Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many politicians have shared their thoughts about filling her vacancy.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote in a tweet Saturday that the Democratic Party “will abolish the filibuster and expand the court” once it wins the Senate. This did not sit well with former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign advisors.
An anonymous advisor told The Washington Post, “People in your own party shouldn’t cause you problems 44 days out.”
Such a public statement of disapproval from Biden’s advisors creates a bad look for the already-fractured Democratic Party.
While court packing is frowned upon, and would most likely not be approved, a strong personal objectification toward Markey’s remarks should have been kept private. Anything the campaign advisors say will be interpreted as a direct reflection of the candidate’s opinion as well. While the media will readily accept these quotes and appreciate the story, it’s not an ideal look for Biden.
There are times when injustices, such as the Trump administration rushing to fill the Supreme Court seat, are too pressing to keep quiet about. It makes sense that Markey felt compelled to speak on it — if you are not passionate about preserving the checks and balances of democracy, then you should not be in any office.
If Biden and his team felt so offended by these statements, they could have taken the problem up with Markey himself.
Biden wants to come across as a moderate so that he can appeal to all Democrats. But, there is already such a deep divide in the party, and many progressive liberals are teetering away from Biden.
His campaign advisor making strong remarks against Markey does not help his relationship with the young progressives: Markey has become a symbol for many young people who are not excited about the direction of the Democratic party.
Biden’s team should be working to appeal to the youth, but are instead further deterring them by alienating another prominent member of the party. It can be acknowledged that they don’t agree on certain issues, but from there, they have to know how to responsibly handle the situation — they could be leading the American democracy in a few months.
True representatives of the people cannot shut down someone’s ideas and immediately mark them as threatening because they don’t align with their own. Politicians should be capable of having civil discussions to address the issues they disagree on — differing opinions can and should be a part of the conversation.
There is a growing phenomenon in which federal politicians within a major party feel like they have to agree on every item on the political agenda. But with the diverse democracy we have, that is just not possible.
Such a strict party alignment alienates voters. This only causes more discomfort and dissatisfaction throughout the party. If there isn’t space for everyone, they may take their vote elsewhere.
Compared to the Democrats, the GOP has a much stronger sense of party unity — they choose a person and back them nearly unconditionally. Very few Republicans have ever publicly objected to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric or policies.
But even with his current administration, Trump has polarized politics so greatly that he will lose some votes to Democrats. And with a collective anger among the Democrats, voters might opt for a third party or simply avoid the polls completely.
Biden is fully aware of this large divide, but has failed to mend it. He wants to unite the party, but continues to say divisive things.
On The Breakfast Club radio show, Biden said, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.” This is quite an interesting statement coming from a white man who is desperately trying to win the Black vote.
At this point in time, the presidential race is too critical for these types of sentiments to be made. The Democratic Party needs to be as unified as possible going into Election Day, and they just took a few steps back in the battle to the White House.
The only way for a party to stay unified is with communication and willingness to take the high-road when you disagree. Biden’s team created a problem the party didn’t need to have. It would be best for them in the weeks leading up to Election Day to focus not on suppressing dissent, but on genuinely earning the trust and support of their voters.
