Progressive leaders reveal plan to retain dwindling support for Biden

Top progressives in the House of Representatives laid out the agenda they will push if Democrats win control of the lower chamber in the 2024 election.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus outlined seven policy ideas for the 119th Congress should they regain control of the House. For progressives who have been at odds with President Joe Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, the outline serves as a message to Biden about how he can win back young and progressive voters.

“If the progressive base is not excited and enthusiastic, and if they don’t feel like we are trying to earn their votes and that they are important, then I think the horrific idea of a second Donald Trump presidency could become reality,” Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said, per NBC News. “We cannot afford to let that happen. And we won’t.”

The seven policies cover lowering the cost of living, increasing wages and “worker power,” advancing justice, protecting the planet, ensuring democracy “works,” dismantling corporations’ hold on the economy, and creating “world-class” public education. Each idea has specific policies that Democrats would push to achieve their desired results, with the agenda reportedly being supported by 98% of the caucus.

The caucus’s plan has a large focus on lowering the cost of living. Some ways by which they are looking to achieve this include universal free preschool education, expanding social security, and increasing the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour by 2028.

“It’s really about worker power and raising wages and lowering costs for poor people, middle-class Americans, and the working people across this country,” Jayapal said.

The agenda does not include some policy ideas that progressive Democrats have pushed for in the past, such as “Medicare for All.” It also does not outline foreign policy concerns such as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has been a point of contention for many Democrats. According to Jayapal, this was because the Progressive Caucus had not yet made a cohesive decision on the matter and wanted to focus the agenda on domestic topics.

“We haven’t taken a position on particularly Israel and Gaza in the Progressive Caucus, and so that’s not on here,” Jayapal said.

To enact these policies, Democrats will likely need to regain control of the House and keep control of the Senate and the presidency.

“We have to excite our base,” Jayapal said. “We have to show them what the path forward is — not just say, ‘This is the most important election of your life, and we expect you to vote.’ I don’t think that’s going to turn people out. And so I think this agenda, really, speaks to the needs of poor people, working people, progressives across the country who want us to make that case to them.”

Many Democratic voters, especially those further to the left, have voiced their opposition to Biden, if not even by stating their support for an alternative. In Michigan, over 100,000 residents voted “uncommitted” instead of for Biden in the state’s Democratic primary election in protest over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

He faced similar opposition in neighboring Wisconsin with an “uninstructed” vote. The two states are among seven swing states that are crucial for Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to win the presidency.

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Jayapal signaled her fears over the lack of support for Biden and emphasized that Democrats need to build momentum to ensure Biden’s success in November.

“We are not seeing the momentum that we would like to see,” she said. “We’re going to have a tough election. … We know we’re going to have to put together that progressive coalition. And I think this is the thing that allows us to say, ‘Look, here’s what we’re fighting for.’”

Read More From Original Article Here: Progressives lay out wish list to save voting bloc Biden is bleeding