Sanders Predicts Biden Will Be ‘The Most Progressive President Since FDR’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) predicted if the compromised Democrat policy recommendations crafted by the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces are implemented would make the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden the “most progressive president” since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

“I was glad to work with the vice president in the forming of six separate task forces, which have some of the most knowledgeable people in the country coming together to deal with education and climate change, and healthcare, and the economy, and criminal justice, and immigration reform,” Sanders said during an appearance with “All In with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC Wednesday evening. “And these folks, needless to say, the people who represented the progressive movement have a different perspective on things than did the Biden’s people, but there was a serious discussion, and I think a real honest effort to come up with a compromise. And I think the compromise that they came up with, if implemented, will make Biden the most progressive president since FDR.”

Sanders’ remarks come as Biden’s campaign released a series of platform recommendations to the Democratic National Committee’s platform committee, which will draft the party’s platform next month at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee. The task force was formed in April shortly after Sanders endorsed Biden and announced the two campaigns were joining forces to develop a unified set of recommendations on six key issues including climate change, criminal justice, education, immigration, health care, and the economy. 

The Vermont Senator acknowledged that after weeks of negotiations the final recommendations didn’t adopt a full range of ambitious progressive policy goals he had pushed throughout his campaign. However, Sanders believes the document is a good policy blueprint that will improve “millions of working people” as well as “major issues facing this country” once implemented.

“It did not have, needless to say, everything that I wanted, didn’t have everything that Biden wanted, but there is no question that, on some of the major issues facing this country, if that agenda is implemented, life will improve for tens and tens of millions of working people. It will improve for our environment and for climate change, criminal justice, and for the needs of low-income people.”

“I think every person who voted for me, and I think for the other Democratic candidates, fully understands that Donald Trump is the most dangerous president, if not in the modern history of our country than in the overall history of our country and that it is absolutely imperative that we come together and defeat him and defeat him badly.”

The Republican National Committee (RNC) responded to Sanders’ prediction remarks and the task-force recommendations, noting that the document which spans over 100 pages lifted numerous passages word-for-word from Sanders’ previous platform.

“The fact Joe Biden has embraced Bernie Sanders’ radical agenda verbatim is proof that while Bernie may not be the one leading the Democrat Party, Biden is more than happy to be his champion in its lurch to the left,” RNC spokesperson Steve Guest tweeted. “Bottom Line: Joe Biden has years of experience copying from others, now his task force is straight up copying from Bernie’s 2020 campaign proposals.”

Bottom Line: Joe Biden has years of experience copying from others, now his task force is straight up copying from Bernie’s 2020 campaign proposals.

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 8, 2020

20202020 Election2020 Presidential RaceAll In With Chris HayesBiden-Sanders Unity Task ForcesDemocratic National CommitteeDNCJoe BidenMSNBCPresident TrumpRNCSen. Bernie SandersSteve GuestUnity Task Force