Biden must form a progressive administration.

Progressive advocacy groups have made their case and their demands; will Joe Biden listen?

This is where it gets interesting. Joe Biden is President-Elect, we now await his appointments, as he begins the laborious process of forming an administration. So far we only know his chief of staff, a long-time ally and predictable choice. Where he puts key progressive players in this govt tell us his priorities.

The demands are rightfully being put on the table. The irrefutable fact is, without black voters energised by protests for racial justice, without indigenous communities voting en masse, without young voters fired up by progressive ambitions, Biden wouldn’t have won. He would not have won without those leftwing elements his party is now trying to blame for the underwhelming result. Their activism and organising on the ground is what saved us from “Episode 2 of DNC Complacency” and a second odds defying Trump term.

I believe what Biden now does will be a good weather vane for electoral prospects in 2024 for the DNC. If he staffs the administration with the usual suspects, the turnout goes back, the energy evaporates, and a more competent menace wins for the Republicans next time around. Nothing is a done deal and everything depends on a lot of different factors; but a bold, FDR type administration is the only plausible way to stem those tides of resentment.

I will keep saying this: there need to be tangible improvements to people’s lives by the time the Democrats yet again face the voters. Green infrastructure, better bus routes, affordable healthcare, all these different things will show a tangible benefit. That huge investment in green technology and innovation Biden is pledged to will change lives for the better.

I’m deeply sceptical, and I have a feeling Biden will staff the administration with the usual suspects, and govern hand in hand with McConnell. To do so would be a betrayal, and we most work to ensure Biden goes against his instincts and outside his comfort zone. And someone needs to burst his 1970s bubble of bipartisan nonsense.

We need to see, as Senator Sanders put it, the most progressive administration in history. Whether we do or not will determine what comes next.