As leftists, many of us spent 2020 engaged in handwringing over whether we should vote for Joe Biden. I evaluated the arguments and concluded there wasn’t much of a case for doing so. Biden wasn’t interested in winning our votes, and I wasn’t interested in giving one to him.
Why?
Biden built an electoral coalition around moderates, centrists, and the suburbs. He won the votes of those who found Trump and his impact on U.S. politics distasteful. But his voters didn’t necessarily have major policy objections. Furthermore, progressives never showed much interest in genuinely holding Biden accountable or pushing him to the left.
But what about 2024? Should we vote for Biden? Under what conditions?
Minimal Standards for Presidential Politics
My argument on voting focuses on policy. And the policy hasn’t changed much since 2020. Insofar as we do see changes, Biden looks worse than he did in 2020 as often as he looks better. Especially on issues of war and peace. Biden still builds a coalition on moderates, centrists, and the suburbs. Progressives still aren’t interested in holding him accountable or pushing their way into his coalition.
In other words, not much has changed.
So, here’s my take on it. I think leftists should set a minimum standard of basic decency for presidential candidates. And we should only consider voting for candidates when they meet that standard.
For a standard, two things stand out to me. Any candidate who hopes to win over leftists should meet the following (very) minimal bar:
1. They should support some form of universal health care or health insurance. In the U.S., that typically means supporting Medicare for All.
2. They should not be a ghoul on foreign policy. In other words, they should support reducing U.S. interventionism and the U.S. military’s footprint on the world. They should oppose military adventurism, saber rattling, and U.S. military aid to warmongers.
Biden, the Left, and 2024
Some people might see these standards as ‘utopian.’ Even some liberals and progressives. Maybe it sounds to people like ‘purity politics.’
But this shows nothing more than the myopia of U.S. politics, even the politics of U.S. liberals and progressives. It’s really not a high bar at all. Especially when we zoom out to take a global view.
Sadly, Biden fails miserably by both standards. He outright opposes Medicare for All. And he has spent the last 5+ months enabling Israel’s war in Gaza. So, no, Biden isn’t worth a vote. I’d love for Democrats to nominate someone in 2028 for whom I could vote.
But don’t bet on it.
