This is the question that has been dogging me since the contest began. I admire Clinton for her knowledge, experience, good heart, and unabashed policy-wonk intelligence. I admire Sanders for his candor, his longtime commitment to the working and poverty classes, and his unabashed old-school progressive values.
And next Tuesday I’m going to vote for Bernie Sanders in the NY primary, just because I admire both candidates and I predict with almost 100% sureness that I’ll have another opportunity to vote for Clinton in November, but this will be my only chance to vote for Sanders.
But here is the question. There seems to be this idea among Sanders supporters that if we could just elect Bernie Sanders to the presidency, he would somehow be able to do great things. Things Obama could not do.
How?
That’s where it seems to get mushy. The argument I’ve most often heard goes sort of like this:
“Well, see, Bernie would use the bully pulpit, he would fire up the voters. And then in two years they would elect more progressive candidates to Congress.”
How exactly would a President Sanders use the bully pulpit? A series of televised national speeches? President Obama has delivered dozens. They are widely regarded as among the highest quality speeches made by a sitting US president. Obama’s words have swayed many minds, among those watching. But have they swayed an intractable GOP opposition committed first and foremost to being intractable? Have they (more importantly) shifted the House and Senate more into Democratic hands, over the eight years Obama has been in office? No, and hell no.
Does Bernie have special power here, special oratory talent here, that Barack does not? Do his supporters think that somehow the GOP side of the House and Senate would become less intractable if there was a President Sanders, rather than a President Obama, in the White House?
Like I said, I’m voting for Sanders on April 19. I just don’t think his supporters are looking at it through untinted glasses, when they say that as President, Sanders would be able to do things Obama has been unable to do. Again I ask, how?
I look forward to voting for Bernie Sanders next Tuesday.. and then voting Hillary Clinton for President in November.