Young Turks founder: Voting for Biden over Trump would be 'no-brainer'
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Young Turks founder: Voting for Biden over Trump would be 'no-brainer'
The founder and host of the left-leaning online show "The Young Turks" said Friday there is no question he would vote for former Vice President Joe Biden if he becomes the Democratic nominee to face President Trump in 2020.
“Don’t get me wrong, if it’s Biden versus Trump in the general election, that’s the biggest no-brainer of my life. I will definitely vote for Biden, and anyone who doesn’t I think is mental,” Cenk Uygur told Hill.TV co-hosts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on "Rising."
“Not because Biden is great … but because Trump is an absolute disaster,” Uygur said. “He doesn’t believe in our form of government. If you give him four more years, this Democracy might not even survive, and I don’t think that’s a hyperbole.”
But the Young Turks founder warned that if Biden wins the nomination, the former vice president will not ultimately support progressive policies like the Green New Deal, even though he released a plan this month that largely embraces key aspects of the ambitious climate action proposal championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“He’s not going to propose anything bold,” Uygur told Hill.TV. “He’s not going to go for 'Medicare for All,' he’s not going to go for Green New Deal, he’s not going to get money out of politics.”
Uygur also outlined a new initiative from The Young Turks.
The five-part agenda calls for higher wages, Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, College for All and a constitutional amendment that would ban the private financing of candidates.
So far, three 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have signed onto the pledge: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), best-selling author Marianne Williamson and former Alaska Sen. Mark Gravel.
Uygur hopes the initiative can also serve as a litmus test for voters trying to navigate the crowded Democratic field.
“There’s 24 candidates here. They’re not running for Senate they’re not running for Congress -- they’re running for the most important job in the country. So why not pick the person that most aligns with you?” he said.
—Tess Bonn
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Hopefully, there is an actual significance to something like this. Cenk Uygur is probably the biggest name in progressive streaming media. The Young Turks is a brand the mainstream progressives in the millennial age group trust to steer them in the correct direction on issues and candidates. Uygur created Justice Democrats, an organization that is responsible for Alezandria Ocasio Cortez being in Congress.
The Young Turks is what I would call mainstream progressive (as opposed to politically radical) and so how they react to a Biden nomination can be key. If mainstream progressives urge their likeminded to stay home in an election between Biden and Trump it could badly damage Bidens chances. The fact that Uygur says a Biden -Trump choice would be a "no-brainer" in Biden's favor shows that progressives will decide, quite rightfully, that getting Trump gone is more important than anything else in 2020. This is a good direction for the Democrats.
There's always a chance he could have voted for a Green Party candidate. It's still early, so who knows?
Why does no one on the Left call out these people for their irrational fear-mongering? They said this shit about Trump before he was even elected. He was given four years and what's happening now? We just had an election where Trump lost the majority he had in the House, opening the door for a bunch of investigations into him. We're getting ready to have another election - one that might actually replace him. Democracy is doing just fine, but this guy keeps singing this song about it dying. Why is that ok for so many people? Why will so many people hear rhetoric like this, ignore it, and then say Trump is the guy campaigning on fear?
same thing he said about hillary vs trump in 2016
and then? I enjoyed watching the young turds melt down last election.
nothing has changed