“While Donald Trump is busy insulting Mexicans, Muslims, women, African-Americans and veterans, Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths”, he said. “There is no doubt in my mind that.Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that”.
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Hillary Clinton’s campaign is topping off her presidential nomination with an event on Independence Mall in Philadelphia the day after the Democratic National Convention ends.
Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton-a decision many Democrats have been waiting for-Tuesday morning at a joint campaign event in New Hampshire.
His speech, featuring such familiar themes as the rigged economy, wealth and income inequality, and rebuilding infrastructure, was basically recycled from his own campaign, except with the additional mentions of his former opponent. In recent Reuters/Ipsos polling, only about 40 percent of Sanders backers said they would back Clinton, and the crowd at Tuesday’s rally made it clear she still had work to do. Elizabeth Warren, another progressive darling, has stepped in to fill that void, campaigning vigorously for Clinton and against Trump.
Still, Sanders’ taunt didn’t stop Trump from continuing his tweet storm after the Clinton endorsement.
But Sanders’ unabashed and unexpected endorsement didn’t come about because he suddenly saw the light on Clinton but because of the long shadow cast on Democrats by Donald Trump. The platform includes many of his proposals, including a US$15 ($20) an hour minimum wage, tougher restrictions on Wall Street and an end to the death penalty. Instead, she can now focus on cementing support from the majority of his fans that has already shown they are willing to rally around her. Sanders’ used the month and a half since his defeat in the California primary to consolidate the transformation of his support from a personal campaign to an ideological movement and to extract as many concessions from Clinton as possible.
‘I am somewhat surprised that Bernie Sanders was not true to himself and his supporters.
Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s senior policy adviser, said Vermont’s socialist senator was “endorsing one of the most pro-war, pro-Wall Street, and pro-off-shoring candidates in the history of the Democratic Party”. Meanwhile, she stood right alongside him, seemingly prepared to grab him if he tried to make a run for it.
A new Pew poll released last week found that 85 percent of Sanders supporters say they will support Clinton in the general election, with just 9 percent saying they plan to vote for Trump. Clinton has also recently advocated for free public college for families making less than $85,000 a year (and expanding that ceiling to $125,000 a year by 2021).
One supporter wrote: “What’s the incentive to donate to get delegates there if the goal is to elect the one person people have been donating for a year in order to prevent her from being elected?”
Even after Clinton wrapped up the nomination in early June after scoring major victories in NY and California, Sanders and his top advisers vowed to carry their campaign all the way to the national convention.
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Sanders’ reluctance to support Clinton until now has generated criticism of his diminished role in the election and his lessened influence on Democratic politics.
