Bernie Sanders and the Democratic National Committee are stuck in a difficult spot: many supporters of the Bernie revolution see Hillary Clinton as just as bad, if not worse, than Donald Trump.
Senator Sanders has gone out of his way to try to turn his supporters toward supporting Clinton rather than writing him in or voting third-party, as those votes would almost inevitably help to bring Donald Trump into office. However, the “Bernie or Bust” crowd is still very much alive.
This morning, Sanders published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, entitled “I Support Hillary Clinton. So Should Everyone Who Voted for Me.” In it, he outlines the policy differences between a Clinton presidency and a Trump presidency, siding with Clinton in every aspect. He states that a Trump presidency would be “a disaster and embarrassment,” and discusses policy differences in:
- The current Supreme Court opening and likely future openings
- The cost of higher education
- Income disparity and tax breaks for the ultra-rich
- Climate change
- Universal healthcare
Although most of the op-ed is purely analyzing policy differences, Sanders caps it off with an emotional appeal directed at his ardent supporters:
“During the primaries, my supporters and I began a political revolution to transform America. That revolution continues as Hillary Clinton seeks the White House. It will continue after the election. It will continue until we create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent – a government based on the principle of economic, social, racial and environmental justice… I understand that many of my supporters are disappointed by the final results of the nominating process, but being despondent and inactive is not going to improve anything. Going forward and continuing the struggle is what matters. And, in that struggle, the most immediate task we face is to defeat Donald Trump.”
Sanders is clearly worried that the electorate he so successfully fired up may take out their anger with the establishment on his former opponent. He clearly feels that Trump is a serious danger to the country and will do whatever it takes to prevent him from claiming the presidency.
Featured image is a screengrab from video.
