Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., teamed up to create six “unity task forces” to make recommendations to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) platform committee and the Biden campaign. Several of the “unity” task force members have a history of opening criticizing policies of the Obama-Biden administration.
Immigration member Marisa Franco, immigration co-chair Marielena Hincapie, criminal justice reform member Stacey Walker, and economic member Dr. Darrick Hamilton all previously bashed the Obama administration and critiqued Democratic party platforms.
NEW this morning: Biden and Sanders roll out the members of the 6 Unity Task Forces that will offer recommendations to the DNC platform cmte and to Biden. Includes @johnkerry, @EricHolder, @vivek_murthy, @aoc, @RepJayapal, @rweingarten, @econjared, @StephanieKelton. pic.twitter.com/fGHHFJcUVE
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) May 13, 2020
In 2016, Franco co-authored an article in The Nation titled, “The Deportation Machine Obama Built for President Trump, in which he blamed the Obama administration for expanding Immigration and Naturalization Service — since broken up into the Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“Instead of reversing that architecture and disavowing that plan, President Obama turbocharged it. To pay for the ballooning enforcement-first approach, the budget for immigration enforcement grew 300 percent from the resources given at the time of its founding under Bush to $18 billion annually, more than all other federal law-enforcement agencies’ budgets combined,” Franco wrote.
During the first round of Democratic Debates, Franco tweeted out that Biden should be held accountable for the “deportation machine” he helped create.
Biden must acknowledge that they built up a deportation machine that was gassed up and ready to go once Trump took over. #demdebate #fueratrump https://t.co/NB2jdF1qqu
— Marisa Franco 🐜 (@marisa_franco) June 28, 2019
Hincapie called out the Obama administration for their alleged “mission to deport people as quickly as possible” in a New York Times article over Obama-era immigration centers.
“By locking up women and babies, the Obama administration has made it their mission to deport these people as quickly as possible,” said Hincapie. “Our message to the government is simple: Follow the law. We must ensure that every person who interacts with our legal system has a fair hearing.”
In September 2019, she thanked a moderator for “holding Dems accountable” for immigration decisions made by the Obama administration.
.@jorgeramosnews Gracias for holding Dems accountable on behalf of immigrants and asking Biden whether he made mistake in not reducing deportations under Obama #DemDebate
— Marielena Hincapié (@MarielenaNILC) September 13, 2019
Walker said Biden’s vote in favor of the 1994 crime bill “wreaked havoc on black and brown [people] for decades.”
Corporatist Dems every time something extremely problematic about Joe Biden’s record is unearthed.
CONTEXT: I just saw clips from C-SPAN of Joe Biden bragging about the Crime Bill (and his support of the death penalty) that wreaked havoc on Black and Brown ppl for decades. pic.twitter.com/N4mPNzn2Ep
— Stacey Walker (@swalker06) March 7, 2020
On March 31, Walker also complained about Biden’s lack of support for “Medicare for All.”
I agree activist/twitter world is sometimes far from reality.
But I don’t think it is on this issue. The progressive left believes in Medicare for All with the kind of passion that seems necessary given we’re in a pandemic. Joe Biden does not. That’s a problem.
— Stacey Walker (@swalker06) April 1, 2020
Walker also called Biden an “uninspiring” “gaffe machine.”
Finally, Hamilton was a vocal critic of Biden on many issues ranging from the Supreme Court and the 1994 Crime Bill to Biden’s social security record.
Hamilton criticized Biden’s role in nominating Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court calling it an “abominable confirmation” hearing. He also called Biden the “architect of modern mass incarceration.”
Hamilton also slammed Biden for not supporting “Medicare for All” amid the coronavirus pandemic and believes Biden is too moderate to achieve his desired progressive policies. Hamilton suggests Democrats reject moderates.
“Reject the radical neoliberal ‘moderate’ politics that has brought us an immoral gross plutocratic concentration of economic and political power in favor of an economy grounded justice,” Hamilton tweeted.
Hamilton called Biden’s record on social security policy a “cause for concern.”
It will surely be interesting to see the radical ideas that come out of this “unity task force.” One thing is for certain, while left-wing activists may come together to form policy there is certainly no “unity” behind Biden.
