If Biden was a European

I have a thought, if we were to find similar parties to the main caucuses in the American political spectrum, what would they be?

We have 6 major parties in the United States. They are:

• Congressional Progressive Caucus, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders
• New Democrat Coalition, Joe Biden
• Blue Dog Coalition, Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema
• Republican Main Street Partnership, Susan Collins
• Mainstream Republican Party, almost every Republican in congress
• Tea Party, Freedom Caucus, Donald Trump

 

When it comes to major issues we can break them down into the following, the first is the most left wing, to the most right wing position:

• Health Care
  • Medicare For All
    • Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders
    • Macron
    • Labour Party, Tories, and Liberal Democrats
  • Public Option, private insurance is still available
    • Barack Obama
    • German parties (CDU, SPD, die Grune, FDP)
  • Heavy government regulation, no public option
    • Nancy Pelosi
  • Only for Seniors, military, and the poor
    • Joe Biden
  • Only for military
    • Most Republicans
    • Probably Marine La Pen
  • Full privatization
• Education
  • Free college, debt free college
    • Elizabeth Warren, Barack Obama, and Bernie Sanders
    • Macron
    • Liberal Democrats and Labour Party
    • German parties (CDU, SPD, die Grune, FDP)
  • Student loans
    • Joe Biden
    • Conservative Party of the United Kingdom
  • Limited Federal support, student loans
  • Charter schools
    • Most Republicans
  • Federal Government has no involvement in education
    • Some Republicans
    • Marine La Pen
• Infrastructure
  • Nationalize the railways
  • Expand Amtrak
  • Public roads
  • Private railroads
  • Public private partnerships
• Military
  • End the military
  • Defund the police
    • Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren
  • Status quo
  • Increase police funding
    • Joe Biden
  • Increase weapon shipments to the Middle East
    • Republican Party
• Foreign Trade
  • Join Schengen
    • Emmanuel Macron
    • Liberal Democrats
    • German parties (CDU, SPD, die Grune, FDP)
  • Build our own North American free travel zone
  • NAFTA
    • Joe Biden
    • Conservative Party of the United Kingdom
  • End NAFTA
    • Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren
    • La France Insoumise
    • Jeremy Corbyn
  • Mercantilism and trade wars
    • Republican Party of the US
    • Marine La Pen

The easiest way to compare will be to compare health care and education. Almost no party in Europe besides the Tories in the United Kingdom support privatizing infrastructure.

Based on Foreign Trade, Education, and Health care alone we can get a pretty good idea of where each candidate stands.

 

When it comes to health care and education, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is on par with the European consensus. Moderate Democrats are on par with the Tories. Republicans only really compare with candidates like Marine La Pen.

When it comes to free trade, almost no one in American politics today is on par with the majority of European parties. Moderate Democrats are on par with the Tories. Progressive democrats are on par with Jeremy Corbyn and other Eurosceptic parties. The Republican Party can only find itself in alliance with Marine La Pen.

So, if Biden was a European, he would be very alone on education and health care issues. He would have almost no support, almost no allies, and he would be a minor candidate. There is no major party in Germany, France, or the United Kingdom which shares his views. On foreign trade he is very similar to the Tories.

Politicians like Joe Biden cannot succeed in European politics.

That’s the truth.