Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Robert Reich on the primary results

From his FB post:

"Bernie Sanders won Missouri and came very close to winning Illinois in today’s Democratic primaries, but lost Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida. Ohio is a big loss. Some attribute it to independents who decided to back Ohio Governor John Kasich in the Republican primary (and deliver a message to the Drumpf) rather than cast their votes for Bernie. (Independents had put Bernie over the top in Michigan last week.)

So where does this leave the Democrats? You’ll hear that Hillary Clinton is now unstoppable, especially given all the superdelegates she’s lined up. But:

1. That view underestimates Bernie’s support in important states that haven’t yet held primaries, like Wisconsin and California.

2. It also fails to acknowledge the groundswell of support he's had so far in key states like Michigan and Missouri, and how close he’s come in others like Iowa and Massachusetts.

3. And that he has managed to do this on the basis of small donations averaging $27 each -- meaning that he hasn't had to compromise his principles.

4. Regardless of where the Democratic race goes from here, Bernie won’t drop out. He’ll take his delegates and his political revolution all the way to the convention.

5. He has already defined the core issue of the 2016 campaign – the necessity of reclaiming the economy and our democracy from the moneyed interests.

6. He has pushed, and will continue to push, Hillary Clinton toward positions consistent with that core concern – on issues ranging from free trade (including the Trans Pacific Partnership), to the minimum wage, banking regulation, the XL Pipeline, and getting big money out of politics.

7. Finally, the movement Bernie has spawned will continue beyond the convention – and even beyond the election. It cannot and will not be stopped."

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