Bruce Bartlett

Opinion Contributor

As an ex-Republican turned independent, I didn’t have much to say about the Democratic race. I had my preferences. I supported Sen. Elizabeth Warren and would have supported several others for the nomination before I got to Joe Biden. But not being a Democrat, I was not in a position to do much except vote in my state’s primary.

However, with Sen. Bernie Sanders dropping out of the race for the Democratic nomination, it's time for me to get off the bench. With the former vice president now the de facto nominee, the general election begins in earnest. In my view, it is absolutely essential to elect Biden in November. It is literally a matter of life and death.

I understand that there are those who still feel passionately about some of the issues that divided Biden and Sanders. Health care reform is obviously a big one. But every policy idea the candidates argued about during the various debates has been superseded by COVID-19. There is no other issue on the ballot in November.

Time for Bernie backers to be patriots

By way of analogy, there was a large and powerful isolationist movement in this country before World War II led by the America First Committee. Although some members of this group were German sympathizers, the vast bulk were simply antiwar and did not view the wars in Europe or Asia as any of our business. They were patriots.

Being patriots, they understood perfectly where their loyalties lay after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, followed by a declaration of war by Germany against the United States a few days later.

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That Dec. 10, the America First Committee voted to disband. In a statement, it said, “This committee was organized to oppose America’s involvement in European and Asiatic wars. Its counsels and advice were rejected. … But the time for discussing that is past. We are now at war.”

Much could be said about the race for the Democratic nomination. Supporters of Sanders and other candidates who dropped out earlier will no doubt continue to believe that their issues and priorities were superior to Biden’s. They may also believe that their candidates would have run a better race against Donald Trump and be more likely to emerge victorious. There is nothing wrong with that.

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They should understand that there are still avenues through which Biden’s competitors can influence the campaign. For example, the party platform is a traditional venue through which those less than thrilled by the nominee can send a message to him about the party’s priorities. Oftentimes, the nominee will work those priorities into his speeches to broaden his base and energize the party faithful, and even become policy.

Biden has already taken steps in that direction with proposals to lower the Medicare eligibility age and forgive some student loan debt. On Monday, Sanders endorsed him and said the pair are exploring ways to unite the party.

Biden’s choice of vice president will also be important in binding party wounds and reaching out to those for whom Biden was not their first or even last choice. Although he has said that he will choose a woman, the diversity of prominent Democratic women means that decision will not limit the availability of excellent running mates.

Our lives depend on electing Biden

But every American must understand that curing the coronavirus is Issue 1 through infinity at this moment. Whatever people may think about Trump’s pre-pandemic policies, they have been overwhelmed by his conduct during the crisis. Personally, I think it is dreadful. Because of Trump's incompetence, more people will die than if Hillary Clinton or even any of Trump’s competitors for the Republican nomination had been elected in 2016. Eventually, we will know almost exactly how many.

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So I'll say it again, defeating Trump is a matter of life and death. For good or ill, Biden is the only one who can do that. We must lash ourselves to his sail if we want to live. The cost of another Trump term is too horrible to contemplate.

I plan to support Joe Biden with all the resources I have. I am hopeful that some sort of Republicans for Biden group will emerge quickly. I think those of us who are intimately familiar with how Republicans think have a lot to offer.

Bruce Bartlett worked on Capitol Hill for Republican Reps. Ron Paul of Texas, Jack Kemp of New York and others. He worked at the White House for President Ronald Reagan and at the Treasury Department for President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter: @BruceBartlett