After emerging victorious from a wide array of openly radical candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden claims to bear the flag of the “moderate” wing of the Democratic Party. In the face of recent concerns regarding the threat of socialism, Biden’s response was to reference the Democratic primaries. Specifically, Biden referenced Senator Bernie Sanders, who describes himself proudly as a “democratic” socialist.
“I beat the socialist. That’s how I got elected. That’s how I got the nomination. Do I look like a socialist? Look at my career — my whole career. I am not a socialist.”
Yes, Biden “beat the socialist.” More accurately, he beat the socialists, since Bernie Sanders was far from the only radical on the ballot. However, the fact that he defeated one socialist should not assuage the fears of both conservatives and moderate Democrats that his party will descend into the inescapable abyss guaranteed by a socialist platform.
Looking at Biden’s career — his whole career — doesn’t help.
First, let’s follow Biden’s suggestion and take a look at his whole career. During his 47-years in government, Biden has flipped on almost every fundamental position as required by the politics and culture of the time.
His defining political achievement was the 1994 “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act,” which he now describes as a “big mistake.”
When it comes to China, he has stated that “we are in a competition with China,” that they “are a serious challenge to us,” and that “you bet I’m worried about China.” At the same time, he has held the antithetical position that “They’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They’re not competition for us.”
After voting for decades in favor of abortion control, including saving the Hyde Amendment, he is now promising to “enshrine into federal law the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision upholding abortion rights.” Strange, considering that he described Roe v. Wade as “wrongly decided” and that it “went too far.”
Joe Biden’s career is replete with examples which demonstrate that he is willing to change his mind on seemingly any position if it is politically advantageous. Why should we believe that the same would not be true for socialist positions?
Biden is keeping the seat warm for socialists.
The threat of socialism is not reduced by Biden’s victory in the Democratic primaries or his potential election as President of the United States. While he may claim that “I am the Democratic Party right now,” this simply isn’t true. Sure, Biden is on the campaign bus, but he’s far from driving it.
As “leader” of the party, Biden is already facing criticism for the increasingly “progressive” nature of his manifesto. For example, despite Biden’s “defeat” of “the socialist” during the primaries, open socialists such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are influential figures in the Biden campaign.
However, the issue is not what the Democratic Party pretends to be under Biden, but what it will become after Biden. The brutal fact is that Biden is experiencing rapid mental decline, and it is incredibly unlikely that he would remain in office for his entire first term. Biden has even described himself as a “transition candidate,” saying “you got to get more people on the bench that are ready to go in.” This raises the obvious question: who is on the bench?
The answer, as we are all aware, is California Senator Kamala Harris. While the mainstream media are working overtime to present Harris as a “pragmatic moderate,” nothing could be farther from the truth. Another political chameleon, Harris is no stranger to changing with the times. With the help of the media, Harris has discarded her past “law and order” persona, reinventing herself as a staunch advocate for progressivism. In 2019, GovTrack described Harris as “the most liberal compared to all senators.” Quite a feat.
What does this mean in practice? She has proposed $46 trillion in new spending over the next decade. She was a co-sponsor — alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — of the original Green New Deal. She supports Medicare for All, including healthcare for illegal immigrants. She has repeatedly attacked people for their faith, including demonstrating clear anti-Catholic bigotry. She has compared U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Ku Klux Klan. Finally, Harris is one of many Democrats who view the U.S. Constitution as an inconvenient and irrelevant document blocking ultimate “progress.” Let’s not forget Harris’ penchant for executive orders, such as her call to take executive action on gun control. When Biden pointed out the obvious issue of constitutional authority, Kamala Harris cackled and said, “Hey Joe, instead of saying no we can’t, let’s say yes we can.”
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Biden said, “Do I look like a socialist? Look at my career – my whole career. I am not a socialist.” The only thing Biden’s career has shown is that he is willing to take any position necessary to protect his authority. If that means embracing the radical wing of the Democratic Party, so be it. Meanwhile, true socialists such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will circle his political corpse like hungry vultures, waiting for Kamala Harris to take the reins.
Biden is not, and never will be, an effective means of protection against the extreme radicalism which has already consumed “his” party. The Democratic Party is already lost to socialism. The only way to prevent its further spread is to keep socialism’s Trojan horse from breaching the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Ian Haworth is host of The Ian Haworth Show and The Truth in 60 Seconds. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.