Bernie Sanders battles the empire

The Herald-Leader editorial staff and the mainstream Democratic Party have miscalculated in thinking that people who are taking a new interest in politics, galvanized by Bernie Sanders, will vote for Hillary Clinton if she is the Democratic candidate.

People supporting Sanders are doing so because he is uniquely trustworthy. His positions are important, yes. Most important, though, is his lifelong record of consistency, working for civil rights, justice and equitable economic policy. No other candidate in recent memory compares well.

What does this mean for the establishment? We can compare Sanders versus Clinton to the effect of a disruptive technology on an established industry. Where are the film photography companies today, 20 years after the widespread availability of digital cameras?

What is disruptive about Sanders? For the first time in decades, the American people who believe we are stronger when we lift each other up, who believe that our country needs to invest in our children, who believe that we need a healthy environment in order to be healthy ourselves, have a truthful candidate to support.

In pop-culture terms, this election is the federation versus the empire. Only Sanders stands for the federation.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Bernie Sanders battles the empire."