Some of the nation’s leading progressive groups are demanding former Vice President Joe Biden vow to prioritize diplomacy and avoid “militarizing” disputes with Russia and China if elected commander-in-chief.
More than 50 left-leaning organizations sent a letter to the former vice president’s campaign on Monday urging him to embrace “a principled foreign policy” that emphasizes diplomacy above all. The letter, which was signed by progressive heavyweights like MoveOn and Demand Progress, argued the crisis posed by the Coronavirus outbreak presented an opportunity for “bold leadership,” as the pandemic marked the “beginning of a period of profound instability for the entire planet.”
“The American people are looking for a leader who will turn the page on 9/11 policies that have resulted in an endless cycle of war, countless lives lost, increased global instability, large-scale refugee flows … and the violation of Americans’ civil liberties,” the letter reads.
Included with the letter was a 10-point policy blueprint the organizations wanted to see Biden adopt. List among the proposals were budgetary cuts to the Department of Defense, the reigning in of presidential war powers, the rejection of “discriminatory immigration policies.” Most notably, however, the blueprint urges Biden to pledge to avoid actions that will further Russia and China.
“As Russia and China become increasingly assertive on the world stage, it is critical that you promote diplomatic engagement and avoid further militarization of our relationship with these major powers,” the letter reads. Adding that “overhyping the threat these countries pose to the United States intensifies fear, racism, and hate domestically.”
The letter comes as Biden and his likely general election rival, incumbent President Donald Trump, have traded barbs back and forth about China’s responsibility for the Coronavirus outbreak. The president and his allies have accused Biden of being in favor of increased trade with China, highlighting not only the former vice president’s but also his family’s decades-long ties to the Asian power. Biden, for his part, has responded in kind, alleging the president has failed to hold China accountable for failing in its initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Such attacks on Biden’s part, though, have somewhat backfired on the left, underscoring the ideological divide among Democrats over China. While moderates believe the communist regime botched its Coronavirus response and then attempted to hide its negligence, some in the party’s progressive wing claim that any association of the virus with China is derogatory, specifically towards Asian Americans.
Biden, himself, has attempted to walk a tightrope on the issue. Earlier this year, the former vice president indulged the sentiment of progressives by attacking as “xenophobic” Trump’s insistence on imposing a travel ban on China when the pandemic first emerged. In recent weeks, as polling has shown approximately 77 percent of Americans blame China for the pandemic, the former vice president has jettisoned that approach, much to the chagrin of his party’s progressive flank.
Last month, the feeling of many on the left was summed up by Cecilia Wang, a deputy legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, when Biden’s campaign released a fiery ad accusing Trump of having “rolled over for the Chinese” in the face of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Wow @JoeBiden. Already trying to out-Trump Trump. This kind of fearmongering is causing violent attacks on Asian Americans. If you are trying to reform your past history of racist policymaking, like your 1994 crime bill, you had better do some homework. This ain’t it. pic.twitter.com/ePHiVGQFf3
— Cecillia Wang 王德棻 (@WangCecillia) April 19, 2020
“This kind of fearmongering is causing violent attacks on Asian Americans,” Wang wrote on social media. “If you are trying to reform your past history of racist policymaking, like your 1994 crime bill, you had better do some homework. This ain’t it.”
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