By Scott Wheeler
Last Wednesday presumptive Democrat Party presidential candidate Joe Biden joined forces with his primary rival, socialist Bernie Sanders, to form a “joint task force” to promote party unity. Biden sees this as an opportunity to appeal to the socialist wing of the Democratic Party, and the socialists see Biden as an “empty vessel” which they will control.
Political extremists were enthusiastic about some of the noted leftists that Biden chose for the task force, and environmental extremists cheered the news that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would co-chair the task force on environmentalism.
“If personnel is policy, as the old saying goes, then this should be seen as a clear victory for progressives,” writes Mehdi Hasan in the counter-culture website theIntercept.com.
Hasan is one of many progressives who do not trust Biden. Hasan says Biden has a history of “doing the bidding of corporate interests — from big finance to big pharma.” However, Hasan says there is hope. Ultra-Leftist Noam Chomsky told Hasan that because Biden is an “empty vessel … a Biden presidency” will allow the extremist wing of the Democratic Party to “make a big difference.”
Climate change skeptic, author and publisher of ClimateDepot.com Marc Morano agrees:
“Given Biden’s general detachment and befuddlement on most issues these days, AOC and Sanders will have a huge influence on any Biden administration.”
Morano, who is a producer of the upcoming film Climate Hustle 2, told American Wire that Ocasio-Cortez brings some heavy baggage to the campaign trail.
“AOC has pushed for American workers to refuse to go back to work to protest the American economic system,” Morano said.
Extreme positions on critical issues could actually harm Biden’s chances in the general election. His campaign message promising jobs and economic security would conflict with a key member of his advisory team who is publicly telling people not to go back to work.
Other prominent Democrats agree with Ocasio-Cortez; they see the COVID-19 economic shutdown as an opportunity to change the American way of life permanently. If that seems far-fetched, consider what Washington state governor Jay Inslee said in a video addressing Sanders followers:
“We should not be intimidated when people say, ‘Oh you can’t use this COVID crisis to peddle a solution to climate change’ — no we have to recognize the necessity of this moment.”
Morano points out that Ocasio-Cortez also sees the COVID-19 crisis as an open backdoor for environmental extremists:
“But the greatest threat to America from AOC’s influence with Biden may be to extend and expand government lockdowns to deal with the alleged ‘climate emergency.’”
Biden’s “unity task force” may have eased the pain from wounds of a bloody primary challenge, for now. But Biden’s most difficult task will be to keep progressives on board while he sells the idea to moderate voters that he won’t actually be that bad.