A prominent labor group has left Hillary in the dust and is feeling the Bern.
The Working Families Party, the labor-aligned third party that originated in New York City and has sought to become a national force, is endorsing Senator Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton, according to one of the group’s founders.
While the lost endorsement isn’t likely to drastically change the course of the campaign (she's still ahead by double digits nationally), it is yet another indication that Clinton is still not immune to icy receptions from progressives.
The Working Families Party is present in almost a dozen states. The group is “building progressive power to renew the American Dream,” according to their website. Of particular concern to the party is Wall Street’s sinister influence on politics. Their “Donate” section insists we “can’t rely on Wall Street or the big-money crowd.” By the looks of their 2016 choice, it's clear that they don’t trust Clinton to sever that dependence.
At the second Democratic presidential debate, Bernie Sanders chastised Clinton for having no problem accepting tainted dollars from Wall Street donors. She balked that he was “impugning her integrity” and defended those big donor donations by invoking the September 11 terror attacks. Not once – but twice.
It’s no secret progressives have had a hard time cozying up to Clinton. Besides being friends with Wall Street, she was a hawkish Secretary of State (at least compared to the president) and, to the chagrin of environmentalists, she has praised the success of hydrofracking.
But remember, she’s a “progressive who likes to get things done.”