Quote of the Day

In one undistinguished term as U.S. senator, [Hillary] Clinton opposed gay marriage, voted for the Iraq war, and supported the Patriot Act, among other positions. As secretary of state, while logging impressive global mileage, Clinton pushed for aggressive regime change in Libya, and she worked hard to expand corporate military contracts and fracking abroad. Whether the American public finds her record favorable or not, it is not one of progressive, forward-looking leadership.

[Bernie] Sanders [right] has consistently demonstrated leadership, speaking out, introducing legislation, and laying the political groundwork on a wide array of issues, including: gay rights (long before they gained mainstream support), workers’ rights and union rights, universal single-payer health care, family and medical leave protections, and expansions of Social Security. On nearly every major issue – labor and economic justice, to the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, welfare reform, NAFTA, the Keystone XL pipeline, and the Transpacific Partnership – Sanders has taken clear consistent stands, while Clinton has waffled, backtracked, and leaned to the center.

There is no magic wand to accomplish change. No candidate or president can promise change – he or she can only make it possible. What makes change happen, history and current U.S. politics show, is principled and courageous commitment and integrity – not Clinton’s fatalistic pragmatism, which insists that pushing for more is unrealistic and therefore capitulates before the fight even starts. On the other hand, it is entirely pragmatic to expect a President Bernie Sanders to fight hard for the justice and equality issues he has championed his entire political life – giving these ideas a chance, rather than no chance at all.

– Christopher D. Cook
Excerpted from "The Pragmatic Case for Bernie Sanders"
The Atlantic
February 15, 2016

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Something to Think About – February 4, 2016
• Martin Luther King, Jr. and Democratic Socialism
• Something to Think About – December 14, 2011
• Quote of the Day – August 17, 2011
• Capitalism on Trial

Related Off-site Links:
The Rise of Bernie Sanders: The U.S. Enters a New Political Era – Thomas Piketty (The Guardian, February 16, 2016).
Black and Latino Voters Sway From Clinton to Sanders – Michael Sainato (Observer, February 16, 2016).
Hillary is Her Own Worst Enemy: No Amount of Progressive Rebranding Can Change Her Record – Stephen Richter (Salon, February 13, 2016).
War on Wall Street or Wall Street's Wars? Clinton and Sanders Debate in Wisconsin – Democracy Now! (February 12, 2016).
The Democratic National Committee Just Declared War on Bernie Sanders' Political Revolution – Jacqueline Pine (U.S. Uncut, February 12, 2016).
Henry Kissinger’s War Crimes Are Central to the Divide Between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders – Dan Froomkin (The Intercept, February 12, 2016).
It’s Almost Over for Hillary: This Election is a Mass Insurrection Against a Rigged System – Bill Curry (Salon, February 7, 2016).
Hilliary is the Candidate of the War Machine – Jeffrey Sachs (HuffPost Politics, February 5, 2016).
Is the U.S. Ready for a Socialist President? Sanders Might Be About to Find Out – Dan Roberts and Adam Gabbatt (The Guardian, February 6, 2016).
Why Bernie vs Hillary Matters More Than People Think – Benjamin Studebaker (February 5, 2016).

See also the Facebook page: Catholics for Bernie.

UPDATES: Sanders Catches Up with Clinton in Nevada After Explosive Surge – Bradford Richardson (The Hill, February 17, 2016).
Poll Shows Bernie Beating All GOP Hopefuls – Deirdre Fulton (Common Dreams, February 18, 2016).
Who Would Jesus Vote For? Maybe Bernie – Stephen Prothero (USA Today, February 17, 2016).
Clinton vs. Sanders, Statecraft vs. Soulcraft – Cornel West (The Boston Globe, February 18, 2016).
Why Bernie Can Win – Matt Karp (Jacobin, February 18, 2016).
For The First Time Ever, Bernie Sanders Leads Hillary Clinton in a National Poll – Jason Easley (PoliticusUSA, February 18, 2016).
The Enduring Allure of Bernie Sanders – Philip David Morton (HuffPost Politics, February 19, 2016).

Image: Jim Bourg/Reuters.