Robert Reich on Bernie Sanders

Dear Friends,

Robert Reich, a great political economist, who, among other important positions he has held, was the Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, recently had two posts on Facebook that I could not help but copy here in full.  Despite being in President Clinton's cabinet do not mistake him as a middle of road, right of center politician like Bill and Hillary.  His blog and Facebook posts are great.  Here are two recent Facebook post.  They require no elaboration.

As Hillary Clinton falters and Bernie Sanders surges, Democratic Party leaders are beginning to panic. “If party leaders see a scenario next winter where Bernie Sanders has a real chance at the Democratic nomination,” Garnet Coleman, a Democratic national committeeman told the N.Y. Times, “leaders will reach out to Vice President Biden or Secretary of State Kerry or even Gore about entering the primaries.”
Wait a minute. Didn’t Biden, Kerry, and Gore all lose in their presidential bids? If Bernie continues to gain ground, Party leaders would be wise to embrace him rather than run away from him. If the Democratic Party has a future, it will look and sound a lot more like Bernie Sanders than establishment candidates. After all, even when Democrats had the White House and a majority in Congress -- during Obama’s first two years and also during Bill Clinton’s first two years -- they still allowed big corporations, Wall Street, and billionaires to plunder our economy and pillage our democracy.

“I don’t understand it,” a political reporter I’ve known for years told me this morning. “A new poll shows Sanders leading in Iowa. He’s leading in New Hampshire. It makes no sense.”
“It makes sense to me,” I said.
"Well then, explain it to me."
“Bernie is speaking about what’s true and important – the plundering of our economy and the pillaging of our democracy by big corporations and Wall Street and billionaires.”
“But that’s been going on for years,” he said. “Why now? Why are Americans suddenly waking up to it?”
“Because it’s reached a tipping point.” I explained. “There hasn’t been this much inequality of income, wealth, and political power since the Gilded Age of the 19th century. Americans are fed up.”
“But they’re disillusioned with politics. Few even vote. So why are they suddenly becoming involved now? How do you explain the crowds?” he asked.
“Because in Bernie they’re discovering someone who isn’t afraid to tell the truth or to propose big solutions.”
“Maybe you’re right,” said the reporter. “But I’ll believe it if he wins Iowa and New Hampshire.”
“Stay tuned,” I said.

I promise I will stop with these two, but I encourage you to like his page so you can get them in the future.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal