‘s picks “Democrats on Edge: Anxiety Races Through Party as Biden’s Picks Roll Out”

Anxiety is rippling through the Democratic Party due to the 2020 Presidential nominee Joe Biden’s handling of progressive policy issues and his past support of President Obama’s more centrist political leanings. Biden’s former boss, Senator Bernie Sanders, has been extremely critical of the former Vice President’s policy platform and his connections to Wall Street. Even Biden’s own Vice Presidential pick, Senator Kamala Harris, has expressed her own frustrations with Biden’s stance on certain key issues like student loan debt and healthcare.

So far Biden has been able to avoid the brunt of the criticism by appealing to more centrist voters while balancing Sanders’ progressive agenda. Biden has promised to be a president for all Americans, but there remains a lack of trust among Sanders and Warren supporters. This anxiety has been further compounded by the perception that the Democratic National Committee has been actively attempting to tilt the primary in Biden’s favor, reducing the chances of a progressive candidate like Sanders becoming the party’s nominee.

The Democratic Convention and what messages Biden presents going in should prove to differentiate the more centrist path from the Sanders path, providing the Biden Campaign a chance to build trust with progressive voters. Many of these voters, however, have largely been neglected and feel betrayed by the Democratic Party in the past, so it remains to be seen if Biden can win back their trust.

Either way, anxiety within the Democratic Party over Biden is clearly present and will play a major role in how the party fares in the November election.