2020 Democrats have some not-so-subtle rebukes for Joe Biden's nostalgia campaign
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Democratic presidential candidates may have found a new singular enemy, and it's not President Trump.
Over the weekend, fourteen candidates descended on the California Democratic Party's convention and made it clear they're not onboard with Joe Biden's campaign to bring back the old America. And while they didn't exactly mention Biden by name, their takedowns of his ideas mark a big development among tame campaigners who've so far hesitated to even mention Trump, Bloomberg reports.
Biden wasn't among the candidates who traveled to California this weekend, but it seemed pretty clear that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was talking about the former vice president when he pledged there can be "no middle ground" on certain liberal priorities. "We cannot go back to the old ways, we have got to go forward with a new and progressive agenda," Sanders said — an obvious callback to Biden's announcement video promise to restore "everything that has made America America."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), meanwhile, rebuked the idea that "if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses." That sounds an awful lot like how Biden said last month that Republicans will have "an epiphany" and start working with Democrats again once Trump loses. South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg similarly said "the riskiest thing we could do is to try to play it safe" because "there's no going back to normal right now."
Read more about Democrats' anti-Biden swings at NPR and Bloomberg.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Political cartoons for February 20Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include just the ice, winter games, and more
-
Sepsis ‘breakthrough’: the world’s first targeted treatment?The Explainer New drug could reverse effects of sepsis, rather than trying to treat infection with antibiotics
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
