Robert Reich, one of the strongest Bernie surrogates and supporters over the last year, took to Facebook to write this:
Highlights:
Don’t demonize or denigrate Hillary Clinton. If she wins the nomination, I urge you to work like hell for her. She’ll be the only person standing between Trump and the presidency. she’ll be an excellent President for the system we now haveBasically, Reich is looking forward here, and with Hillary all but guaranteed to be the nominee urges Bernie supporters to pivot to a general election mode where the demonization and denigration of Hillary is shelved and all Democrats and Democratic-leaners work hard together to combat and defeat Trump. Given that the system we have IS the system we have and is likely going to remain the system we have for the long haul, Reich’s is offering high praise when he states that Hillary will be “an excellent President for the system we now have”.
Sure, Reich also urges for the movement to continue on way beyond this election, perhaps even into a third-party movement eventually, but not now. For this election Reich wants to see the hatchet buried and full support of Bernie’s supporters thrown to Hillary. Not just support, but “work like hell for her”.
I think Reich is on the right track here. Kudos to him, and as one the most high-profile Bernie Sanders surrogates this is an important step.
Trump must be defeated, and if you look at it realistically, Trump’s policies and agenda would be the most damaging for Progressives. Many conservative Democrats and many in the moderate wing would likely not care as much if Immigrants are rounded up, arrested, and deported, not like us Progressives would abhor that. Or LBGT issues (like gay marriage rescinded by a conservative SC, transgender rights). Or voter rights issues. Issues of police brutality against minorities (encouraged by Trump). Citizens United, cemented or rescinded by the SC. Climate change (Trump denies it even exists in the first place, wants to weaken environmental laws, not strengthen them). On and on. A Trump presidency would be particularly toxic for strong Progressives and young people in this country.
Of course, as could be expected, Reich’s call for reason has met with some resistance from the most vocal Bernie supporters, as described in this article:
Robert Reich: You need to “work like hell” for Hillary Clinton if Bernie doesn’t win
It didn't go over so well. Few commentators have more credibility with Sanders loyalists than Reich, a Berkeley public policy professor and former labor secretary who has become a leading critic of income inequality. Reich also took pains to stress that Sanders could still win the nomination, and that his supporters should keep pushing for him until the final ballot is cast.
But his post was still immediately met with a torrent of opposition, suggesting the depth of some Sanders fans' opposition to his overall message: that they should get behind Clinton against Trump in November.
"No to fighting for Hillary. She's never fought for me, so she has no right to expect me to fight for her," wrote one reader in a Facebook comment that received more than 1,700 likes. "If Bernie doesn't get the nomination, I'll be writing him in anyway come November."
Added another: "I think if Clinton supporters force her nomination they deserve a Trump Presidency!"
And a third: "No. 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 thing is, these types of people are the nasty, bullying Bernie supporter types who are a small contingent but highly vocal on social media, and have damaged Bernie’s appeal and reputation in a drip-drip-drip fashion over months. Due to their oversized megaphones and constant angry postings it LOOKS like they are a majority of Bernie supporters to the untrained eye. I think most Bernie supporters are ready to pivot to exactly what Reich is urging them to do, and the ”Bernie or Bust” voices will be drowned out.
Of course, if Bernie himself pivots to the same stance that Robert Reich just adopted, that would go a long way with his supporters. Bernie can just refer to exactly what Robert Reich wrote here. Or just write “Ditto” and be done with it, if it is too much for him to give as full an endorsement “in case Hillary is the nominee” as Robert Reich did.
Robert Reich is on board. Bernie should follow quickly as well (of course, only “in case” Hillary wins the nomination).