Justice

Robert Reich's Message for #BernieorBust Is Going Viral

July 17th 2016

Robert Reich — writer, political commentator, professor, and author of "Saving Capitalism for the Many, Not the Few" — is a Bernie Sanders supporter. But now that Sanders has lost his campaign to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Reich has a message for his fellow Sanders supporters: If you don't vote Clinton, you're increasing the odds that Clinton's presumed Republican rival, Donald Trump, will be president.

Reich — who served as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton — posted on Facebook Sunday, calling out the #BernieOrBust movement and asking why some Sanders fans "consider Donald Trump to be no worse than Hillary Clinton." His post has been shared more than 2,800 times and liked more than 10,000 times.

Writing that Clinton is "enormously qualified to be president," Reich said that, while he supported Sanders, the campaign was never about Sanders to begin with, but rather about the ideals that he stood for:

"I endorsed Bernie because I thought he would help create the political system we need. But Bernie will not be the Democratic nominee. That does not mean the end of the movement Bernie advanced. That movement was never about Bernie; it was about reclaiming our democracy and our economy."

Reich argued that failing to support Clinton makes it more likely that Trump will be victorious. He called the Manhattan businessman "a menace" and "a bigoted narcissist who incites and excuses violence."

"[His] presidency would threaten everything this nation stands for: tolerance, inclusion, freedom of the press, equal justice, and equal opportunity. It would make it far more difficult ever to achieve the progressive goals you and I share," Reich said.

The question that remains: Do Sanders supporters agree?

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