A member of the audience holds up a placard as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), discusses Medicare for All legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 13, 2017. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Aug 24, 2020
On the heels of a convention that featured prominent Republicans urging voters to support Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, centrist political operative Rahm Emanuel suggested two of the most popular progressive policies of this election cycle ought to be ignored by the party and its nominee.
"Two things I would say if I was advising an administration," Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, said during an interview with CNBC Friday. "One is there's no Green New Deal, there's no Medicare for All, probably the single two topics that were discussed the most. That's not even in the platform."
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich countered with his own suggestion for Biden:
\u201cTwo things I would say if I was advising a Biden administration, one is pay no attention to Rahm Emanuel and two is pay no attention to Rahm Emanuel.\u201d— Robert Reich (@Robert Reich) 1598232269
Medicare for All and the Green New Deal are cornerstone priorities for the party's progressive wing, championed and elevated by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during both of his presidential runs in 2016 and 2020. They're also popular with the American public, particularly with Democratic voters, yet the Democratic party has resisted adopting them into its platform.
Earlier this month, climate activists called the party's decision to drop support for ending fossil fuel handouts "immoral, criminal, inexcusable." Biden has made clear, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, that he does not support single-payer healthcare. In 2019, he told a group of wealthy donors that if elected "nothing would fundamentally change" for them, referring to progressive policies aimed at making the wealthy pay more in taxes to fund social programs.
\u201c69% support providing Medicare to every American.\n\n63% support the Green New Deal.\n\n27% approved of Rahm Emanuel's job as Mayor.\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1598236675
Progressive activists have grown increasingly frustrated not only with the Democratic Party's refusal to embrace bold and popular policies, but also with its insistence that criticism of the party platform or, in particular, of Joe Biden ahead of the November election, is unwanted and should be suppressed.
"Just put on your big boy pants, they say, and find the impulse control to at least muzzle yourself for the next 72 days until the election happens," journalist and former Sanders campaign adviser David Sirota wrote for Too Much Information Sunday, characterizing the position of the Democratic establishment.
"After that, fine--then and only then will you maybe be permitted to speak your mind and politely ask the Democratic Party to match its rhetoric with its policy agenda," he wrote.
\u201cProgressives are being told by the Democratic Party to shut up until after the election. Meanwhile, corporate Democrats are trumpeting how far right they are \u2014 a message that could demoralize Democratic voters and depress turnout. https://t.co/QVmOhgcSM0\u201d— Jacobin (@Jacobin) 1598280816
"This kind of hectoring has become a defining part of the Democratic Party's culture," Sirota wrote, urging disillusioned and demonized progressives to continue pushing.
"The best response to such an onslaught isn't to ignore it or succumb to dishonest unity-themed demands for silence and fealty," he wrote. "After all, the folks making those demands don't actually want unity--they are aiming for corporate victory at all costs, even if waging a war for that intraparty win could depress enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket."
Sirota's commentary echoes that of Sanders surrogate and former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner during an interview on CNN Friday.
"The movement doesn't change," she toldCNN's Anderson Cooper. "The notion that we need Medicare for All does not change. The notion that we need to legalize cannabis and take it off Schedule 1...that doesn't change. The need to have college for all. Environmental justice...none of those core fundamental issues change...Understanding very clearly that we got two dragons we got to slay, we got to slay the dragon of neofascism and slay the dragon of neoliberalism and the progressive movement is here for it."
Time editor and The Ink writer Anand Giridharadas, tweeting about a piece he wrote urging Biden to embrace fundamental, systemic change in United States policy, said, "TL;DR: Listen to everything Rahm Emanuel says, and do the opposite."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
On the heels of a convention that featured prominent Republicans urging voters to support Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, centrist political operative Rahm Emanuel suggested two of the most popular progressive policies of this election cycle ought to be ignored by the party and its nominee.
"Two things I would say if I was advising an administration," Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, said during an interview with CNBC Friday. "One is there's no Green New Deal, there's no Medicare for All, probably the single two topics that were discussed the most. That's not even in the platform."
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich countered with his own suggestion for Biden:
\u201cTwo things I would say if I was advising a Biden administration, one is pay no attention to Rahm Emanuel and two is pay no attention to Rahm Emanuel.\u201d— Robert Reich (@Robert Reich) 1598232269
Medicare for All and the Green New Deal are cornerstone priorities for the party's progressive wing, championed and elevated by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during both of his presidential runs in 2016 and 2020. They're also popular with the American public, particularly with Democratic voters, yet the Democratic party has resisted adopting them into its platform.
Earlier this month, climate activists called the party's decision to drop support for ending fossil fuel handouts "immoral, criminal, inexcusable." Biden has made clear, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, that he does not support single-payer healthcare. In 2019, he told a group of wealthy donors that if elected "nothing would fundamentally change" for them, referring to progressive policies aimed at making the wealthy pay more in taxes to fund social programs.
\u201c69% support providing Medicare to every American.\n\n63% support the Green New Deal.\n\n27% approved of Rahm Emanuel's job as Mayor.\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1598236675
Progressive activists have grown increasingly frustrated not only with the Democratic Party's refusal to embrace bold and popular policies, but also with its insistence that criticism of the party platform or, in particular, of Joe Biden ahead of the November election, is unwanted and should be suppressed.
"Just put on your big boy pants, they say, and find the impulse control to at least muzzle yourself for the next 72 days until the election happens," journalist and former Sanders campaign adviser David Sirota wrote for Too Much Information Sunday, characterizing the position of the Democratic establishment.
"After that, fine--then and only then will you maybe be permitted to speak your mind and politely ask the Democratic Party to match its rhetoric with its policy agenda," he wrote.
\u201cProgressives are being told by the Democratic Party to shut up until after the election. Meanwhile, corporate Democrats are trumpeting how far right they are \u2014 a message that could demoralize Democratic voters and depress turnout. https://t.co/QVmOhgcSM0\u201d— Jacobin (@Jacobin) 1598280816
"This kind of hectoring has become a defining part of the Democratic Party's culture," Sirota wrote, urging disillusioned and demonized progressives to continue pushing.
"The best response to such an onslaught isn't to ignore it or succumb to dishonest unity-themed demands for silence and fealty," he wrote. "After all, the folks making those demands don't actually want unity--they are aiming for corporate victory at all costs, even if waging a war for that intraparty win could depress enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket."
Sirota's commentary echoes that of Sanders surrogate and former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner during an interview on CNN Friday.
"The movement doesn't change," she toldCNN's Anderson Cooper. "The notion that we need Medicare for All does not change. The notion that we need to legalize cannabis and take it off Schedule 1...that doesn't change. The need to have college for all. Environmental justice...none of those core fundamental issues change...Understanding very clearly that we got two dragons we got to slay, we got to slay the dragon of neofascism and slay the dragon of neoliberalism and the progressive movement is here for it."
Time editor and The Ink writer Anand Giridharadas, tweeting about a piece he wrote urging Biden to embrace fundamental, systemic change in United States policy, said, "TL;DR: Listen to everything Rahm Emanuel says, and do the opposite."
On the heels of a convention that featured prominent Republicans urging voters to support Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, centrist political operative Rahm Emanuel suggested two of the most popular progressive policies of this election cycle ought to be ignored by the party and its nominee.
"Two things I would say if I was advising an administration," Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, said during an interview with CNBC Friday. "One is there's no Green New Deal, there's no Medicare for All, probably the single two topics that were discussed the most. That's not even in the platform."
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich countered with his own suggestion for Biden:
\u201cTwo things I would say if I was advising a Biden administration, one is pay no attention to Rahm Emanuel and two is pay no attention to Rahm Emanuel.\u201d— Robert Reich (@Robert Reich) 1598232269
Medicare for All and the Green New Deal are cornerstone priorities for the party's progressive wing, championed and elevated by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during both of his presidential runs in 2016 and 2020. They're also popular with the American public, particularly with Democratic voters, yet the Democratic party has resisted adopting them into its platform.
Earlier this month, climate activists called the party's decision to drop support for ending fossil fuel handouts "immoral, criminal, inexcusable." Biden has made clear, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, that he does not support single-payer healthcare. In 2019, he told a group of wealthy donors that if elected "nothing would fundamentally change" for them, referring to progressive policies aimed at making the wealthy pay more in taxes to fund social programs.
\u201c69% support providing Medicare to every American.\n\n63% support the Green New Deal.\n\n27% approved of Rahm Emanuel's job as Mayor.\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1598236675
Progressive activists have grown increasingly frustrated not only with the Democratic Party's refusal to embrace bold and popular policies, but also with its insistence that criticism of the party platform or, in particular, of Joe Biden ahead of the November election, is unwanted and should be suppressed.
"Just put on your big boy pants, they say, and find the impulse control to at least muzzle yourself for the next 72 days until the election happens," journalist and former Sanders campaign adviser David Sirota wrote for Too Much Information Sunday, characterizing the position of the Democratic establishment.
"After that, fine--then and only then will you maybe be permitted to speak your mind and politely ask the Democratic Party to match its rhetoric with its policy agenda," he wrote.
\u201cProgressives are being told by the Democratic Party to shut up until after the election. Meanwhile, corporate Democrats are trumpeting how far right they are \u2014 a message that could demoralize Democratic voters and depress turnout. https://t.co/QVmOhgcSM0\u201d— Jacobin (@Jacobin) 1598280816
"This kind of hectoring has become a defining part of the Democratic Party's culture," Sirota wrote, urging disillusioned and demonized progressives to continue pushing.
"The best response to such an onslaught isn't to ignore it or succumb to dishonest unity-themed demands for silence and fealty," he wrote. "After all, the folks making those demands don't actually want unity--they are aiming for corporate victory at all costs, even if waging a war for that intraparty win could depress enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket."
Sirota's commentary echoes that of Sanders surrogate and former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner during an interview on CNN Friday.
"The movement doesn't change," she toldCNN's Anderson Cooper. "The notion that we need Medicare for All does not change. The notion that we need to legalize cannabis and take it off Schedule 1...that doesn't change. The need to have college for all. Environmental justice...none of those core fundamental issues change...Understanding very clearly that we got two dragons we got to slay, we got to slay the dragon of neofascism and slay the dragon of neoliberalism and the progressive movement is here for it."
Time editor and The Ink writer Anand Giridharadas, tweeting about a piece he wrote urging Biden to embrace fundamental, systemic change in United States policy, said, "TL;DR: Listen to everything Rahm Emanuel says, and do the opposite."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.