Although long dismissed as a radical outsider by the Democrat machine, socialist-spouting Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has gained substantial influence in President Joe Biden‘s administration, CNN reported.
The shift confirms that Biden, who routinely presented himself as a moderate during his campaign, has taken the far-left turn that many suspected him of.
Sanders has made a lengthy—and lucrative—political career out of his iconoclastic role representing the fringes of the left-wing establishment.
He even wrote a book titled Outsider in the House, asserting himself as a lead nemesis of the Washington swamp-dwellers.
But after several decades in D.C., Sanders has apparently attained the insider status that he long reviled and repudiated.
He insisted that he and Biden—his former Senate colleague turned primary rival—had a good relationship.
“He wants to be a champion of working families, and I admire that and respect that,” Sanders said.
The White House reciprocated the love-fest.
“I can tell you that Bernie Sanders has real influence” within the administration, said senior Biden adviser Cedric Richmond. “Sen. Sanders is respected.”
The new partnership provides another example of what has become increasingly apparent over the past several years: the far-left progressives and the so-called moderate Democrats share views on most important issues.
Sanders especially praised Biden’s ability to get things done for the Democrats by feigning moderation.
“He’s more conservative than I am, obviously,” Sanders claimed.
“But on the other hand, he’s not only a smart guy, he is a good politician who has a sense of where people are at and what is possible,” Sanders added. “And I think he understands that at this particular moment in American history where working families face so many problems, you’ve got to go big, not small.”
