Bernie Sanders has offered his support to Joe Biden, rejecting calls for the man he describes as the “most effective president in the modern history of our country” to step down in the next US presidential election.
Sanders, the iconic progressive U.S. senator, took to a New York Times op-ed to endorse Biden, who has come under increasing criticism from fellow Democrats over his ability to beat Donald Trump after a disastrous televised debate between the two men.
“Despite my disagreements with him on specific issues, he has been the most effective president in the modern history of our country and is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump – a demagogue and pathological liar,” Sanders wrote.
“It is time to learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France who, despite deep political differences, came together this week to triumphantly defeat right-wing extremism.”
Sanders joins Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another key figure on the Democratic left, in expressing support for Biden, even as more than 20 elected Democrats have called for his resignation, citing his apparent fragility during the debate and his difficult re-election prospects against Trump.
So far, the only Democratic senator to call on Biden to step down is Peter Welch, who, like Sanders, an independent who votes largely with Democrats, represents Vermont.
Democrats who have joined a “circular firing squad” must “stop bickering and nitpicking” over Biden’s performance, Sanders wrote, and start focusing on Trump’s much bigger problems, such as the former president’s felony convictions, his accountability in a sex abuse case, his bankruptcies and what Sanders called “thousands of documented lies and falsehoods.”
“I know: Mr. Biden is old, he is prone to gaffes, he walks stiffly, and he had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump,” Sanders wrote. “But I also know this: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest.”
“Enough is enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and he must be the candidate.”
Biden has said he will not withdraw from the November presidential election, even though polls show him trailing or tied with Trump. Biden said he made a “stupid mistake” by being extremely busy before the debate, including taking tiring international trips.
“Where was Trump?” the president asked of his rival. “Was he riding around in his golf cart? Was he filling out his scorecard before he hit the ball?”
Speculation about the 81-year-old president’s future has prompted Trump and his Republican allies to turn their attention to Kamala Harris, the vice president seen as Biden’s most likely replacement. Trump unveiled a mocking new nickname for the vice president, “Laffin’ Kamala,” which he tested at a campaign rally in Florida this week.
News Source : www.theguardian.com
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