Why I Support Bernie

I have frequently said that I am a supporter of Bernie Sanders, but that if he does not get the nomination, that I will vote for Hillary in the general election with no hesitation. I think Bernie is the superior candidate, but also know that Hillary is far better than any of the Republican alternatives.
I prefer Bernie because he is pushing for a higher minimum wage than Hillary is willing to push for. Bernie also wants to take on the major Wall Street banks, which Hillary seems loath to do. Bernie wants decriminalization of marijuana, which Hillary does not seem to support. Hillary has a more hawkish foreign policy approach than Sanders.

Hillary supporters push her support for feminist issues, which she has indeed been at the forefront of, though Bernie has supported all or most of the same issues. Hillary supporters claim that voters will refuse to elect a "socialist", though polls seem to indicate that for many voters that does not have the negative connotations it once did. Hillary supporters say there is no way Sanders could get his policies through Congress.

Interestingly, I note that prominent Republicans still excoriate Hillary for her e-mails, and for Benghazi, both unfairly, in my view. I also remember the demonization of the Clintons during Bill's administrations in the 1990s. I find myself wondering how Hillary's supporters think that the same people who conducted multiple Benghazi investigations and such will so readily work with her to pass her agenda. I think they are fooling themselves.

I look at polls that say Hillary is one of the least trusted candidates in the current race, on either side, while Sanders is one of the most trusted, and wonder how they think she will have an easier road to the White House. The Republican candidate, whoever he may be, will certainly run a very nasty campaign this fall, and I don't see Hillary better suited to that than Bernie.

I am concerned that given Hillary's ties to big corporations and big banks, that she will be reluctant to rein them in. Certainly the Republicans will fight any Democratic proposals to change things, but Hillary, much like Obama, is more likely to give way and try to make deals. Bernie is far more likely to use the "bully pulpit" to put pressure on Congress to make changes. He certainly will end up having to make deals, but if there is enough public pressure, he might get better deals.

In the final analysis moving backward will not only gain us nothing but actually hurt us, and that is what the Republicans seem to want. The status quo is also ultimately unacceptable, and I'm afraid Hillary is a candidate of the status quo. Only a real change can make the kind of difference we need, and that is why I support Sanders.