"Biden Needs to be Different Than He Has in Past to Beat Trump," Says Former Sanders Advisor Sirota

"Biden Needs to be Different Than He Has in Past to Beat Trump," Says Former Sanders Advisor Sirota

David Sirota, former top advisor to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, weighed in on what he sees as former Vice-President Joe Biden's chances against President Donald Trump -- as well as his new media analysis site TMI, "Too Much Information."

"Joe Biden needs to be a different Joe Biden than he has in the past," said Sirota, in a wide-ranging interview on GoLocal LIVE, addressing why he thought Sanders did not ultimately prevail in the primary -- and why he thinks Biden has significant challenges ahead of him. 

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"One of the narratives [during the Democratic primary] was if candidates go after each other too hard, it will eventually weaken the nominee," said Sirota. "That hasn’t been the case in past primaries — tough primaries battle test candidates [and] helps candidates respond to their record. We didn’t have a vigorous back and forth, and now we have a nominee who is less well-vetted and battle-tested against a vicious opponent."

"The people who were upset when we brought up Joe Biden's record — [it was] this idea because we brought it up, Trump will bring it up," said Sirota. "As if Donald Trump didn't know."

"Joe Biden hasn’t really had to take a big punch, a daily onslaught for why did you support NAFTA, offshoring manufacturing, supporting a bankruptcy bill to help your credit card donors — a bill that will now potentially harm hundreds of thousands of Americans," said Sirota. "He could have had to deal with that in the primary."

Path Forward

"Joe Biden first and foremost needs to be more critical of specific actions the President is taking — or not taking," said Sirota of Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis. "[Biden] has said in this crisis we have to get behind our President. I think we should be able to agree that Democracy requires a vigorous discourse, which ends up producing in theory better policy."

"Joe Biden needs to be a different Joe Biden than he has in past. Joe Biden [previuously] juxtaposed himself against the base of the Democratic party — he said I’m one of the most conservative Democrats of the party," said Sirota. "Donald Trump has so polarized things, and the [Democratic] base is seen as far less polarizing. We need a national healthcare system, and the coronavirus makes it hard to demonize that."

"So Biden could get tarred as someone who represents the corporate establishment," said Sirota.  "If Joe Biden chooses a different path, and says I am a proud Democrat, I am for the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, the next FDR with a bold, serious agenda, [that could] bring the kind of turnout not just get to 45 [percent of the vote], but 50 plus."

Too Much Information

Sirota spoke to his new site, "Too Much Information," launched followed his time on the Sanders campaign. 

"I started it after the campaign. There is a hunger for information that doesn’t play into either party," said Sirota. " I hope to not just break some news but contextualize what’s going in a way the daily news cycle doesn’t explain."

"We know moment to moment what’s going on with coronavirus, in Congress, but we don’t have the larger story, the context," said Sirota. "When a bill passes, [lawmakers] just didn't wake up and say I want to pass a bill. It’s a product of competing for financial interests among the donors who bankroll campaigns."

For more information on Too Much Information -- go here.