Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Progressives decry Biden’s pivot to center in run-up to 2024: ‘Feet to the fire’

Progressives decry Biden’s pivot to center in run-up to 2024: ‘Feet to the fire’


Progressives decry Biden’s pivot to center in run-up to 2024: ‘Feet to the fire’

When he was running for president in 2020, Joe Biden promised "no more drilling on federal lands, period". This month, he approved an $8bn oil project in Alaska, violating that campaign pledge.

Biden had said he wholeheartedly supports granting statehood to the District of Columbia. Last week, he signed a Republican bill overturning changes to the DC criminal code, which critics attacked as a violation of home rule.

Biden previously accused Donald Trump of waging "an unrelenting assault on our values and our history as a nation of immigrants" because of his handling of the US-Mexican border. This month, reports emerged that the Biden administration has considered reinstating the practice of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally. Immigrant rights advocates have denounced the idea, as well as another proposal to further restrict who can seek asylum in the US.

Biden's recent policy decisions have sparked speculation that he is preparing for the launch of his re-election campaign for the 2024 presidential contest by moving to the political center on key issues like crime, immigration and energy. The potential pivot has frustrated progressives, who warn that the strategy risks alienating the voters who helped deliver Biden's victory in 2020. Despite their concerns, progressive leaders say Biden still has time and options to deliver crucial policy wins.

"I would say the base isn't overly enthusiastic about Joe Biden being the [2024] standard bearer," said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive group Our Revolution. "So it would be important for the president to keep giving the base some red meat and keep folks energized early versus trying to deflate that."

Although Biden has not yet formally announced his plans to seek re-election, he is expected to do so in the coming weeks. So far, he has only attracted one primary challenger - the self-help author Marianne Williamson, who has launched a long-shot bid - and his likely nomination gives him the leeway to focus on the general election. Some have suggested that Biden's recent policy decisions, such as his approval of the Willow project in Alaska, are a clear attempt to pick off centrist voters who may be up for grabs. The appointment of Jeff Zients as Biden's new chief of staff has also been seen as a possible explanation for the president's move to the center.

"Oil? Oh, I love oil, especially American production. Re-election? What re-election?" former Republican congressman Billy Long jested on Twitter earlier this month. "I've been a Willow fan all along, yeah, that's the ticket, I love oil, I love the Willow project, yeah that's the ticket!"

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