In this piece from The Washington Post, as I’ve been saying for months, proof that the progressive base of the Democratic Party is happening: Take a look at the main people vying for the Democratic nomination for POTUS.
As just the latest example, both Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) showed a hell of a lot of moxie when it came to the Kavanaugh hearings:
Booker and Harris, two of the Democratic Party’s most prominent African Americans, took the headline-grabbing but shaky steps to put their opposition to Trump and Kavanaugh on full display for the country.
The jockeying by the two came amid a clamor by a liberal base demanding resistance to Trump’s agenda and nominees at all costs and under a glaring national spotlight exposing every stumble. At the same time, the bare-knuckle brawling has divided Democrats, frustrating moderates >acing tough reelection bids in states Trump won handily.
Now, in the same article, check out this quote from the centrist of centrist “Democrats”, Joe Manchin (D-WV):
“It’s not who I am,” said Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who observed the questioning by Democrats and Republicans at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and has indicated he is open to voting for Kavanaugh.
I always say that pressure works. I use the example of Medicare For All in both chambers to illustrate my point. The majority of the Democratic caucus in the House are cosponsors to H.R. 676 and in the senate, we have sixteen. The main names we see that are clearly going to go for the nomination for POTUS are cosponsors for Senator Sanders’ Medicare For All bill. As outlined in Business Insider:
Bernie Sanders is getting some serious support in his push to reform the US healthcare system.
Sanders on Wednesday will roll out a Medicare-for-all bill, which aims to extend the Medicare program, federally funded insurance for people over the age of 65, to all Americans.
A single-payer healthcare push has previously been well outside the mainstream for most Democrats. But Sanders’ legislation has picked up support from high-profile Democrats.
The latest Democratic senator offering support is Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
“Health care is a right, not a privilege,” Gillibrand tweeted Tuesday. “This week, I’ll proudly join Senator @ Bernie Sanders to co-sponsor Medicare for All.”
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey also offered support for Sanders’ legislation this week.
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“I’m signing onto Medicare-for-all, which I’m excited to do this week,” Booker said in an interview with NJTV on Monday. “Sen. Sanders, myself, and some others are going to be announcing some legislation this week along with some of my other colleagues.”Booker, who has been floated as a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, said Obamacare was just a “first step” in securing healthcare for all Americans.
“What we have right now is a country where just because of your wealth, it will depend on whether you have healthcare or not,” Booker continued. “You should not be punished because you are working-class or poor and be denied healthcare. I think healthcare should be a right to all.”
Booker’s announcement comes after other high-profile Democrats said they would cosponsor the bill.
Sen. Kamala Harris, who also has been floated as a 2020 contender, said at a town hall late last month that she would also co-sponsor the bill.
“This is about understanding, again, that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. And it’s also about being smart,” Harris said.
In Senator Sanders’ Raise the Wage Act (S.1242), there they all are: Booker, Warren, Harris, Gillibrand. It’s almost as if the energy and excitement of the Sanders campaign of 2016 changed the conversation.
And according to ProgressivePunch, all are always within the top 12 of the most progressive in the senate. Voting records do matter. Are they the entire story? No, but a major data point that one can’t just toss in a river.
We can stay cynical or keep pushing left. We choose to be blind democrats or INFORMED democrats/left-leaning independents. Either way, someone is going to win that nomination, and from what I can tell, pressuring from the left appears to be working. Getting involved with outside groups and/or working within the Democratic Party — I have said before, I don’t care how they get to the right positions — JUST AS LONG AS THEY GET THERE.