Bernie Sanders: ‘hugely insulting’ if Biden ignores progressives in his administration

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – Left-wing Democratic Party leaders Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren face exclusion from upper echelons of President-elect Joe Biden’s administration as the new president balances the demands of his party’s progressives . against the political realities of a tightly divided Senate.

Liberal senators from New England remain interested in serving in Biden’s cabinet, but even some of their allies admit they face major political hurdles in getting there. Sensing their disappointment, progressive leaders reluctantly began to voice support for less controversial alternatives.

Warren, whose political career has been defined by efforts to diminish the power of the big banks, is the Progressive Movement’s first choice for Treasury Secretary. Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, on Thursday reiterated his desire to become Biden’s labor secretary, describing himself as uniquely placed “to focus on the many crises facing working-class families in this country.”

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Whether or not he’s included in Biden’s cabinet, Sanders has warned Biden not to freeze progressives as he shapes his government.

“It seems pretty clear to me that progressive views need to be expressed within a Biden administration,” Sanders told The Associated Press. “It would, for example, be extremely insulting if Biden put together a ‘team of rivals’ – and there are discussions of what he intends to do – which could include Republicans and conservative Democrats – but who ignored the progressive community. I think that would be very, very unfortunate. “

The scrutiny of Biden’s staffing decisions reflects the enormous pressure the president-elect faces as he assembles a high-level team to execute his political priorities by drawing on his party’s disparate factions. He will certainly face criticism no matter who he chooses for the most powerful positions, but he can perhaps at the least afford to lose the support of his progressive vocal base.

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In a nod to the left wing, Biden’s transition team hired Analilia Mejia, a Sanders adviser who served as political director of his presidential campaign, to work on progressive outreach. Mid-level hires during the transition are unlikely, however, to be enough to satisfy progressives.

Biden told reporters on Thursday he had finalized his choice for Treasury secretary and said the choice would be “someone who will be accepted by all elements of the Democratic Party, moderate and progressive.” He dodged a specific question about Sanders joining his cabinet as he left the stage.

Likely facing a divided Congress that could push back the vast majority of his agenda, Biden is considering a series of executive actions to be implemented by his cabinet that would force significant changes in healthcare, banking, environmental regulations, l immigration and foreign policy, among other major issues.

Biden’s transition team declined to comment publicly on Sanders or Warren.
And while the Progressives have not given up hope that one or both could still be appointed, they have recognized the possibility – even the likelihood – of top Liberal Senators remaining in the Senate.

“It’s safe to say that Elizabeth Warren has definitely won the trust and ear of Joe Biden, and will surely play an influential role in setting the agenda going forward, whether it’s a very powerful senator or a more formal role in his administration, ”said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, among Warren’s most staunch supporters in Washington. “Either way, she will be powerful when it comes to setting the Democratic Party’s agenda.”

Waleed Shahid, a spokesman for Sanders-aligned Justice Democrats, said his group and others recognize that “not all members of the administration will be progressive – that’s not who Joe Biden is” . He said progressives just want “adequate representation” in Cabinet.

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“We are advocating for their inclusion, but we also have backup choices,” he said of Warren and Sanders.

Indeed, liberal groups have attempted to rally with lesser-known progressive leaders such as Michigan Representative Andy Levin for Secretary of Labor and former Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen to head the Treasury Department.

Like their party’s establishment leaders, progressives understand the political challenge Democrats would face if Sanders or Warren left the Senate. In both cases, Republican governors would have the option of appointing their replacements, at least in the short term.

Sanders noted that Vermont Gov. Phil Scott had promised to fill a potential vacancy with an independent who Caucasian with Democrats, just like Sanders.

“Governor Scott is a moderate Republican. He is not a right-wing Republican,” Sanders said. “He understands that this is a progressive state and that the wise and proper thing to do would be, as an interim appointment before the special elections, to appoint someone whose views were consistent with mine.

In the best-case scenario for Democrats, the Senate would be split 50-50 in January when the new Congress is sworn in, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris able to break the tie. But that is only if Democrats win Georgia’s two special elections on Jan.5.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wields great influence over Biden’s Cabinet candidates, regardless of which party ends up taking control.

The top Republican in the Senate has yet to say how he will lead the confirmation process, preferring to wait until Trump accepts the election results and Georgia’s senatorial election proceeds. But Senate Democrats expect McConnell to impose a full-scale blockade on Cabinet choices he doesn’t like.

Biden will be the first modern-day Democratic president to attempt to put together a first-term administration without his party controlling the Senate, a rare dynamic that will unfold in the face of a bitterly divided nation and a hyper-partisan Senate.

The most controversial potential nominees, including Warren and Sanders, would likely struggle to win confirmation. Some are already facing partisan opposition.

Previewing the intense battles to come, Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz produced a series of campaign-style videos pitting both Warren and Sanders against each other.

Yet there is also evidence of resistance from Biden’s own coalition, which includes moderate Democrats, Independents and even Republicans.

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“Choosing Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, who represent the far left – and in Bernie’s case an overtly socialist world view – is not the leadership the American people just voted for,” said Jennifer Horn, co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project which spent millions to support Biden’s presidential candidacy. “I think Joe Biden understands that.”