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By John Bachtell
Alarm over the prospect of a second Trump presidency and desire for substantial change is preparing the ground for an unprecedented voter turnout in November. The virtual Democratic National Convention showcased the vast array of support coalescing around former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. That support ranges from former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich to socialists Sen. Bernie Sanders, a spectrum so broad it makes that required turnout a real possibility.
Among the political left, broadly speaking, the Biden-Harris ticket has wide support, even though many prefer the candidates went even further in a progressive direction on the issues. For example, virtually all of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s, D-Mass., and most of Sanders’s supporters are solidly backing Biden. These forces understand the need for broad alliances, including with the political center. They see how it and Biden have responded positively to the mass democratic upsurge, which has shifted the country’s politics.
“November is about stopping fascism in the U.S. and that is what Donald Trump represents,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a recent Instagram post. She has made the point that if Biden is elected, the fight will still carry on for universal health care, living wages, free college tuition, and justice for immigrants.
“We will always, always have our differences,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “This is not a left or right thing, it’s a human existence thing. We have to fight for all these things and hold our disagreements and still move the ball forward. That’s why they call it the struggle.”
One challenge for left leaders like Warren, Sanders, and Ocasio-Cortez is convincing more of those participating in the democratic uprising that their vote makes a difference and that protesting connects with voting. Luckily, it appears many have already been making that realization, as the latest numbers show that...
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