Baier: Sanders endorsement much more unifying for Biden
Bret Baier discusses Obama and Sanders endorsing Biden for president with Dana Perino.
MSNBC host Joy Reid blasted ardent supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for refusing to back former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
Following his campaign suspension last week, Sanders joined Biden on his podcast on Monday and offered his full endorsement of the presumptive Democratic nominee.
However, many loyal followers of Sanders, including progressive media figures and campaign surrogates, have resisted coalescing behind the former vice president, pointing to various policies as well as the newly surfaced sexual assault allegation made by former Biden staffer Tara Reade.
One of those supporters, progressive commentator Kyle Kulinski, told critics who are pressuring the left to unify that they could “blame” him if President Trump defeats Biden in November.
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“As a left-winger who will not vote for Biden I want you to know I’m 100% okay with you blaming me if Trump wins a second term. I mean it. Blame me. Then get to thinking real hard how you’re gonna get me to support your candidate the next time! Maybe even ask me, I’ll tell you!” Kulinski exclaimed. “We shouldn’t be defensive about this. If they’re blaming us for Trump that’s an admission that they need us to win. If they need us to win then they need to make concessions. Own it!”
That sparked a reaction from Intercept columnist Mehdi Hasan, who told Kulinski, “If you’re ok with a white nationalist winning a second term, I question your ‘left-wing’ credentials.”
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Reid appeared to agree with Hasan and went even further with her criticism.
“What this kind of thing says to me is that these are not ‘left-wing’ voters. They are privileged white voters who demand to be bowed down to, no different than Trump’s voters want those who are not white and Christian to take the knee for them like in the ‘good old days,'” Reid tweeted Monday evening. “These are voters whose primary concern is that everyone else kneel. That’s it. Kneel. Or they threaten the rest of us with the endless torment of Trumpism. Caged children. Viral death. Poverty. Want. Voter Suppression. Muslim bans. Of course none of this harms or impacts them.”
She continued, “Well here is [reality]. No one is going to kneel. Those who get the danger of Trumpism are going to vote & find enough fellow voters committed to doing the right thing. The danger to living, breathing people is real. Most don’t have the luxury to pout over their preferred candidate.”
Reid also acknowledged that “yes of course there are nonwhite voters who fall into this category as well,” noting that she met a black mother and daughter who voted for the Green Party in 2016 because of their dislike for Hillary Clinton.
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On Monday, Sanders’ campaign national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray announced that she would not endorse the former vice president following the senator’s own declaration.
“With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being & a genuine inspiration, I don’t endorse Joe Biden,” Gray wrote. “I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like #MedicareForAll, canceling ALL student debt, & a wealth tax. Biden supports none of those.”
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