanders should demand something tangible and with a specific timetable. Here’s an example: Sanders could give Biden a list of 10 executive orders that he needs to sign within the first 100 days of his term.
If Biden is given executive orders, then he has no excuse not to sign them since they don’t need to go through Congress. If Biden promised Sanders that he’d support a certain law, then Biden could just not push for it and then blame Congress for not passing it. If Bernie gives Biden executive orders, however, then there are no hurdles for Biden. Thus, if Biden were not to sign those executive orders, then he’d be going back on his agreement with Sanders. Then Sanders could expose Biden publicly for going back on his promise. Thus, Biden must sign the executive orders to keep Sanders on his side. Checkmate.
Furthermore, the 100-day timetable ensures that Biden doesn’t sit on these executive orders indefinitely. If 100 days pass and Biden doesn’t do anything, then Sanders can publicly pressure him in this scenario as well.
These terms could be negotiated, but the point is that Sanders could have used his leverage to force Biden to do something tangible.
Why Am I Bringing This Up?
Biden was clear that he doesn’t like Sanders’ ideas, so it’s naive to think that these task forces will change Biden’s mind. If Sanders wants to convince Biden, then Sanders needs to play hardball — he needs to give Biden a reason to listen rather than assume that Biden will operate in good faith.
Instead, Sanders promised to support the Democratic nominee no matter who it is. Thus, Biden automatically has Sanders’ support, so Biden doesn’t have to do anything to gain that support. If Bernie won’t ever walk away, then Biden has no incentive to listen to the task forces. Therefore, they’re useless.
Because Sanders played nice, Biden can walk over him.
Conclusion
To be honest, I’m not too concerned with how Sanders in particular is represented in Biden’s White House. We can discuss whether Biden would do a good job, but this is Biden’s (hypothetical) White House, not Sanders’.
Here’s what bothers me. Biden wants left-wing support without actually making compromises and deals.
If Biden just said, “I can’t work with Sanders because we disagree too much,” and then tried to get Sanders’ supporters through genuine discourse, that would be intellectually honest. Hell, he wasn’t afraid of disagreeing with Sanders in the primaries.
But instead, Biden is now acting like he wants to work with Sanders — probably to get Bernie’s voting base in November. It doesn’t seem like Biden actually wants to work with him. It’s disingenuous, and it makes me not trust Biden. If Biden misleads people about his intentions on the campaign trail, how can we trust him if he’s in office? If Biden pretends to sympathize with Bernie’s farther-left vision — but in reality, Biden doesn’t — then how do I know what Joe Biden truly believes?
If politicians want us to trust them, then they should give us reasons to trust them. Remember to Stay Cynical.
