Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman, writing in this morning's WaPo that in the upcoming Presidential election, progressives should work hard to re-elect President Biden, and shun Quixotic candidates on the left:
"Ask a Democrat with a long memory what the numbers 97,488 and 537 represent, and their face will twist into a grimace. The first is the number of votes Ralph Nader received in Florida in 2000 as the nominee of the Green Party; the second is the margin by which George W. Bush was eventually certified the winner of the state, handing him the White House.
Now, with President Biden gearing up for reelection, talk of a spoiler candidate from the left is again in the air. That’s unfortunate, because here’s the truth: The past 2½ years under Biden have been a triumph for progressivism, even if it’s not in most people’s interest to admit it. [snip]
He has been exactly the kind of president the left should hope for, not because he shares its agenda but because his agenda is malleable. What the left needs in a president is someone who can get elected in a closely divided country and whom progressives can influence.
Biden is that president. His convictions are, shall we say, lightly held. He cares more about making deals and signing legislation than holding to progressive principles. But he has been open to the argument that adopting more progressive stances than Barack Obama or Bill Clinton ever dreamed of can be the politically smart move, in part to maintain good relations with the left side of his party. And presenting progressive policy as moderate common sense is one of Biden’s skills." (our emphasis)
We might add the recollection of Putin's useful idiot Jill Stein, whose Green Party candidacy in 2016 siphoned off just enough votes from Secretary Clinton to put the Malignant Loser in the Oval Office. We can't let that happen again.
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