Progressives debate Sanders's future [View all]

Some progressives say the time has come for Sanders to throw in the towel so the nation can focus on addressing the health crisis and so Democrats can move on to the business of defeating President Trump in November.

“Politics takes on a different aura when the nation is facing possibility of millions dying from a pandemic, so the ups and downs of politics seem remarkably trivial in comparison and I think that’s taken some of the wind out of Bernie’s sails,” said Robert Reich, who served as Labor secretary under former President Clinton.

“Most people I talk with on the progressive side of the ledger, they’re of the view that it’s time to get on with this. We know Joe Biden is going to be the nominee. We’ve got to get Trump out, and there’s national emergency, so let’s move along.”

But some of Sanders’s allies see reasons for him to stay in.

The Vermont senator’s supporters believe his presence in the race will keep the left engaged between now and the Democratic convention in July, potentially delivering additional down-ballot victories for progressives.

They believe Sanders should continue to act as a liberal counterbalance for Biden, keeping him sharp heading into the general election and giving him new opportunities to win over Sanders’s supporters.

And they argue that Sanders is not attacking Biden or doing anything that would harm him ahead of his expected general election match-up with Trump.

“Sen. Sanders can run an ideas-focused and positive race, and he’s actually much better at that than he is at drawing contrasts anyway,” said Neil Sroka, a progressive strategist with Democracy for America, which has endorsed Sanders.




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/488525-progressives-debate-sanders-future