Well it’s still months away from the 2020 primaries, but already we’re seeing many contenders for the presidency lining up to face Trump in 2020, and two of them are regarded as the ‘most progressive’, in stark contrast to Biden.
In fact, Liz Warren has been lumped together with Bernie Sanders for years, to the point that to some it may seem like an ineffectual argument to even disagree between them, but there are several important distinctions, many of which could make or break a presidency. For in spite of their seemingly parallel platforms, their ideologies stand in stark contrast.
For many Bernie supporters, their opinion of Liz Warren was formed when she refused to endorse Bernie Sanders, but Liz’s integrity is in question on more grounds than simply her reluctance to endorse Bernie Sanders in 2015-16.
Though Warren and Sanders are generally regarded as the two most progressive candidates in the race for 2020, and they both share a common base of political views, they have differing ideologies with crucial distinctions.
For many the argument is as simple as “democratic socialist vs. capitalist”, but those who know better know that A) those two things are not diametrically opposed, and B) Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders are both ‘humanitarian capitalists’, the only difference being simply the degree of humanitarianism espoused.
Bernie Sanders is in favor of completely eliminating private health insurance, in favor of a single-payer system. Liz Warren, in spite of her consistent mentioning of healthcare, only talks about expanding public options, not eliminating private health insurance. Both are talking about regulating capitalism, but Bernie is talking about a much higher degree of regulation.
Can one assume that this is the imaginary line in the sand between socialists and capitalists?
If so, then I would rather vote for the socialist who’s really a humanitarian capitalist, than a capitalist who’s not even a progressive, especially since she’s the one drawing that disingenuous line in the sand herself, to set herself above Bernie Sanders, which is a classic neoliberal move.
You cannot be a humanitarian capitalist as she claims to be (let alone a progressive), and not be in favor of eliminating mandated private health insurance.
This capitalist/socialist argument is designed to divide progressives. It has no further function, it has no further purpose. We are to believe that if you think that capitalism can be regulated then you should vote for Warren, but if you believe that capitalism cannot be regulated, then you should vote for Sanders.
Simple, huh?
A recent Vox article made this inescapably clear, even using the terms “democratic socialist” to refer to Sanders, and “social democrat” to refer to Warren, the crux being how capitalism is regarded.
There’s just one problem…
Bernie Sanders consistently points to Scandinavia’s highest standard of living in the world, thriving middle class, and very low income inequality, as a regulated capitalist model that we could follow in the US. If you’re looking for the “social democrat”, there he is.
All else is a despicable slander campaign, using warped terminology to frame a target. Again, a classic neoliberal move. What’s more despicable is that Warren herself is spearheading this disingenuous attack, and gullible people are falling for it.
Meanwhile Liz Warren thinks that the real sweeping change that we so desperately need in this country’s healthcare will come by dancing tiny minuettes with corporate health insurance, who will maintain their control over the entire system. Not only does this lack the sound of progressivism, it smacks rather loudly of centrism.
But this isn’t even the most important, central issue in the decision between them …far from it.
For in spite of the similarity in grandiose progressive plans and schemes, Bernie Sanders has Stephanie Kelton backing him as his economic advisor, and Liz Warren doesn’t. As small as this difference may seem to some, it is a fact with hugely far-reaching implications for getting any progressive platform paid for, because Stephanie Kelton is one of the leading minds of Modern Monetary Theory. Armed with this economic knowledge, Bernie’s platform has one inherent advantage which sets it above anything Liz Warren proposes: viability through economic literacy.
Through all of these things, each one shines a little more light on another, less obvious difference between Sanders and Warren: wide sweeping change is what we need. Only Bernie Sanders even talks about that, let alone embodies it in his campaign strategies.
We don’t just need retribution, we need a revolution — and only one candidate has been preparing to bring that for decades.