During the sixth round of Democratic debates, former Vice President Joe Biden pledged he would make a “green economy” a higher priority than protecting blue collar jobs.
“Three consecutive American presidents have enjoyed stints of economic growth, due to a boom in oil and natural gas production, as President would you be willing to sacrifice some of that growth, even knowing potentially that it could displace thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of blue collar workers, in the interest of transitioning into that greener economy?” Politico moderator Tim Alberta asked.
“The answers yes,” Biden said.
Biden claimed that blue collar workers could transition into higher paying jobs, but did not lay out plan on how he would magically accomplish that if elected.
Biden, who comes from a blue collar family, might have made a fatal error for his campaign. Biden’s main constituency is his strong base of blue collared workers.
“His greatest compensating advantage right now is notably durable support from a multiracial coalition of working-class voters who feel a kinship with the former vice president and believe he is the Democrats’ strongest general election prospect,” wrote Katie Glueck and Jonathan Martin over at the New York Times.
When Biden says he will prioritize a green economy, he may be compromising his durable base to earn another “woke” badge on the Democratic debate stage.
