Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to dominate the Democratic primary field, leading nearest challenger Bernie Sanders by almost 20 percentage points, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.
Could Biden's lead be in jeopardy after Greenpeace, the environmental activist group that once destroyed a sacred site in Peru during a protest, gave his climate change record a D-minus in its latest assessment of the 2020 candidates?
No.
Biden tied for dead last in the rankings, along with former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D., Colo.) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio), two of the random white dudes who are, for some reason, running for president. Another random white dude, Gov. Jay Inslee (D., Wash.) topped the field with a grade of A-minus. Inslee is essentially running a single-issue, climate-focused campaign.
The highest-rated legitimate contenders to win the nomination were Sens. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Cory Booker (D., N.J.), who both earned a B-plus grade, followed by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.)
The rankings, released by Greenpeace on Thursday, took into consideration factors such as statements, legislative records, published plans, and responses to a survey. The report card looked at the 19 candidates who have so far qualified for the first Democratic primary debate in June.
Whether or not a candidate had embrace the so-called "Green New Deal" proposal, co-authored by celebrity socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) factored significantly into the rankings. Biden, for example, has not endorsed the Green New Deal, nor has he pledged to reject donations from the fossil fuel industry.
In addition to ruining sacred artifacts in South America, Greenpeace activists were also likely responsible for destroying a genetically-modified crop in the Philippines that was designed to prevent blindness and save lives in poorer countries where many people suffer from a vitamin A deficiency.