Former Bernie Sanders Spox Frustrated by Lack of Policy Proposals at Convention

AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool
AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool
Hannah Knudsen

Briahna Joy Gray, former national press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and outspoken progressive, expressed disappointment on the lack of policy proposals offered during the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Speakers of Monday’s convention focused primarily on racial issues and touted Joe Biden (D) as a unifier. However, they failed to issue concrete policy proposals, which did not go unnoticed.

“Truly would love to hear about policy. Did I miss it?” Gray asked as the convention was underway:

It was not until Sanders delivered his headliner speech that Gray expressed relief.

“Policy, finally,” she said, listing a variety of proposals he mentioned in his speech — from a $15 minimum wage to climate change:

Unlike his counterparts, Sanders tried to lay out ways Biden will “move us forward.” Many of the proposals he touted are those he stumped for during his own campaign.

“Joe supports raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. This will give 40 million workers a pay raise and push the wage scale up for everyone else,” Sanders explained.

“Joe will also make it easier for workers to join unions, create 12 weeks of paid family leave, fund universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, and make child care affordable for millions of families,” he continued.

“Joe will rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and fight the threat of climate change by transitioning us to 100% clean electricity over the next 15 years,” he added. “These initiatives will create millions of good paying jobs all across the country.”

While Sanders acknowledged that he and Biden remain at an impasse on “the best path” to universal healthcare coverage, the Vermont Senator praised Biden for having a plan “that will greatly expand health care and cut the cost of prescription drugs.”

“Further, he will lower the eligibility age of Medicare from 65 to 60,” he continued, promising that Biden will reform the criminal justice system and “end the hate and division Trump has created.”

Gray, who was not thrilled by Biden choosing Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate, explained that it is not enough for Democrats to run on “beating Trump.”

“As often as Democrats have been saying ‘Beating Trump is not the only issue,’ just saying ‘beating Trump is not the only issue’ isn’t enough to not enough [sic] to explain to voters what issue IS on the table that will actually meaningfully change their lives,” she explained:

Notably, Gray acknowledged that Michelle Obama, who delivered perhaps the most anticipated speech of the night, did not offer any policy specifics, although she gave her a pass, concluding that her remarks were “effective despite that fact, not because of it”:

She later concluded that a Bernie Sanders-Michelle Obama ticket would have “owned”:

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