Reich writes: "I urge you to fight like hell for Bernie as long as he has any chance at all. But if he loses the nomination, we must fight like hell for Hillary."
Former Clinton labor secretary Robert Reich. (photo: Steve Russell/Toronto Star)
10 May 16
Hillary Clinton supporter writes: “By continuing your support of Bernie now that his odds of getting the nomination are almost nil, you're just hurting Hillary and helping Trump.”
A Bernie supporter writes: “How can you say you’ll work your heart out to get Hillary elected if she gets the Democratic nomination? I’ll never support Hillary. If Bernie forms a third party, I’m with him. Or else I’ll vote for the Green Party candidate.”
With due respect, let me explain why I think both of these positions are wrong. As I’ve said before, I believe Hillary Clinton is best qualified to be president of the political system we now have, and Bernie is best qualified to get the system we need.
So I urge you to fight like hell for Bernie as long as he has any chance at all. But if he loses the nomination, we must fight like hell for Hillary. Not voting, or voting for a third party candidate, helps Trump.
This doesn’t mean giving up on Bernie’s principles. Regardless of the outcome of this election, we must keep up the pressure to reclaim our democracy and our economy from the privileged and the powerful. How do we accomplish this? One possibility: Form a third party as soon as the election is over, and start planning for 2020.
What do you think?
