Summary
- Biden’s Failures Cause Disillusionment: The Biden administration’s inability to address key issues has disillusioned many voters, making them more susceptible to Trump’s appeal.
- Lesser Evil (LE) Voting Enables Rightward Drift: Voting for the lesser evil (LE) has not curbed the rise of right-wing populism; instead, it has allowed it to gain momentum.
- Instead, Build a Working-Class Third Party: The creation of a working-class party that can challenge both the Democratic and Republican establishments, suggests supporting independent candidates like Cornel West or Jill Stein is a better strategy.
Article was published in Socialist Alternative on May 13, 2024.
Greyson Van Arsdale is a Philadelphia-based, transgender (man) journalist who mostly covers political issues and public health. His work often focuses on critiquing mainstream political strategies and advocating for socialist alternatives.
Introduction
Biden presided over a huge increase in the cost of living, he’s cut off sources of financial relief to working people by ending pandemic-era assistance programs like the Child Tax Credit and expanded unemployment. He’s the President under which Roe v Wade was ended, the President who broke the rail strike, and the President who failed to enact any serious debt relief or expansions in access to healthcare as promised. But most recently, youth have gone into revolt against Joe Biden over his staunch support of Israel…
Only 28% of Americans say [Biden] is a good or great President, 50% say he is bad or terrible. Young people are sickened by their choices, with 63% of younger voters saying they’re dissatisfied with their options. It’s likely that most young people won’t vote this November.
Who’s Responsible For Trumpism?
In the US in 2016, it was precisely the Democratic Party’s failure to meet the needs of working and middle-class people under the Obama years that allowed Trump to demagogically appeal to millions of voters whose living standards had been falling for years.
Biden’s gutting of financial assistance programs, refusal to support a $15 federal minimum wage, and failure to address the rapid increase in the cost of living has a visceral impact on poor communities of color. There are many people who, for reasons flowing from their concrete experiences, simply do not feel like they have been better off under his presidency.
In short: by failing to provide a real alternative to the program of the right wing, Biden’s Presidency has in important ways strengthened position of Trump.
The most important fight lies beyond November, in building a working-class party in which workers and youth can democratically participate; a party made up of workers and young people, unions and social movements. This is the path that must be taken in order to prevent kicking the proverbial can down the road – further into the camp of Trump’s right wing.
How To Catch A Liar
If a serious Presidential candidate didn’t just talk about protecting Social Security and Medicaid, but instead made a vocal campaign to tax the rich to fund social services, willingly alienating big business to build a working-class movement, it would expose Trump’s long-running con. Trump wouldn’t be able to pose as an anti-war candidate next to someone who actually campaigned to end wars and US military aid. He’d be forced to either support demands in a material way, against his actual politics, or admit he’s not serious.
The best choice for working-class people and youth in the 2024 election isn’t Biden. It’s an independent candidate with a real working-class program. Independent candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein have both vocally campaigned against US military aid to Israel and for an end to the massacre in Gaza