Former Vice President Joe Biden is pivoting to the left as he begins his general election campaign against President Donald Trump, promising to eliminate student debt for a huge portion of people making under $125,000 a year and lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, announced both policy proposals in a Medium blog post on Thursday afternoon, arguing the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus epidemic made both moves necessary. But both shifts especially on student debt are designed to appeal to younger and left-leaning voters who were skeptical of his candidacy and instead supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the primary. Sanders ended his candidacy yesterday.
Recovery will require long term changes to build a more inclusive and more resilient middle class, and a greener and more resilient economy, Biden wrote. We have to think big as big as the challenges we face. As we start to lay the groundwork for recovery, we have to build back better for the future.
Bidens campaign emphasized that both proposals fit within his long-standing goal to rebuild the American middle class, though it also acknowledged Sanders influence.
Senator Sanders and his supporters can take pride in their work in laying the groundwork for these ideas, and Im proud to adopt them as part of my campaign at this critical moment in responding to the coronavirus crisis, Biden wrote.
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As a political calculation, it shows Bidens campaign is confident about their standing with many suburban moderates who were swing voters in the past but have moved solidly into the Democratic Party during Trumps presidency, offended by his bullying demeanor and chaotic style. Many of these voters flocked to the polls in the final weeks of the Democratic primary, padding Bidens margins of victory over Sanders.
Instead, the Biden campaign is at least for the time being trying to improve its standing with younger voters, many of whom lean to the ideological left. Polling throughout the Democratic primary showed Sanders triumphing with young voters by massive margins, and early polling in the general election has shown Biden running weaker with younger voters than past Democratic nominees.
Lowering the eligibility age for Medicare traditionally performs well in public opinion surveys, while the popularity of proposals to eliminate student debt often depends on the details of the proposal and how the question is phrased.
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Progressives and Democratic operatives focused on youth turnout have argued that Biden who often criticized progressive priorities like single-payer health care during his primary run would need to move on policy in order to win over voters who are skeptical of him. Sanders himself made a similar pronouncement during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night.
I hope to be able to work with Joe in a more progressive direction. Joe is a good politician and he understands that in order to defeat Trump, hes going to have to bring new people into his political world, working people, young people, Sanders said.
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