Bernie Sanders from Democratic Party

Joe Biden VS Trump

Senator from the state of Vermont, Bernie Sanders, on Wednesday (8/4) declared an end to his candidacy for the United States presidential candidate from the Democratic Party.

Thus, the rival, Joe Biden, will go forward as a party representative in the fight against incumbent President Donald Trump in the presidential election on 3 November 2020 later.

Sanders, a socialist democratic politician who promised change at the White House for grassroots, began fighting as a Democratic presidential candidate in February.

However, the series of defeats by Joe Biden in the initial election made Sanders realize he did not have enough opportunity to become a Democratic presidential candidate. Nevertheless, he promised to work with Biden, a former US vice president, to depose Trump from power.

Sanders said he would use his right to vote in the coming general elections and continue to gather support to push the anti-corporate agenda he was promoting through the Democratic Party vote. Some of Sanders’ agendas, among others, are tax increases for the rich and the management of the health system by the government.

“Together we unite, we will move forward against Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in the modern history of the United States,” Sanders told supporters through live broadcasts from his home in Burlington, Vermont.

The 78-year-old senator had gathered a lot of votes before finally losing in the State of South Carolina at the end of February. Because, most of the middle class in the Democratic Party supports Biden.

Sanders’ candidacy, Biden’s last rival, added to the long battle for the White House between the 77-year-old former vice president and Trump, who is eyeing a second term as US president.

Biden praised Sanders’s move and promised his political agenda would be part of the vision and mission of the former US vice president. He immediately approached the Sanders supporters.

“I see you, I hear you, and I understand the importance of solving problems in this country,” Biden said. “I hope you will join us. You are more than welcome to join. You are needed,” Biden said.

Sanders decided to resign when the COVID-19 outbreak in the US and disrupt the initial election schedule. Some states postpone elections to prevent transmission of the virus.

Earlier in 2016, Sanders had faced Democratic Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. But in this year’s candidacy, Sanders faced huge pressure from Biden after he won early elections in Florida, Arizona and Illinois on March 17.

A number of parties encouraged Sanders to keep fighting so that he could influence the direction of Biden’s policy. However, the health crisis of COVID-19 distracted the focus of the population from the chaotic presidential elections and the entire campaign was canceled. Sanders has few opportunities to convey his message to the public and political rivals.

Sanders once believed his mission regarding social security and the tax of the rich would attract a lot of community support. However, it was Biden who received support from many quarters: women and men, black and white voters, those with or without college degrees, and liberals and moderates.

The party said Sanders’ decision to step down gave them time to strategize before the Democratic convention in August. Some party members blame Sanders for maintaining rivalry with Hillary for too long, so he lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

“Bernie stepped down quite early. I think this gives us plenty of time to recover,” said Democratic Party representative Joel Payne, who briefly helped Hillary’s campaign in 2016.

Trump, who had approached Sanders supporters and said he was treated unfairly by the Democratic Party, expressed his response via social media Twitter.

“(Sanders’ resignation) ends as the Democratic Party and the DNC (Democratic National Committee) want, as Hillary has done. Supporters Bernie should move to the Republican Party, EXCHANGE (position),” Trump said.

Many Sanders’ agendas became a debate issue among the Democratic Party. Some of them, the proposal “Health for All” (Medicare for All) that encourages the health system to be managed by the government in order to replace private health insurance services and public health service programs that are currently running.

He also proposed a minimum wage of 15 US dollars (around Rp. 241,000) per hour, freeing up college tuition and greater taxes for the rich.

“This movement won an ideological struggle in a region called the red country, the blue country, and the purple country,” Sanders said, referring to a term that refers to all states in the United States.

Source: Antara/Reuters