The Trump-Biden parallel

Trump blew a hole in American politics, and Joe Biden is strolling through it

Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

Joe Biden has taken a commanding lead in the Democratic presidential primary. It is far from over in mathematical terms, but it would take a drastic shakeup of the race at this point for Bernie Sanders to mount a comeback. His last serious opportunity will likely be the next debate on March 15.

For anyone who believes in any kind of representative theory of democracy, this is a baffling situation. Big majorities of Democratic voters report they want Medicare-for-all, and many even express favorable opinions of socialism. Yet they are voting for a candidate whose record is arguably the most conservative of any Democratic nominee since 1976. What gives?

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.