EDITORIAL: Joe Biden isn’t really much of a ‘moderate’

Joe Biden continued his unexpected ascension on Tuesday, winning the delegate-rich swing state of Michigan and at least three other Democratic presidential primaries. A hastily assembled Bernie Sanders news conference on Wednesday led many to speculate that the Vermont senator might step aside, but he instead vowed to fight on — at least until next week.

Sen. Sanders acknowledged that he faces a difficult path but insisted that his progressive ideas are destined to carry the day. The American people, Sen. Sanders maintained, are steadfast in their support for loads of free stuff — health care, college, green energy — and overthrowing capitalism, but they have doubts about his “electability” and whether he can defeat President Donald Trump.

It apparently hasn’t occurred to Sen. Sanders that a candidate’s platform and ideas play an outsized role in his “electability,” but then the unapologetic socialist has never been one to acknowledge the clear shortcomings of his tired leftist agenda even though history has already rendered its damning verdict.

Sen. Sanders’ comments seemed to be an effort to push Mr. Biden further to the left. That can’t thrill moderate Democrats who have rescued the former vice president’s candidacy in the past 10 days and are likely eager to see him tack back toward the center in order to attract the necessary independent voters it will take to succeed in November.

But how far in that direction can Mr. Biden credibly go? Up to this point, the Democratic presidential candidates have been waged in a furious battle to win the hearts, minds and votes of the hard left. While Mr. Biden may not embrace the Sanders workers-of-the-world-unite “revolution” or speak fondly of Fidel Castro, he has staked out a wide range of policy proposals — on taxes, gun control, health care, the environment — that would have been considered radical just a decade ago.

That Mr. Biden “looks moderate compared to Sanders is just another sign of how the (Democratic) party center has moved,” writes Peter Suderman on reason.com. Mr. Suderman notes that to “describe Mr. Biden as a moderate without this context is to ignore the specifics of his agenda and the leftward shift in Democratic Party politics it represents.” Mr. Biden, the author points out, “would be the leftmost nominee in memory even while representing the party’s center.”

Sen. Sanders vowed to press Mr. Biden on a range of hot-button liberal topics during Sunday’s Democratic debate in Washington, D.C.. Will Mr. Biden be able to resist the urge to kowtow to Bernie’s army? His reputation as a “moderate” may ultimately depend upon it.