Joe Biden Undermined Progressives To Push Through Mitch McConnell’s Coronavirus Aid, Author Says
Author David Sirota, who was a senior adviser and speechwriter for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, claimed on Tuesday that President-elect Joe Biden undermined progressives to ensure that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s coronavirus aid package was passed.
“Buried in a NY Times report is news that Biden played a key role in undermining progressives & helping McConnell halve the stimulus bill – which is another sign that Biden’s longtime austerity zealotry is alive & well. Don’t say you weren’t warned,” he tweeted.
Sirota was referring to The New York Times’ Monday piece that spotlighted the forces behind the passing of the recent stimulus legislation. The piece noted that Biden threw his support between the $900 billion plan that was supported by centrists in the Senate and House and amounted to less than half of the $2 trillion legislation that was proposed by top Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
The publication alleged that Biden’s support of the bill “gave Democrats confidence to pull back on their demands.” According to Republican Sen. Senator Susan Collins, Biden’s intervention was influential on his party’s lawmakers.
Author Matt Stoller also highlighted the revelation in The New York Times’ piece and expressed concern.
“Oh look Joe Biden is why the covid relief package is so small,” he tweeted before he pointed to the article.
According to Stoller, the move is not out of the ordinary for the Democratic Party.
“Democrats aren’t selling out their base or caving, this is who we are. We are the party of people who supported a craven wannabe Instagram influencer as President for eight years because we couldn’t get over our own upper class moral vanity clothed in social justice rhetoric.”
Biden has long touted his ability to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans. As reported by CNN, before announcing his 2020 bid, the former senator embraced his relationships with GOP congressmen and claimed that America needs to begin working together again. But many Democrats have criticized Biden for being overly friendly to Republicans. Notably, Biden praised Republican Rep. Fred Upton during a paid speech ahead of an election against a Democratic opponent who received no praise from the former vice president.
The Biden-backed coronavirus package includes $600 checks for working Americans — half the value of those received in the first round. As The Inquisitr reported, progressives have pushed for as much as $2,000 checks, and Donald Trump was in the process of demanding anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000 checks before he was convinced to back down by White House aides who believed he would blow up negotiations.
