This week, at least five women have come forward to accuse Joe Biden of inappropriately touching them in public spaces. (The first was Lucy Flores in a heartfelt article in New York magazine.) In response, Biden put out a two-minute video that didn’t include an apology. Instead, his team put out a “bat signal” to Democratic elites and allies to come forward and defend him. At a moment when working-class women of color are finally getting space in mainstream politics to speak their truth, the Democratic party should be realigning to put their concerns front and center. Throughout his career, Biden has done the opposite.

Play Video 3:00 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks popcorn, politics and DIY with Instagram followers – video

In 2020, many Democrats are looking for an electable candidate who can defeat Trump. But electability isn’t about moderation; it’s about motivation. The election will not be decided by “swing voters” who are unsure about whether they should vote for Trump or a Democrat. It will be decided by “marginal voters” – people who will vote for Democrats if they’re motivated to vote at all. Democrats need to choose a nominee who gives young people, single women, and people of color a reason to show up. It would be hard for Democrats to find a presidential candidate that’s more out of touch with these voters than Biden.

Biden has a lot to apologize for beyond the way he’s treated women. He’s been wrong about almost every major issue over the past 40 years. Instead of apologizing for the ways he’s harmed people over the course of his career, his re-entry into presidential politics has shown how little he’s learned.

In an era of #MeToo, there is no reason for Democrats to choose an old white man who does not understand boundaries and has not apologized to the women he has hurt as our presidential nominee. Since entering the race, he adopted the passive voice to offer a non-apology for the way Anita Hill was treated by the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where we served as chairman. He said: “She faced a committee that didn’t fully understand what the hell this was all about. To this day, I regret I couldn’t give her the kind of hearing she deserved. I wish I could have done something.”

The Democrats will win with a candidate who can speak to the rising America and give us a reason to have hope

In the era of BlackLivesMatter, there is no reason for Democrats to choose a candidate who opposed busing to end school segregation, called the infamous 1994 Crime Bill the “Biden bill” and literally eulogized segregationist Strom Thurmond. Biden’s team attempted to ameliorate his vulnerabilities on race by floating Stacey Abrams as a potential vice presidential candidate – reportedly without checking in with her team, or asking her permission. An adviser to Abrams told Buzzfeed News: “What makes it particularly exploitative is that Biden couldn’t be bothered to endorse Stacey in the gubernatorial primary. Now he wants her to save his a--. That’s some serious entitlement.”

In an era of record inequality and rampant anger at the corruption and greed of the ruling class, there is no reason to choose a candidate who sided with credit card companies, big banks and Wall Street against working families. Instead of acknowledging the harms caused by allowing credit card companies to make it harder for people to file for bankruptcy, Biden said: “I don’t think 500 billionaires are the reason why we’re in trouble. I get in trouble with my party when I say wealthy Americans are just as patriotic as poor folks.”

Millennials are projected to be the first generation to earn less than their parents in modern American history. We are stepping into adulthood as the climate is on the brink of catastrophe, mortality rates are on the rise, inequality is at a record high, our democracy is on the ropes, and fascism is on the rise. The Iraq war – which Biden loudly supported as chairman of the foreign relations committee – cost over $4tn dollars, while millions of Americans struggle to survive. And yet, in 2018, Biden said, “The younger generation now tells me how tough things are. Give me a break. No, no, I have no empathy for it. Give me a break.”

Three more women say Joe Biden’s touching made them uncomfortable Read more

Biden’s chances currently rest on the nostalgia created by standing close to Barack Obama during a time when our politics was less viscerally terrifying. But he represents the worst of the last 40 years of the Democratic party. At a time when working-class women of color like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib are putting forth vibrant, visionary, multiracial populism as the voice of the Democratic party, there is no reason to take a big step backwards. We will win with a candidate who can speak to the rising America and give us a reason to have hope. Biden has done nothing to prove he is that candidate.