Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders last weekend urged progressive Democrats not to let their opposition to President Biden’s Israel policy get in the way of supporting him in the November election, The Hill reported.
While appearing on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on March 10, Sanders told host Margaret Brennan that progressives should unite behind President Biden despite opposing his position on Gaza, explaining that those who “believe that climate change is real” and that “women have a right to control their own bodies,” must go to the polls to reelect the president.
Biden has been facing stiff pushback from the far-left of the Democrat base over his somewhat tepid support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
In the recent primaries in Michigan and Minnesota, progressive and Muslim activists launched a campaign urging Democrat voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted” to send a message to the President to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The campaign, launched by the group “Listen to Michigan,” resulted in “uncommitted” receiving 13.3 percent of the vote in Michigan’s February 27 primary.
In the March 5 Minnesota primary, “uncommitted” won 19 percent of the vote, earning 11 delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
Senator Sanders, who opposed the “Listen to Michigan” campaign, argued that supporting Biden in November was vital for the fight against tax breaks for corporations and wealth inequality.
Sanders also stressed the importance of protecting democracy from Donald Trump, arguing that a Trump win in November would be disastrous for the country.
Sanders said Democrat voters, including progressives, had to unite to ensure Biden’s reelection and to demand a “progressive agenda.”
However, Sanders refused to condemn progressive voters’ critiques of the president. Instead, he urged them to keep pressuring Biden to change his policy toward Israel and Gaza. He explained that he was calling for progressives to “calm” but not entirely put aside their demands.
