Bernie Sanders Warns Democrats Could ‘Pave The Way For Another Rightwing Authoritarian To Be Elected In 2024’
In a Tuesday op-ed for The Guardian, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont issued a dire warning for the Democratic Party.
Sanders — who competed in the Democratic Party presidential primaries in 2016 and 2020 — welcomed Joe Biden’s convincing victory over President Donald Trump, but noted that Trump’s popularity has only increased since 2016.
Trump, the senator pointed out, won 11 million more votes this November than four years ago, largely because he managed to increase his support in vulnerable communities, “where unemployment and poverty are high, healthcare and childcare are inadequate, and people are hurting the most.”
Sanders wrote that Trump spent his entire presidency catering to the billionaire class and corporations, while cutting vital programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, social security and waging a war on organized labor.
“Yet, a certain segment of the working class in our country still believe Donald Trump is on their side,” Sanders continued, arguing that Trump has successfully branded himself as a “fighter” who is trying to rid the government of corruption and drain the Washington swamp.
Sanders wrote that Democrats will lose “millions of votes” if they fail to deliver for the working class, and if they let the GOP make advances with those at the bottom of the economic ladder.
Unless Democrats “take on the powerful special interests,” from Wall Street over the pharmaceutical industry to mega-corporations, Sanders warned, a more dangerous figure than Trump could emerge in four years.
“If the Democratic party cannot demonstrate that it will stand up to these powerful institutions and aggressively fight for the working families of this country — Black, White, Latino, Asian American and Native American — we will pave the way for another rightwing authoritarian to be elected in 2024. And that president could be even worse than Trump.”
Democrats, Sanders concluded, have to demonstrate that they are on the side of the American people, and not in bed with corporations, special interest groups and anti-worker forces. If they do so, they will not only strengthen the United States, but increase their chances of winning elections, Sanders concluded.
Prominent progressive figures have issued similar warnings. Notably, in an interview earlier this month, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges said that Biden’s apparent unwillingness to address income and wealth inequality and introduce sweeping changes could lead to a “competent fascist” winning in 2024.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Trump is allegedly already thinking about launching a 2024 bid. In fact, according to some aides, the commander-in-chief may announce his candidacy by the end of the year.
