Justice Democrats expressed opposition to the candidacy of former vice president Joe Biden in a series of tweets posted within hours of Biden's official campaign announcement on Thursday morning.
"The old guard of the Democratic Party failed to stop Trump, and they can't be counted on to lead the fight against his divide-and-conquer politics today. The party needs new leadership with a bold vision capable of energizing voters in the Democratic base who stayed home in 2016," Justice Democrats tweeted.
"While we're going to support the Democratic nominee, we can't let a so-called 'centrist' like Joe Biden divide the Democratic Party and turn it into the party of 'No, we can’t,'" the thread continued.
While we're going to support the Democratic nominee, we can't let a so-called 'centrist' like Joe Biden divide the Democratic Party and turn it into the party of 'No, we can’t.'
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) April 25, 2019
Justice Democrats argued Biden "stands in near complete opposition to where the center of energy is in the Democratic Party today," arguing members of the party are "increasingly uniting around progressive populist policies like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, free college, rejecting corporate money and ending mass incarceration and deportation. We don't need someone who voted for the Iraq War, for mass incarceration, and for the Bankruptcy Reform Act while voting against gay marriage, reproductive rights, and school desegregation."
...and ending mass incarceration and deportation. We don’t need someone who voted for the Iraq War, for mass incarceration, and for the Bankruptcy Reform Act while voting against gay marriage, reproductive rights, and school desegregation.
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) April 25, 2019
"Life expectancy has decreased for a third straight year in our country. We need Democrats who will fight racism and inequality with solutions that match the scale of the crises we're facing — not piecemeal compromises with corporate America and the party of Donald Trump," the thread concluded.
Life expectancy has decreased for a third straight year in our country. We need Democrats who will fight racism and inequality with solutions that match the scale of the crises we're facing — not piecemeal compromises with corporate America and the party of Donald Trump.
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) April 25, 2019
Biden announced his candidacy in a video posted on his Twitter account on Thursday. The former vice president is considered a front-runner in the Democratic primary, and he currently leads the crowded field of candidates in polls.
Earlier this month, Biden faced controversy as several women claimed he made them feel uncomfortable with "unsolicited touching." The Washington Free Beacon reported this week that Biden considered homosexuals to be "security risks" in the 1970s.