by Mario T. García
My wife is going to vote for Bernie Sanders in the June 7 California primary; I'm going to vote for Hilary Clinton. We have agreed to disagree. The fact is that I admire Sanders and ideologically am more aligned with his world views of the nature of American capitalism and empire that has created such gross inequities in our society and led to unnecessary and tragic foreign military interventions.
At the same time, Donald Trump must not be allowed to become president of the United States. In my opinion, only Clinton can prevent this. Polls seem to suggest that Sanders might actually defeat Trump better than Clinton can, but I'm not sure of this.
Over a long summer and fall campaign, I think that Sanders might falter or wear on many voters. Moreover, his biggest liability is that he does not seem to convey an empathy with minority groups such as African Americans and Latinos. He has lost in states that are more diversified, and his message has not resonated with minorities. I have a sense that minorities feel that Sanders doesn't understand them or want to really get to know them. This may be less so among the young, but even here it looks to me as if young minorities are at best split on Sanders.
It used to be said that Bill Clinton was the first "black" president because he seemed to feel the pain not only of African Americans, but also of Latinos and other minorities. Much of that has transferred to Hillary Clinton. Minority voters feel more comfortable with her and that feel that she will try to fulfill an agenda as president that will advance their concerns. This is not the only reason that I'm voting for Clinton; I believe that she has good positions on most issues and that from a pragmatic approach may be able to push a reform agenda that builds on the achievement of President Obama.
Is she a perfect candidate? No, but that's true of all politicians. I worry that she is more willing to use military force than diplomacy and that she is a bit too close to Wall Street. Having said that, I believe she is the best candidate to beat Trump whose agenda would wage war on working people and minorities -- and despite his suggestion that he would not militarily intervene in other countries he is not to be believed. He rants about how we need to go in and "beat the hell out" of ISIS and other terrorist groups. I believe that in California, I, as an American and a Latino, am not alone in how I will vote on June 7. California will be a firewall for Clinton. Latinos will overwhelmingly support her as they have done consistently in other states. Latinos are the key to her nomination and will be the key to her election in November as they were for President Obama in 2012. Clinton may become the first "Latina" president of the United States.
