If you’ve been watching the coverage of the 2020 Democratic primary, the mainstream media would have you believe former vice president Joe Biden is a moderate in the race. That is simply not the case. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
Although Biden stated to reporters back in April that “I’m an Obama-Biden Democrat, man. And I’m proud of it,” he’s moved far left of the Obama era and continues to do so on several key issues pertaining to everyday Americans. Biden’s progressive lurch to the left comes as he tries to keep in line with his fellow 2020 competitors, most notably Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
Joe Biden disputes "the idea the Democratic party has been stood on its head."
"I'm an Obama-Biden Democrat, man. And I'm proud of it." https://t.co/Dj3gZqSpMb pic.twitter.com/cfJ5pIfbPm
— ABC News (@ABC) April 5, 2019
Biden Endorsed the Green New Deal
During CNN’s seven-hour climate change town hall last week, Biden endorsed the idea of the Green New Deal, the $93 trillion proposal that aims to eliminate the use of all fossil fuels, ban “combustion-engine vehicles” and air travel, and claims to guarantee every American a job, even those who are “unable or unwilling to work.” When asked if the Green New Deal went too far, Biden gave an unequivocal “no,” even implying that the deal does not go “far enough” with specifics. Biden’s support for banning all fossil fuels isn’t new, as he backed the very same concept during July’s Democratic debate.
Fossil fuels represent the lifeblood of the American economy, and outright banning them would result in millions of Americans out of work and unemployed, particularly in the Rust Belt states in the Midwest. Biden’s stance on fossil fuel elimination puts him at odds with the blue-collar workers the media claims he represents, pushing him into a difficult position if he were to become the nominee to take on President Trump in 2020.
Biden Favors Radical Gun Control
Biden’s leftward drift also applies to gun control, where at a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the former vice president said, “The idea that we don’t have elimination of assault-type weapons, magazines that can hold multiple bullets in them — it’s absolutely mindless. It’s no violation of the Second Amendment,” when asked about the recent mass shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas.
Banning firearms that have “magazines that hold multiple bullets in them” would outlaw the vast majority of firearms in America, virtually throwing the Second Amendment under the bus and taking away the constitutional rights of millions of law-abiding Americans. Biden’s stance on gun control matches that of his fellow 2020 candidates who have called for similar proposals for gun confiscation and banning of certain firearms, demonstrating his ever-continuing shift to the left on key issues and moving him further away from centrist voters.
Biden Supports Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
Another area in which the former vice president has moved to the left is on abortion. Back in June, when asked whether he supported the Hyde Amendment, Biden flip-flopped on the issue, at first opposing it, then supporting it, and then ultimately opposing it again. The Hyde Amendment, which bars federal taxpayer money from funding abortions, became a hot-topic question among 2020 Democrats back in June. Biden buckled under the pressure of the progressive wing of the party.
Taxpayer funding of abortions is not something most Americans support, however. A Marist University poll showed that 54 percent of Americans oppose any taxpayer funding for abortions, compared to 39 percent who support it. Biden’s leftward swing and flip-flop on the abortion issue demonstrates his out-of-touch mentality towards the majority of Americans, leaving him on shaky ground concerning an issue that will surely play heavily in the 2020 primary and general election.
Biden Wants Taxpayers to Pay Illegal Entrants’ Health Care
Even on immigration, Biden’s “moderate” masquerade falls apart on health care for illegal U.S. entrants. Back in May, when a reporter asked him about his stance, Biden replied, “I think that anyone who is in a situation where they’re in need of health care, regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented, we have an obligation to see that they are cared for.”
This was a position Biden later reaffirmed during the June Democratic debate, when the candidates were asked to raise their hands if they supported providing health care for illegal immigrants. All the candidates on stage, including Biden, raised their hands.
Supporting health care for illegal immigrants may not necessarily hurt Biden in the primary against his fellow Democrats, but if he becomes the nominee, don’t think for a second that President Trump won’t use it as a club to beat Biden over the head in the general election. That’s especially when many American citizens are having difficulty affording health care, in large part thanks to the catastrophe of Obamacare, which Biden played a role in implementing.
Biden’s phony moderate shtick will only hold up for so long, as true moderate and centrist voters will begin to see his tendencies to move far left with the rest of the party on key issues. Heading into 2020, the media will continue trying to portray Biden as the level-headed moderate the Democrats need to beat Trump in the general election. Yet his continuous swing to the left will only alienate him from the very voters he’ll need to win over in 2020, only increasing Trump’s chances of reelection to a second term.
