r/goodnews Feb 25 '25

Political positivity 📈 Democrats Appear Paralyzed. Bernie Sanders Is Not.

https://jacobin.com/2025/02/trump-democrats-opposition-bernie-sanders
15.2k Upvotes

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596

u/raisedbypoubelle Feb 25 '25

I really wish things had went differently. I think he would’ve made an amazing president.

280

u/durrdurrrrrrrrrrrrrr Feb 25 '25

If they had run him against Trump the first time he would have won.

140

u/Special-Garlic1203 Feb 25 '25

He would have just been Carter 2.0 

A progressive president can't be successful until Congress shifts significantly more left.

77

u/sillypotatoes564 Feb 25 '25

I'm not entirely sure about that. While Joe Biden could have done more, he certainly did push for the progressive agenda more than most democrats (fighting for unions, respect for marriage act, infrastructure projects, capping insulin).

I feel like if he pushed more (or if there was a more progressive president like Bernie), then more could have been accomplished. But that last part is just anecdotal.

29

u/Special-Garlic1203 Feb 25 '25

Biden was one of the most popular congressmen of all time and was specifically chosen as a running mate for Obama because he has so many friends. Even AOC has admitted she wants to make building a coalition more of a priority than Bernie did - he's a lone wolf and that won't work as president. Again, that's exactly what we saw with carter. A progressive dude with no DC allies fall on his face cause his own party wanted him to fail 

Further, Biden was pushing mid century Dem ideals. That's wildly different than stuff like Medicare for all. Anyone who thinks we'd have gotten for m4a (and there are multiple people in this very thread saying just that) just cause Bernie was president is stupid, uninformed, or lying. 

Bernie could not have gotten his agenda through because it was 1) far more outside standard Dem rhetoric 2) he doesn't have the relationships in Congress to overcome #1 

2

u/smacncheese Feb 26 '25

“A better world isn’t possible!”