Bernie Sanders supporters must “work like hell” for Hillary Clinton, says Prof. Robert Reich. Reich’s name should be familiar to both the Clinton and Sanders camps. Reich is the former secretary of Labor, serving under President Bill Clinton.
He is also a vocal and committed Bernie Sanders supporter.
Reich posted on Facebook that, should Hillary Clinton win the nomination, she’ll be the only one left standing to stop Donald Trump from moving into the White House. Though Reich still believes Sanders would make the better president between the two Democrats, he also still believes Clinton would make an excellent president.
The Facebook post got immediate and passionate response, says Vox . Reich, who is now a professor of public policy at Berkeley, is respected by Sanders’ backers. But based on the avalanche of comments to his post, many Sanders’ backers disagree with his opinion on supporting Clinton.
One Bernie Sanders supporter’s comment to Reich’s post got 1,700 likes. The commenter wrote, “No to fighting for Hillary. She’s never fought for me, so she has no right to expect me to fight for her. If Bernie doesn’t get the nomination, I’ll be writing him in anyway come November.”
Another was more vitriolic. “No,” it said. “Hillary is a monster, and the souls of the millions dead in Iraq, Libya, and Honduras because of us require us to say so loudly.”
The Bernie Sanders supporters commenting on Reich’s post shied away from Sanders’ voting record on foreign policy issues. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton continues to defend her policy decisions from her time as secretary of State that have impacted the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
But Robert Reich’s Facebook post focuses on issues much closer to home.
Reich cites the American elite as a big issue. The few with the most wealth and power are growing even wealthier and more powerful, he says, skewing both our economy and our democracy itself. Reich insists a Sanders loss in the primary doesn’t necessarily have to be a total loss, though.
Bernie Sanders supporters, Reich says, have got to press on, even under Clinton.
“I urge you to turn Bernie’s campaign into a movement – even a third party – to influence elections at the state level in 2018 and the presidency in 2020,” Reich wrote.
Many of you who support Bernie ask me what you should do at this point. My suggestion:
1. Continue to work like… https://t.co/2M7GKSKcx3
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) May 19, 2016
One comment on Reich’s post struck a middle ground of sorts, says the Portland Mercury . The writer could not bring him or herself to vote for Clinton, but would work toward change in coming elections.
“I will continue to clear out the House of Representatives and the Senate to make it easier to pave the way to a more positive future of our country,” said the post
The Bernie Sanders supporters’ often angry response to Robert Reich’s Facebook post ignores one fact that both Sanders and Reich would point out. The race isn’t over yet. With only a few primaries left, Sanders is a long shot. But he’s won four of the last seven, and polls suggest a growing distrust of Clinton. The New Jersey and California primaries will be crucial. Though Clinton has already declared herself the presumptive Democratic candidate, Reich disagrees.
“Putting aside superdelegates,” Reich writes, “the difference between him and Hillary Clinton isn’t huge.”
As a staunch and respected Bernie Sanders supporter, Robert Reich may be able to help make a difference for the candidate by the time the June 7 California primary rolls around. Hopefully, for Sanders’ sake, Reich’s Facebook post hasn’t diminished that respect. Based on the tone of some of the Facebook comments, that question might be as tough to call as the ongoing Democratic race.
Do you agree with Bernie Sanders supporters’ opinions?
[Photo by Seth Wenig/AP Images]
