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‘Salon:’ Hillary Clinton’s Problem Is Not Bernie Sanders

By Greg Hoadley
Published on: 05:55 PST, May 14, 2016

Hillary Clinton has not sealed the nomination not because of Bernie Sanders, Salon argues, but because of Hillary Clinton.

In a scathing editorial written by David Niose, the Salon piece argues that Clinton should have put Sanders away long ago because of her resume, — she is a former first lady, senator, and secretary of state — her backing from the Democratic party establishment, a huge campaign war chest that will likely spend over $1 billion by November, a large grassroots network, and no major challengers from the Democratic Party like Vice President Joseph Biden.

Instead, Clinton has struggled to put away Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, “a 74-year-old Jewish socialist who has had almost no establishment support.”

“But what should be troubling to those who hope to see a Democrat in the White House next year,” the Salon piece stated, “is that Clinton seems to suggest that this weakness isn’t problematic, that her resume and policy-wonk reputation will be enough to carry her on Election Day.”

The problem, according to Salon, is that many of Clinton’s ardent supporters in the Democratic Party refuse is accept the fact that she “is a weak politician.”

“In this state of denial, their defense of Clinton becomes aggressive, as they lash out at Bernie Sanders for staying in the race, implying that Clinton has earned the right to glide to the finish line unopposed.”

As an example of this “denial,” Salon cited a column by the Boston Globe entitled, “Bernie Sanders Doesn’t Get How Politics Works.” The writer declared that Sanders should “[come] to grips with the overwhelming evidence that Democratic primary voters prefer Hillary Clinton,” and accused him of “[creating] his own political reality.”

Bernie Sanders is not Hillary Clinton's problem
Bernie Sanders is not Hillary Clinton’s problem, it’s Hillary Clinton, says ‘Salon.’
[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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But, as Salon noted, Clinton has not dominated the Democratic primaries and caucuses, even though Clinton leads Sanders 1,716 to 1,433 in the delegate count as per The New York Times, Sanders has won three of the last four primaries, including last Tuesday, May 10 in West Virginia.

Contrary to the Boston Globe‘s assertion, Salon declared that the actual “political reality” is that Clinton “will need superdelegate support to secure the nomination.” She currently has a large, 524-40 lead over Sanders among superdelegates. But because those superdelegates are essentially free agents up until the Democratic Convention, and can change their minds, Sanders has a chance. As Salon stated, “To denounce the rules of a race does not preclude a candidate (like Sanders) from competing within those flawed rules.”

While Clinton will likely clinch the nomination (given her overall delegate lead and her strong support in states like California), Salon argued that because she is still battling Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist who would be the oldest person ever elected president and who isn’t even a registered Democrat, “should be a grave concern for her and her supporters.”

What do you think? Is Salon correct that Hillary Clinton’s problem is not Bernie Sanders, but herself? Or, is there another reason why she has not yet clinched the Democratic Party nomination? Be sure to sound off in the comments section below.

[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

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