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Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shake hands ahead of the third Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season in Houston, Texas on September 12, 2019. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
Beyond Attacking Trump, Sanders Says Biden Campaign Must 'Give People a Reason to Vote for Joe'
"I think Biden is in an excellent position to win this election, but I think we have got to do more as a campaign than just go after Trump," the Vermont senator said on Sunday.
Sep 14, 2020
Bernie Sanders on Sunday refuted the veracity of a weekend Washington Post article that reported the independent Vermont senator has concerns about the way Joe Biden is running his presidential campaign--but that doesn't mean Sanders hasn't been sharing some concerns he has with the way Biden is running his presidential campaign.
Appearing on MSNBC for a Sunday interview with Ali Velshi, Sanders--who lost the party's nomination to Biden after what some critics called a coordinated Democratic effort to thwart the democratic socialist and his progressive agenda--said he believes Biden is in "an excellent position to win this election."
"But I think we have got to do more as a campaign than just go after Trump," he told Velshi. "Trump is a disaster. I think most people know it. But we also have to give people a reason to vote for Joe Biden."
Sanders added that voters want to hear "a little bit more" from Biden about issues including raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, creating millions of jobs, combating the climate crisis, closing the gender pay gap, and expanding healthcare.
Sanders' comments came as leading Latinx Democrats and others also expressed concerns about Biden's campaign, warning that the candidate needed to improve his outreach and engagement with the nation's fastest-growing voter group. The "little bit more" theme voiced by Sanders was echoed in comments by former primary rival and current Biden supporter Julian Castro.
\u201cLatino groups warn that Biden\u2019s sluggish outreach to their voters could hurt in November https://t.co/svYJ3HWeYc\u201d— Ariel Moutsatsos (@Ariel Moutsatsos) 1600049132
\u201cFREE ADVICE: If you treat Latino voters with the same priority you treat white woman in the suburbs you might have a chance to make up this deficit. FYI Priority = $ #latinovote\u201d— Chuck Rocha (@Chuck Rocha) 1599651820
Responding to widespread frustration that Biden has not given a major speech on Latinx issues, Castro told the Post on Sunday that "the [Biden] campaign understands that this is a priority, but at the same time there needs to be a little bit more support shown."
"If we allow a narrative to take shape that somehow the issues of concern to this growing community are not prioritized, then we risk backsliding in the years to come," Castro added.
Filmmaker, activist, and prominent Sanders supporter Michael Moore--who predicted that disaffected white voters would lift Trump to victory in 2016--sounded the alarm on Biden's lack of Latinx outreach in a Friday tweet that showed the president with a four-point lead over Biden among Latinx voters in Florida in a recent NBC News/Marist poll.
\u201cNBC Poll from last weekend in Florida. Trump beats Biden with all men, all white people, whites w/ no college degree\u2014 and Trump is ahead of Biden w/ all Latinos. We can defeat Trump in Florida. We all know someone in Florida! To the phones! Form a group. Michiganders for Florida!\u201d— Michael Moore (@Michael Moore) 1599879791
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Bernie Sanders on Sunday refuted the veracity of a weekend Washington Post article that reported the independent Vermont senator has concerns about the way Joe Biden is running his presidential campaign--but that doesn't mean Sanders hasn't been sharing some concerns he has with the way Biden is running his presidential campaign.
Appearing on MSNBC for a Sunday interview with Ali Velshi, Sanders--who lost the party's nomination to Biden after what some critics called a coordinated Democratic effort to thwart the democratic socialist and his progressive agenda--said he believes Biden is in "an excellent position to win this election."
"But I think we have got to do more as a campaign than just go after Trump," he told Velshi. "Trump is a disaster. I think most people know it. But we also have to give people a reason to vote for Joe Biden."
Sanders added that voters want to hear "a little bit more" from Biden about issues including raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, creating millions of jobs, combating the climate crisis, closing the gender pay gap, and expanding healthcare.
Sanders' comments came as leading Latinx Democrats and others also expressed concerns about Biden's campaign, warning that the candidate needed to improve his outreach and engagement with the nation's fastest-growing voter group. The "little bit more" theme voiced by Sanders was echoed in comments by former primary rival and current Biden supporter Julian Castro.
\u201cLatino groups warn that Biden\u2019s sluggish outreach to their voters could hurt in November https://t.co/svYJ3HWeYc\u201d— Ariel Moutsatsos (@Ariel Moutsatsos) 1600049132
\u201cFREE ADVICE: If you treat Latino voters with the same priority you treat white woman in the suburbs you might have a chance to make up this deficit. FYI Priority = $ #latinovote\u201d— Chuck Rocha (@Chuck Rocha) 1599651820
Responding to widespread frustration that Biden has not given a major speech on Latinx issues, Castro told the Post on Sunday that "the [Biden] campaign understands that this is a priority, but at the same time there needs to be a little bit more support shown."
"If we allow a narrative to take shape that somehow the issues of concern to this growing community are not prioritized, then we risk backsliding in the years to come," Castro added.
Filmmaker, activist, and prominent Sanders supporter Michael Moore--who predicted that disaffected white voters would lift Trump to victory in 2016--sounded the alarm on Biden's lack of Latinx outreach in a Friday tweet that showed the president with a four-point lead over Biden among Latinx voters in Florida in a recent NBC News/Marist poll.
\u201cNBC Poll from last weekend in Florida. Trump beats Biden with all men, all white people, whites w/ no college degree\u2014 and Trump is ahead of Biden w/ all Latinos. We can defeat Trump in Florida. We all know someone in Florida! To the phones! Form a group. Michiganders for Florida!\u201d— Michael Moore (@Michael Moore) 1599879791
Bernie Sanders on Sunday refuted the veracity of a weekend Washington Post article that reported the independent Vermont senator has concerns about the way Joe Biden is running his presidential campaign--but that doesn't mean Sanders hasn't been sharing some concerns he has with the way Biden is running his presidential campaign.
Appearing on MSNBC for a Sunday interview with Ali Velshi, Sanders--who lost the party's nomination to Biden after what some critics called a coordinated Democratic effort to thwart the democratic socialist and his progressive agenda--said he believes Biden is in "an excellent position to win this election."
"But I think we have got to do more as a campaign than just go after Trump," he told Velshi. "Trump is a disaster. I think most people know it. But we also have to give people a reason to vote for Joe Biden."
Sanders added that voters want to hear "a little bit more" from Biden about issues including raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, creating millions of jobs, combating the climate crisis, closing the gender pay gap, and expanding healthcare.
Sanders' comments came as leading Latinx Democrats and others also expressed concerns about Biden's campaign, warning that the candidate needed to improve his outreach and engagement with the nation's fastest-growing voter group. The "little bit more" theme voiced by Sanders was echoed in comments by former primary rival and current Biden supporter Julian Castro.
\u201cLatino groups warn that Biden\u2019s sluggish outreach to their voters could hurt in November https://t.co/svYJ3HWeYc\u201d— Ariel Moutsatsos (@Ariel Moutsatsos) 1600049132
\u201cFREE ADVICE: If you treat Latino voters with the same priority you treat white woman in the suburbs you might have a chance to make up this deficit. FYI Priority = $ #latinovote\u201d— Chuck Rocha (@Chuck Rocha) 1599651820
Responding to widespread frustration that Biden has not given a major speech on Latinx issues, Castro told the Post on Sunday that "the [Biden] campaign understands that this is a priority, but at the same time there needs to be a little bit more support shown."
"If we allow a narrative to take shape that somehow the issues of concern to this growing community are not prioritized, then we risk backsliding in the years to come," Castro added.
Filmmaker, activist, and prominent Sanders supporter Michael Moore--who predicted that disaffected white voters would lift Trump to victory in 2016--sounded the alarm on Biden's lack of Latinx outreach in a Friday tweet that showed the president with a four-point lead over Biden among Latinx voters in Florida in a recent NBC News/Marist poll.
\u201cNBC Poll from last weekend in Florida. Trump beats Biden with all men, all white people, whites w/ no college degree\u2014 and Trump is ahead of Biden w/ all Latinos. We can defeat Trump in Florida. We all know someone in Florida! To the phones! Form a group. Michiganders for Florida!\u201d— Michael Moore (@Michael Moore) 1599879791
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