Election 2020: Sanders' Adviser Writes Alarming Memo — Biden Could Lose in November

Jeff Weaver, a top adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., which officially ended in April, has written a memo warning that the presumptive Democratic nominee, former vice president Joe Biden, might lose some votes from Sander’s supporters. He says they have become “unsupportive and unenthusiastic” about Biden’s candidacy.

Weaver wrote, “There is a real and urgent need to help Biden consolidate Sanders' supporters. If all of Sanders’ base turned out for Joe Biden in November, he could defeat Trump and take back the White House for Democrats. Here’s the problem: significant portions don’t currently plan to.” Sanders’ supporters include Latinos, working-class voters and young people.

Recent allegations of sexual misconduct by former aide Tara Reade in 1993 have not helped Biden’s image with some potential voters, namely female progressives.

Weaver goes on to say that those votes will be needed to defeat President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. “Treating Sanders supporters as throw-away votes will ultimately be at the expense of the party, down-ballot candidates, and our ability to enact real policy solutions for Americans. Despite best intentions, the Biden campaign and the [Democratic National Committee] are far behind on digital organizing, Latino outreach and progressive coalition building, all critical to reaching and winning over Sanders supporters.”

Sanders is a self-described Democratic socialist on the far-left end of the political spectrum. Biden is a more moderate Democrat but has inched a bit more left to placate Sanders and other far-left politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

The Biden campaign allowed Sanders to keep his delegates for the Democratic National Convention scheduled in August and this will be a force in shaping the eventual platform that will define Biden’s campaign.

According to a USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll, 77% of Sanders’ supporters will vote for Biden but 60% are “not excited” about supporting Biden’s nomination. The rest of Sanders’ backers said they would vote for a third-party candidate (8%), not vote (2%), or are still undecided (8%). Two percent said they would vote for Trump.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Sanders said, “I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, ‘Well, I disagree with Joe Biden, I disagree with Joe Biden, and therefore I’m not going to be involved’”.

The “wild-card” in the presidential race will be how the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will play out and how each side will spin Trump’s performance. Before the pandemic, some were predicting a Trump landslide but now the race is expected to be much closer.

Democrats who did not bother to vote were in part to blame for the defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016. It is unknown whether a mail-in or internet-based voting system so that people do not have to leave their house to vote will benefit Trump or the presumptive candidate Biden. In any case, Democrats will need to be united to prevent a second Trump term.