Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

Imagine a world in which independent media is gone...

And the only sources of news are controlled by a handful of giant corporations and oligarchs. It's not some far away dystopia. It's happening now.

Don't let it. Our reader-funded news model relies on you. Please chip in—nonprofit journalism is essential to the survival of democracy.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Corporate gatekeepers and big tech monopolists are making it more difficult than ever for independent media to survive. Please chip in today.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden speak during the third Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas on September 12, 2019. (Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Vice President Joe Biden speak during the third Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas on September 12, 2019. (Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

If You Understand How Trump Defeated Clinton Four Years Ago, Do You Really Vote for Joe Biden?

As Democratic establishment coalesces around Biden, 2020 primary starting to look a lot Like 2016.

Robert Reich

 by RobertReich.org

As the Democratic Party's "moderate" (or shall we say "establishment") wing coalesces around Joe Biden to stop Bernie, the primary contest is starting to look a lot like 2016, when the same wing rallied around Hillary Clinton. 

Today, Mike Bloomberg quit the race and endorsed Biden—as has Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg. As the New York Times' David Leonhardt put it, "if you're a Democrat who doesn't want Bernie Sanders to be the party's nominee, your choice is now clear: you should vote for Joe Biden."

But suppose you're a Democrat who doesn't want Donald Trump to have a second term? Suppose you're a Democrat who suspects that Trump got elected in the first place because he exploited a deep sense of betrayal felt by tens of millions of Americans whose wages haven't budged in 40 years and who know the system is rigged for the benefit of those at the top? Do you really vote for Joe Biden?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich

Robert Reich

Robert Reich, is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include:  "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.

Comments

We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Latest News

See all
Nine-year-old Nasra Omar reads a book to 1st graders at Riverton Elementary School. The school's mentoring Civil Rights Team, made up of 4th and 5th graders, read books to kindergartners and first graders about civil rights and anti-bias themes in Portland, Maine. (Photo: John Ewing/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Judy Blume, Mo Willems Among 1,300 Children's Authors to Condemn 'Wave of Book Suppression'

"Reading stories that reflect the diversity of our world builds empathy and respect for everyone's humanity."

Kenny Stancil ·

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a news conference

Ocasio-Cortez: Maloney Should Quit DCCC Post If He Runs Against Mondaire Jones

"It's completely inappropriate" for Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney to be in charge of the House Democrats' campaign arm "if he's going to challenge another member," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Kenny Stancil ·

Child in typhoon debris

War, Disasters Drive 'All-Time High' of Nearly 60 Million Displaced in Home Nations

The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council noted the situation "is phenomenally worse than even our record figure suggests" because it does not include those forced to flee Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Jessica Corbett ·

fossil free

Global Climate Movement Warns Nations Have Just 6 Months to End Fossil Fuel Finance

"The pandemic has shown that governments can rapidly mobilize massive sums of public money," says one campaigner. "This is the moment to do it, and accelerate the transition."

Brett Wilkins ·

Jeff Bezos appears at a ceremony

Analysis: 26 US Billionaires Paid Average Tax Rate of Just 4.8% in Recent Years

"When you include their untaxed wealth growth in the calculation, many billionaires pay almost nothing," said Frank Clemente of Americans for Tax Fairness.

Jake Johnson ·

Most Popular

 
  1. 'We Have to Flip This Seat': After Senate Primary Win, Fetterman Shifts Focus to Beating GOP
  2. Neofascist Minority Rule by the GOP Is Laying Waste to the United States
  3. Athens Declaration Calls for End to Ukraine War and Creation of 'Lasting Peace'
  4. Texas Gov. Abbott's Solution to Formula Shortage? Let Migrant Babies Starve
  5. Tucker Carlson's 'Great Replacement' Theory Comes From an Anti-US Nazi French Thinker
  6. Buffalo Gunman's Racism Directly Tied to Mainstreaming of White Nationalism, Say Critics
  7. Kagan Pens Scathing Dissent as Supreme Court Kills Another Campaign Finance Rule
  8. Big Oil Backs GOP Insurrectionists With $1 Million in Gifts
  9. Russia Cuts Off Electricity to Finland as Tensions Grow Over NATO Expansion
  10. 'A Horror Movie': 10 People Murdered During Mass Shooting by White Supremacist in Buffalo
Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.