Amidst Democrats’ growing calls for Joe Biden’s withdrawal, self-styled “progressives” were notably silent. Once Biden was forced out, they immediately began lining up behind Kamala Harris. The seemingly different approaches come from the far Left’s understanding that they won big with Biden and could win even bigger with Harris.
Policy-wise, the far Left has received everything it could have realistically conceived of getting from Biden’s administration.
Even when Democrat calls for Biden’s withdrawal resumed after the attempted assassination of Trump, Democrats’ most far-Left leaders were still supporting Biden. Going into what proved to be Biden’s last weekend as Democrats’ nominee, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said, “He has been the most effective president in the modern history of our country and is the strongest candidate to defeat Mr. Trump.” House counterpart, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a member of the far-left Squad, also criticized those trying to oust Biden.
Far-Left support was especially interesting because Biden’s Senate profile hardly matched their own. Even as he secured 2020’s nomination, his last rival was Sanders, who almost one-third of Democrats were still backing when the primaries finally ended.
Why then the far Left’s conspicuous loyalty within growing intra-party disloyalty?
Obviously, the far Left’s path to the presidency would come through the party’s primaries. The party establishment would not likely support it in future ones any more than the establishment had when Sanders nearly beat Hillary Clinton in 2016. So, setting a precedent for ousting someone who had duly won the necessary delegates could someday be turned against the far Left.
However, far-Left opposition to Biden’s removal was deeper and more complicated than that.
Policy-wise, the far Left has received everything it could have realistically conceived of getting from Biden’s administration. When Biden took office in 2021, he embraced the far Left’s agenda with the fervor of a convert. There was environmentalism to the extreme, student loan forgiveness, plus big spending and taxing (to the limits party moderates allowed). There was a foreign policy that eschewed deterrence for appeasement, there were DEI initiatives throughout federal agencies, and the southern border was thrown open.
Politically, counterintuitive as it seems, the far Left knew it would also have won even if Biden had lost. There is a reason why its influence has increased during the Biden administration: as moderates turned away from Biden, he became more dependent on the far Left.
Biden’s became the most leftist administration in American history. The far Left’s satisfaction was clear: Sanders did not make another presidential run this year, despite having run in the two previous elections. And should Democrat losses come in November; those would fall disproportionately on less-extreme Democrats in swing districts. Hence, the far Left would gain proportionately within the party, even if Democrat numbers fall.
The far Left also knew rank-and-file Democrats would likely react to a Trump victory with knee-jerk extremism — precisely what happened in 2018. That wave produced a House Democrat majority featuring a more extreme membership — the Squad being a notable example.
The result from all these scenarios? The far Left gained with any Biden outcome. These scenarios also apply with Harris being the nominee. So, Democrats’ far Left immediately got on board with Harris.
The same day Biden announced his withdrawal, Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) posted on X: “Thrilled to support [Harris] as our Democratic nominee and remain committed to working alongside her to defeat Donald Trump in November.” Ditto Squad members Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), with Bush posting “Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party and it is past time for us to lead our country forward. Kamala Harris is more than ready to lead at this moment.”
For Democrats’ far Left there is a significantly higher upside to Harris. While Biden gave his far Left all he had to give, he was never one of them. Harris is. She starts where Biden stopped.
Clearly, Biden was a big spender. But Harris supported the Green New Deal — a mega-spending monstrosity that would add tens of trillions to U.S. deficits and debt. She also has supported basic income legislation, which would provide monthly government payments to families making $100,000 and below. Harris was the administration’s point person on the border administering policies that opened the illegal immigration floodgates.
Yes, had Biden run and won, he would have been even more beholden to the far Left, which hadn’t betrayed him. And unable to seek reelection, Biden would have had no concern about voter dissatisfaction to leftist policies.
Those were great prospects for the far Left. But those prospects are no replacement for Harris who supports initiatives beyond what Biden was able to deliver for the far Left. Unlike Biden, the far Left won’t have to push Harris left — she is already there.
J.T. Young was a professional staffer in the House and Senate from 1987-2000, served in the Department of Treasury and Office of Management and Budget from 2001-2004, and was director of government relations for a Fortune 20 company from 2004-2023.
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