For what was supposed to be a show of unity, the 2016 Democratic National Convention exposed fissures between then-presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and supporters of also-ran Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
With Sanders set to open the 2020 convention on Monday, tensions between the Democratic left and the far-left linger over how the socialist was treated last cycle. They’re just less pronounced thanks to President Trump.
California Democrat Rocky Fernandez joined other Sanders delegates this year in voting online against the party’s 2020 platform. Despite the revolt, the document’s still expected to be rubber-stamped during the convention.
“The platform isn’t bold enough for normal times, much less for times of a pandemic. And we didn’t support it because it really lacks some of the universal programs that we fought for under Bernie Sanders and are incredibly popular with voters,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez cited “Medicare for all,” free college, student debt cancellation, and universal basic income as examples. And the Sanders corner won’t have the chance to amend the platform “from the floor,” given that the convention’s gone virtual — though that’s a rare procedural move anyway.
“It’s a power struggle, and we’re in it for the long haul,” Fernandez said.
Yet, Fernandez can put the friction to one side ahead of the Nov. 3 general election because a “terrible and inept” Trump reinforces what’s at stake. Instead, Fernandez and his colleagues will focus on lifting up far-left down-ballot candidates and issues.
“We need to make sure that those voices are heard, and frankly, we look forward to pushing Vice President Biden and Sen. Harris on all of our progressive ideas once they get into office,” he said.
Sanders dropped out of the 2020 Democratic White House race in April, endorsing Biden five days later. Four years ago, the Clinton-Sanders primary, tainted by allegations of a “rigged” contest, continued until June. Sanders backed Clinton after she clinched the majority of delegates, endorsing her that July.
At the 2016 convention, anti-Clinton jeers and chants disrupted the first night’s proceedings. Even Sanders was booed when he encouraged his base to vote for the former first lady, secretary of state, and New York senator that fall.
In 2020, Biden has made a concerted effort to reach out to far-left Democrats, even before becoming the party’s apparent standard-bearer, his lurch to the left evident throughout his third White House bid.
In March, Biden promised to make public colleges and universities free for low-income students and called for $10,000 in student debt forgiveness as part of the first coronavirus-related economic stimulus package. Then, while not adopting Sanders’s signature government-run “Medicare for all” bill, Biden vowed to lower Medicare’s eligibility age from 65 to 60.
After Sanders suspended his campaign, Biden’s team also agreed to let the senator hold on to hundreds of delegates he amassed during the primary, so they could exert influence on the party’s rules and platform.
Though some delegates were presented with nondisparagement agreements, Sanders-style policy advocates were given a voice via six task forces looking at climate, criminal justice, the economy, education, healthcare, and immigration. Many Unity Task Force recommendations ended up in the party’s draft platform, written by a 15-person panel before it was considered by the full 180-delegate platform committee.
There is one notable omission in the final document: “Medicare for all.” Democrats blocked it from being included in the committee’s amending stage, insisting it was enough to stipulate the party “welcomes” proponents of “Medicare for all.”
Former President Barack Obama this week praised Biden for his camp’s attempt to heal the “internal differences” after a bruising primary.
“I thought that Joe did a wonderful thing, not just politically, but it was the right thing substantively to engage Bernie Sanders after the election,” Obama told David Plouffe, his 2008 campaign manager, Friday.
For Christopher Hahn, the host of the Aggressive Progressive Podcast and a former Democratic strategist, Trump’s shadow over November plus Biden and Sanders’s warmer relationship differentiate this cycle from the past.
“Bernie Sanders clearly had every opportunity to win this election and lost, and I think he recognizes that. The party went in another direction, and Bernie, like every other Democrat, knows how important it is to just be done with this guy and move on,” Hahn told the Washington Examiner of Trump.
Hahn added it was crucial to include Sanders’s “very passionate following” in the platform process.
“Nobody ever doubts in the Democratic Party that Bernie Sanders has the best interest of the country at heart. So, it makes perfect sense for Joe Biden to work with Bernie and give him some concessions where they’re reasonable,” he said.
Bob Mulholland, another DNC member from California, dismissed intraparty fights over the platform.
“Some activists will spend months talking to themselves. Meanwhile, Biden and Harris will talk to the American voters. No everyday voter, over the decades, has ever asked me about our platform,” he said.
