Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden hit back at Sen. Elizabeth Warren after Ms. Warren suggested he was running in the “wrong presidential primary,” saying the remarks are representative of an “elitism” that can hurt Democrats.
“I have fought for the Democratic party my whole career,” Mr. Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said in a Medium post on Tuesday. “I know what we stand for, who we stand with and what we believe. And it’s not just policies or issues. It’s in my bones. That’s not something everyone in this primary can say.”
Mr. Biden doesn’t specifically refer to Ms. Warren in the post, but it’s clear he’s talking about the Massachusetts senator, one of his top rivals for the party’s presidential nomination. Ms. Warren had been a registered Republican years ago before switching party allegiances.
“Some call it the ’my way or the highway’ approach to politics,” he said. “But it’s worse than that. It’s condescending to the millions of Democrats who have a different view.”
Mr. Biden said it’s representative of an “elitism” that working-class and middle-class people do not share.
” ’We know best; you know nothing.’ ’If you were only as smart as I am, you would agree with me,’ ” he said. “This is no way to get anything done. This is no way to bring the country together. This is no way for this party to beat Donald Trump.”
Mr. Biden made similar points at a fundraiser in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, calling out “condescending” Democrats who believe it’s “[their] way or the highway.”
“On one level, it’s kind of funny,” the former vice president said, according to a pool report of the event. “I’ve been a Democrat my whole life. This person has only fairly recently in the mid-90s become a Democrat.”
“As Barack said, it’s like forming a circular firing squad what were doing,” he said, referring to former President Barack Obama.
Ms. Warren last week accused Mr. Biden of running in the “wrong presidential primary” after he had criticized her new proposal to pay for a “Medicare for All” universal health care plan that entails about $20.5 trillion in new federal spending.
“Democrats are not going to win by repeating Republican talking points,” she said. “So, if Biden doesn’t like that, I’m just not sure where he’s going.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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