Rep. Ilhan Omar Says Dems to Push Biden Further Left if Elected: 'The Most Progressive President Since FDR'
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) told "Axios on HBO" that since she thinks Joe Biden will shift further to the liberal left if he's elected. Omar says progressives in the Democrat Party have already shaped Joe Biden's policy platform, so she and other members of "The Squad" expect he'll ditch his moderate appearance once the campaign is over.
"The Squad" refers to Omar, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). They represent a movement among younger Democrats in Congress toward more progressive, socialistic ideals. Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, and Tlaib endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this year.
Axios reports that progressives who were working with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have stopped publicly criticizing Biden during the presidential campaign, even though he hasn't accepted most of their policies. Instead, they've directed their focus to defeat President Trump.
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Omar's comments during her interview reveal a pressure campaign that Biden will face.
"We will have a cohort of progressives that are very clear about their objectives for wanting the implementation of Medicare for All and a Green New Deal and raising the minimum wage and not allowing for fracking," Omar said during the interview on Monday.
"There has been a level of responsiveness ... to the policies that progressives are advocating for that progressives know will have not just a future in Biden's administration, but a future in the upcoming administrations after his," the Minnesota representative added.
"As progressives, we have a clear understanding of what the inside and outside game is," she continued.
If elected, Democrat progressives plan to also push Biden to appoint people that will carry out the Democratic policies. Biden is reportedly considering, and his transition team is vetting, Republicans for cabinet positions, Politico.com reports.
"We do want a more unified country, and we do want a space where we can debate our policy differences but not see each other as the enemy," she said. But she sees a danger if a Biden administration includes people who support "policies that are contrary to what the Democratic platform is," Omar noted.
"The president is only as successful as his collaboration is with Congress," the Minnesota congresswoman also told the outlet.
Back in July, Sanders spoke about Biden's policy platform with its progressive twist to MSNBC.
"I think the compromise that they came up with if implemented, will make Biden the most progressive president since FDR," he said.
