Sanders praises Kamala Harris as “an asset” for Biden, demonstrating party unity | American News



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Bernie Sanders praised Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s pick for his running mate on Sunday, as the Democratic Party tried to project an image of unity ahead of this week’s national convention, where Biden is expected to be officially nominated as a candidate. in the presidential election of the party.

Sanders, the progressive senator from Vermont who clashed with both Biden and Harris earlier this year as they all vied for their party’s presidential nomination to face Donald Trump in the November general election, hailed Harris as “an advantage”.

“I believe Kamala, as someone who has known her for several years, is incredibly smart, tough and I wouldn’t want to be vice president. [Mike] Think about a debate with her, ”Sanders said during an appearance on ABC’s political talk show This Week.

“I think she’s an asset to the Biden campaign and I think she’s going to do a good job during the election campaign.”

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) and its Republican counterpart (RNC) are traditionally two of the most high-profile weeks in the U.S. election cycle – a mix of political, theater, and party affairs, in both senses of the word.

Tens of thousands of people typically attend weeklong events. Party delegates from across the country converge on a city to host meetings and events. They fill a large arena to say something proud of their state and wildly applaud the party’s presidential candidate, who officially receives the nomination here.

During the convention, politicians and / or celebrities give speeches in favor of the party candidate, who gives an inspiring speech to top it off.

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the DNC will be completely different. Almost all aspects have been put online.

Billie Eilish and John Legend are among the famous artists, and keynote speakers will include presidential candidate Joe Biden, his running mate, Kamala Harris, political power couple the Obamas and Clintons, and progressive superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.


Photograph: Robyn Beck / AFP

Sanders, the last surviving candidate before Biden got enough votes to win the nomination in the primary campaign, has already criticized his more moderate rivals, particularly attacking their positions on universal healthcare.

Sanders ‘former press secretary Briahna Joy Gray tweeted that Democrats’ choice of Harris, a California senator and former state attorney general she called a “top cop,” showed contempt for the party base at a time of new police protests across the United States.

Sanders, however, said the party was united in its goal. “Obviously there can be disagreements, a lot of my supporters are not thrilled with Joe Biden,” he said.

“But I think there is an overwhelming understanding that Donald Trump must be defeated, Biden must be elected, and the day after he is elected we will do whatever we can to create a government that works for all of us.

Cory Booker, Democratic senator from New Jersey and another former nomination contestant, defended Harris, who is biracial and identifies as black, against recent attacks by Trump that she was “extraordinarily mean,” “a horrible woman. “And” mean “”.

“The words the president used reflect the demeaning and degrading language he used about black people,” he said on Sunday.

“Donald Trump can pick a fight if he wants to, but he’s the proverbial bully in the playground who is about to be knocked out when he takes on this dynamic duo that will beat him in November.

The convention comes as Trump faces growing criticism of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has left nearly 170,000 people dead and infected more than 5.3 million people, according to Johns Hopkins – more than any other country of the world from afar.

In recent days, Trump has also come under fire for attacking the U.S. Postal Service and postal voting, both of which will be crucial in minimizing risk to voters in the November election.

Sanders told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Congress needs to act quickly to resolve the issue.

“Again, this is not a debate about the postal service alone,” Sanders said. “This is important. This is about the future of American democracy and whether people have the right to participate.

“It’s a crisis for American democracy,” Sanders added. “We must act and act now.”

Opinion polls show U.S. voters appear to approve of Biden’s choice of Harris. A new ABC News / Washington Post poll released on Sunday found that 54% of those polled supported while only 29% disapproved. Among black voters, 78% approved.

An NBC / Wall Street Journal poll, meanwhile, shows Biden retains a significant lead over Trump nationally. The results showed that 50% of voters approved of Biden with 41% for the incumbent Republican president.

Biden and Harris will officially accept their party’s nomination this week at the culmination of the four-day convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event, which starts on Monday, was planned as a jamboree with delegates from all states, but was massively reduced to a mostly virtual gathering by the coronavirus pandemic. The Republican National Convention is due to take place next week.

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