SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders listens as former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on September 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
'Not How We Defeat Trump,' Says Sanders Campaign After Biden Opens Door to Super PACs
"The former Vice President has been unable to generate grassroots support, and now his campaign is endorsing an effort to buy the primary through a super PAC that can rake in unlimited cash from billionaires and corporations."
Oct 24, 2019
Former Vice President Joe Biden's 2020 Democratic presidential campaign on Thursday announced that they would accept support from super PACs, a reversal of a stance that had lasted through the primary season and is shared by his top rivals.
In response to the news, Faiz Shakir, campaign manager for the democratic presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), sounded a note of disappointment.
"The former Vice President has been unable to generate grassroots support, and now his campaign is endorsing an effort to buy the primary through a super PAC that can rake in unlimited cash from billionaires and corporations," said Shakir.
As Common Dreams reported Thursday, plans are underway by Biden allies to start a super PAC for the beleaguered front-runner. Biden has struggled to raise money; a CNN report Thursday showed the former vice president has less than $9 million cash on hand. Sanders has $33.7 million.
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC in a statement Thursday afternoon after the CNN story broke that the campaign was still oppposed to super PACs--at least ideologically. She left the door open to accepting their support due to fears of running against President Donald Trump in a hypothetical general election match-up.
"Until we have these badly needed reforms, we will see more than a billion dollars in spending by Trump and his allies to re-elect this corrupt president," said Bedingfield. "And let's be clear: Donald Trump has decided that the general election has already begun."
Bedingfield did not explain why Biden would need a super PAC in the primary, where he will not face Trump. Instead, the Biden aide focused on the future.
"In this time of crisis in our politics, it is not surprising that those who are dedicated to defeating Donald Trump are organizing in every way permitted by current law to bring an end to his disastrous presidency," said Bedingfield. "Nothing changes unless we defeat Donald Trump."
Shakir, in his statement, strongly disagreed with that interpretation of how to defeat the Republican incumbent. Super PACs, said Shakir, are a recipe for disaster.
"That's not how we defeat Trump," said Shakir. "It's a recipe to maintain a corrupt political system which enriches wealthy donors and leaves the working class behind."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Former Vice President Joe Biden's 2020 Democratic presidential campaign on Thursday announced that they would accept support from super PACs, a reversal of a stance that had lasted through the primary season and is shared by his top rivals.
In response to the news, Faiz Shakir, campaign manager for the democratic presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), sounded a note of disappointment.
"The former Vice President has been unable to generate grassroots support, and now his campaign is endorsing an effort to buy the primary through a super PAC that can rake in unlimited cash from billionaires and corporations," said Shakir.
As Common Dreams reported Thursday, plans are underway by Biden allies to start a super PAC for the beleaguered front-runner. Biden has struggled to raise money; a CNN report Thursday showed the former vice president has less than $9 million cash on hand. Sanders has $33.7 million.
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC in a statement Thursday afternoon after the CNN story broke that the campaign was still oppposed to super PACs--at least ideologically. She left the door open to accepting their support due to fears of running against President Donald Trump in a hypothetical general election match-up.
"Until we have these badly needed reforms, we will see more than a billion dollars in spending by Trump and his allies to re-elect this corrupt president," said Bedingfield. "And let's be clear: Donald Trump has decided that the general election has already begun."
Bedingfield did not explain why Biden would need a super PAC in the primary, where he will not face Trump. Instead, the Biden aide focused on the future.
"In this time of crisis in our politics, it is not surprising that those who are dedicated to defeating Donald Trump are organizing in every way permitted by current law to bring an end to his disastrous presidency," said Bedingfield. "Nothing changes unless we defeat Donald Trump."
Shakir, in his statement, strongly disagreed with that interpretation of how to defeat the Republican incumbent. Super PACs, said Shakir, are a recipe for disaster.
"That's not how we defeat Trump," said Shakir. "It's a recipe to maintain a corrupt political system which enriches wealthy donors and leaves the working class behind."
Former Vice President Joe Biden's 2020 Democratic presidential campaign on Thursday announced that they would accept support from super PACs, a reversal of a stance that had lasted through the primary season and is shared by his top rivals.
In response to the news, Faiz Shakir, campaign manager for the democratic presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), sounded a note of disappointment.
"The former Vice President has been unable to generate grassroots support, and now his campaign is endorsing an effort to buy the primary through a super PAC that can rake in unlimited cash from billionaires and corporations," said Shakir.
As Common Dreams reported Thursday, plans are underway by Biden allies to start a super PAC for the beleaguered front-runner. Biden has struggled to raise money; a CNN report Thursday showed the former vice president has less than $9 million cash on hand. Sanders has $33.7 million.
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC in a statement Thursday afternoon after the CNN story broke that the campaign was still oppposed to super PACs--at least ideologically. She left the door open to accepting their support due to fears of running against President Donald Trump in a hypothetical general election match-up.
"Until we have these badly needed reforms, we will see more than a billion dollars in spending by Trump and his allies to re-elect this corrupt president," said Bedingfield. "And let's be clear: Donald Trump has decided that the general election has already begun."
Bedingfield did not explain why Biden would need a super PAC in the primary, where he will not face Trump. Instead, the Biden aide focused on the future.
"In this time of crisis in our politics, it is not surprising that those who are dedicated to defeating Donald Trump are organizing in every way permitted by current law to bring an end to his disastrous presidency," said Bedingfield. "Nothing changes unless we defeat Donald Trump."
Shakir, in his statement, strongly disagreed with that interpretation of how to defeat the Republican incumbent. Super PACs, said Shakir, are a recipe for disaster.
"That's not how we defeat Trump," said Shakir. "It's a recipe to maintain a corrupt political system which enriches wealthy donors and leaves the working class behind."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.