Democrats are focused on impeaching President Donald Trump even though he has left the White House. Instead of focusing on the Biden administration, their agenda is taken up by impeaching a president who has already left office, something legal scholars believe is unconstitutional. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), however, is attempting to warn his party: history is repeating itself. Instead of doing the work the American people need done, members of his party are pushing ahead with impeachment, even though most Americans are against the move. It was Democrats' failures in the 1990s and 2010 that resulted in their party losing the House and Senate. And he's worried that might happen again.
"Yes, it was important for the House of Representatives to impeach Trump. Yes, the Senate must convict him. No president, now or in the future, can lead an insurrection against the United States government and get away with it," Sanders wrote in an opinion piece for CNN. "But as enormously important as that is, we must not lose sight of the pain and anxiety of millions of working families all over this country, as they suffer through the worst public health and economic crises in the modern history of our country. In fact, many working families are facing more economic desperation today than any time since the Great Depression."
Sanders said his party needs to "pass a bold and aggressive economic agenda" during the Biden administration's first 100 days in office.
"Failure to adequately respond to the economic desperation in America today will undermine the Biden administration and likely lead Democrats to lose their thin majorities in the US House of Representatives and US Senate in 2022. Democrats suffered significant loses in 1994, two years after President Bill Clinton's victory -- and, in 2010, two years after President Barack Obama's victory," he said. "We must not repeat those mistakes."
One of the first actions he believes Congress should take is increasing the second Wuhan coronavirus relief direct payments from $600 to $2,000 per person. There seems to be bipartisan support for this issue. Both President Trump and Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and various Republicans have said Americans need additional help.
Recommended
He also called on his colleagues to push Medicare for All by "requiring Medicare to pay for the medical bills of the uninsured and under-insured" and to guarantee 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
The Vermont senator shared a clip of what took place during the 1994 and 2010 elections, along with his warnings then and now.
Will Democrats listen? Only time will tell.
In 1994, Democrats in power lost big because they were not bold.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 23, 2021
In 2010, it happened again.
If we do not take aggressive action NOW to protect working families, it will happen in 2022. pic.twitter.com/f3atTJAlNx
Join the conversation as a VIP Member