Bernie

I was surprised when I heard that Sen. Bernie Sanders was coming to town. I mean, sure, Chico technically is a metro, but we’re not that big. We do have our very own superdelegate, however; his name is Bob Mulholland, and he’s in Hillary Clinton’s camp. That cannot be a comfortable place to be these days.

Thing is, nobody wants to be on the wrong side of history. And Sanders polls better against Donald Trump than Clinton. Much better. Based on the most recent surveys, in a contest against Trump, voters favor Sanders over Clinton by anywhere between 3 and 12 points. Things could change as the general election gets closer, but Clinton isn’t a lock. In at least one poll, albeit by Fox News, Trump beats Clinton. Yikes. The question is whether her supporters, including the superdelegates, will accept that and move on to a surer thing.

There certainly couldn’t be more at stake. In an age when the Kardashians rule, I suppose it shouldn’t be too much of a shocker that Trump is a serious presidential candidate. How embarrassing for the GOP. And how truly frightening for Americans. The presumptive Republican nominee is, simply put, a vile human being. I’m disgusted by the hatred he’s spewed week in and week out, including after clinching the nomination.

Perhaps renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said it best when asked to explain the Trump phenomenon: “I can’t. He’s a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.”

Personally, I’m looking forward to an end to it all. I’m over the establishment talking points. And I’m tired. Tired of the Trump sound bites. Tired of the email screeds I get, especially from Clinton supporters. Tired of the partisan loyalty by people who stand to gain nothing from either a Clinton or Trump presidency.

Speaking of being a good Democrat, this week Gov. Jerry Brown sold what was left of his soul by endorsing Clinton. That’s notable because Bill Clinton is Brown’s one-time nemesis and opponent in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary election, a race that included a whole bunch of mud-slinging. I lost respect for Brown when he started pushing his twin tunnels project, a plan that would destroy the Sacramento River watershed and suck the North State dry. I’m sure it pained him to back Clinton, which makes his gesture that much more unseemly.

But back to the Vermont senator. He has a lot of support in the Golden State and, like it or not, the outcome of next Tuesday is a big deal. If Sanders can dominate in California—the state with the largest economy in the nation, seventh largest in the world—he may be able to siphon away some superdelegates.

A few weeks ago, CN&R endorsed Sanders (see our full endorsements on page 4). The decision was a consensus. We didn’t choose him because it’s the popular thing to do. We believe he’s the best person for the job. We want to have a president we respect and trust to do what’s best for the nation, especially us regular folk.

That candidate will be stopping into Laxson Auditorium in little old Chico tonight, Thursday evening. That says a lot. See you there.