Opinion: Biden would be the most progressive president since LBJ

[Barack Oganja]

Biden is being dogged by younger voters for his moderate credentials, but he's only really moderate in comparison to Bernie, who to his credit has dragged the country leftwards on a number of issues.  Biden is advocating for expansion of healthcare, action on climate change, raising the minimum wage, higher taxes for the wealthy (yes, look it up), and a whole bundle of other things further to the left of any recent Dem nominee. As time has gone on, the party and the country have moved left on a number of issues, and Biden reflects that. It makes no sense to bring up votes he made in the 80s, it was a different country. How much he would get passed depends on what kind of numbers we have in Congress, but a Biden administration would reflect the times. If anything, I think the fact that he is branded as a moderate while still supporting a lot of progressive policies that are popular with the general population will be a big help.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Yes, it’s a flawed notion that Biden = moderate / centrist. I don’t know what prompts the perception that he’s a moderate, maybe his appearance? The mistake in your post is “Bernie, who to his credit has dragged the country leftwards on a number of issues.”

I don’t agree that Bernie dragged the country leftward; only a portion of the Democrat party. Independents, moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats remain the same and are wary of him. Bernie polls worse than Biden in national polls for this reason.

Once casual voters, who don’t follow politics intensely, begin to look further into Biden, they will realize that he is a far-left candidate; and his support will decrease.

Really? Is this why most young people have a more positive view of socialism now than of capitalism? And is it a coincidence that those same young people by and large support Bernie by massive margins? If winning the hearts and minds of the youth, who don’t have their parents and grandparents aversion / fear of the ‘Socialist’ label isn’t moving the country left, I don’t know what is.

[brucejoel99]

Joe Biden would be the most progressive President in modern American political history, period.

[Catalyst138]

Yes, it’s a flawed notion that Biden = moderate / centrist. I don’t know what prompts the perception that he’s a moderate, maybe his appearance? The mistake in your post is “Bernie, who to his credit has dragged the country leftwards on a number of issues.”

I don’t agree that Bernie dragged the country leftward; only a portion of the Democrat party. Independents, moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats remain the same and are wary of him. Bernie polls worse than Biden in national polls for this reason.

Once casual voters, who don’t follow politics intensely, begin to look further into Biden, they will realize that he is a far-left candidate; and his support will decrease.

Biden is a moderate in the current political climate. If you plop Modern Biden into 1980 then yeah, he’d be far left, especially on social issues. But in 2020 he is a centrist. The Overton Window changes.

Biden WOULD be the most progressive president since the 60’s, but only because the country from 1970 to 2010 was fairly conservative, relatively speaking.

[Hammy]

All this shows is how far right the standards are to be a Dem president.

[Lognog]

Yes, it’s a flawed notion that Biden = moderate / centrist. I don’t know what prompts the perception that he’s a moderate, maybe his appearance? The mistake in your post is “Bernie, who to his credit has dragged the country leftwards on a number of issues.”

I don’t agree that Bernie dragged the country leftward; only a portion of the Democrat party. Independents, moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats remain the same and are wary of him. Bernie polls worse than Biden in national polls for this reason.

Once casual voters, who don’t follow politics intensely, begin to look further into Biden, they will realize that he is a far-left candidate; and his support will decrease.

Really? Is this why most young people have a more positive view of socialism now than of capitalism? And is it a coincidence that those same young people by and large support Bernie by massive margins? If winning the hearts and minds of the youth, who don’t have their parents and grandparents aversion / fear of the ‘Socialist’ label isn’t moving the country left, I don’t know what is.

yeah, remember when Medicare buy in was the most extreme healthcare position on the left?
that was about five years ago. the Overton window has moved such that now many moderate Republicans are advocating for it (not elected just common people). Also, as far as moving the country left on climate, now carbon nuetral by 2050 is considered moderate. Without him Trump would just be moving the country futher and further right

[Progressive Pessimist]

I agree. And that would have been true of a President Hillary Clinton too.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I agree. And that would have been true of a President Hillary Clinton too.

[Xing]

Quite possibly (if he really does take up a few of Sanders’s or Warren’s ideas), but honestly that says more about how right-wing presidents in this country have been than it does about Biden.

[SWE]

I'm skeptical of this, but even if true, "most progressive out of a group with no progressives" is hardly a feat.

[bagelman]

Honestly, if he's more progressive than Bill Clinton, he's good enough. Even if he's to the right of Obama.

[Bidenworth2020]

Biden's would be the most progressive president in American history, although not as ambitious as FDR/LBJ.

[Catalyst138]

Biden's would be the most progressive president in American history, although not as ambitious as FDR/LBJ.

On social issues, he’s by far and away the furthest left of any president.
On economic issues, he is in no way as leftist as FDR.

[Pericles]

No President has ever been perfect for progressives, but several have been good enough and have made America fairer and more prosperous. I believe Joe Biden can be one of those Presidents.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

No President has ever been perfect for progressives, but several have been good enough and have made America fairer and more prosperous. I believe Joe Biden can be one of those Presidents.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Biden will govern much like Obama did, he already said he doesnt support a socialist agenda.  He is gonna raise taxes on the rich, but not to the degree of Medicare for all and total wipeout of student loans. Alot of that money is gonna be used for rebuilding the infrastructure and the economy that was torn down by Trump. Biden is a pragmatist and will have a divided Congress government

[Mr. Smith]

Counter: The Republican nominee of 1980, even John Anderson, would've been to the right of Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon no matter what, and arguably the furthest right since...nay, moreso than Coolidge.

And yet, you did not see this kind of complacency, even as Carter was struggling and making America look weak.

They went with the unthinkable Reagan, he that gave the race to Carter in '76 in the first place! That revolution could've failed, but this did not stop the GOP from trying...never mind the last radical was Goldwater.

[Orwell]

Yes, it’s a flawed notion that Biden = moderate / centrist. I don’t know what prompts the perception that he’s a moderate, maybe his appearance? The mistake in your post is “Bernie, who to his credit has dragged the country leftwards on a number of issues.”

I don’t agree that Bernie dragged the country leftward; only a portion of the Democrat party. Independents, moderate Republicans, moderate Democrats remain the same and are wary of him. Bernie polls worse than Biden in national polls for this reason.

Once casual voters, who don’t follow politics intensely, begin to look further into Biden, they will realize that he is a far-left candidate; and his support will decrease.

Please explain to me how Biden is far left? Oh wait he isn't, the United States is just backwards to the point where Homophobic racists still have a platform and aren't immediately thought to be the far-right morons they are.

[Dac10]

In my opinion when it’s not a situation where it’s obvious, it doesn’t matter what a Presidneg may personally believe, but what they actually passes. No one would call LBJ progressive if he believed the same things, but didn’t actually manage to pass anything in the Great Society. It’s the same reason Hillary absolutely would not have been remembered as a great progressive President. She’s seen being establishment, and unlike LBJ, wouldn’t have actually passed any progressive legislation (or pass anything on the Dem agenda whatsoever lol)

[Epaminondas]

All this shows is how far right the standards are to be a Dem president.

I'm skeptical of this, but even if true, "most progressive out of a group with no progressives" is hardly a feat.

[President Johnson]

I always found the narrative "Joe Biden represents the status-quo" ridiculous and never understood how members of the media are pushing this message and that he just wanted to take the country back to 2016. It's not true and ignorant. Even if only half of his program would be enacted, it would be the most far reaching reform program in decades. The idea Joe Biden represents the status-quo is a very ill-informed take. He may be old fashioned by wanting to return to sanity and stable leadership, but we see what happens if the president is acting like clown and abandoning allies around the world. The times we now live in cry for a stable and steady leader who knows how to work the global partners and knows how to get stuff done.

[W]

Maybe so. But there hasn't been an even vaguely economically progressive president since FDR.

[Roronoa D. Law]

Maybe so. But there hasn't been an even vaguely economically progressive president since FDR.

A lot of that was able to pass because it didn't benefit black people.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

A President Sanders or President Biden would really only be as progressive as the Congress that is elected with them

[NHI]

Joe Biden would be the most progressive President in modern American political history, period.

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