With the release of his healthcare plan July 15, former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden fanned the flames of what is becoming an "increasingly hostile" relationship with opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., The Washington Post reports.
Four quick notes on the growing division:
1. During his healthcare plan announcement, Mr. Biden called out Republicans and Democrats alike for trying to dismantle the ACA. "I knew the Republicans would do everything in their power to repeal Obamacare," he said in a campaign video. "They still are. But I'm surprised so many Democrats are running on getting rid of it."
2. He also singled out "Medicare for All" when pitching his plan to voters in Iowa, according to The Washington Post. Mr. Biden said Medicare for All was dangerous and could result in gaps in coverage during implementation. Mr. Biden defended his healthcare plan, which preserves the ACA and adds a public option, for being quick to implement and preserving choice.
3. Mr. Sanders issued a rebuttal comparing the two plans after Mr. Biden's announcement, according to the report. He also fired off a series of tweets defending his plan. "Not crazy: Passing Medicare for All and guaranteeing health care like every other major country. Actually crazy: A health care system designed to make as much profit for corporations as possible while letting ordinary people die," one tweet reads.
4. The tone of discourse over healthcare between the two candidates, which The Washington Post describes as "belligerent," gets at a larger ideological split happening in the Democratic Party. The Post describes Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders as two ends of a spectrum from pragmatism to idealism, respectively. Many of the other Democratic candidates align more closely with Mr. Sanders on healthcare.
Read the full story here.
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