Shaun King, a “social justice warrior” known for his affiliation with the Black Lives Matter movement, penned an op-ed in the New York Daily News on Wednesday arguing that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is the only person who can beat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“We can all agree that Trump must be stopped, but this much is clear – Hillary Clinton is not the best opponent to stop him,” King writes.
In his piece, titled “Bernie Sanders would be Donald Trump’s worst nightmare; Hillary, not so much,” King argues: “I can’t stand the man, but what he just did was strange, historic and unprecedented … One by one, they all underestimated Donald Trump, overestimated themselves and made it abundantly clear that they have no earthly idea what conservative American voters are looking for in 2016.”
Trump’s rise came as no surprise to King who points out that Trump has adjusted his tone to a more presidential one and as such “he is more dangerous than ever.”
King lists five reasons why he thinks Clinton is less likely to beat Trump than Sanders in the November General Election:
- Like Donald’s other fallen foes, Hillary Clinton represents the political establishment.
- Hillary’s millions of dollars worth of paid speeches to banks, lobbyists and billionaires cede a certain moral high ground to Donald Trump.
- Independent and new voters are flocking to Bernie Sanders and even to Donald Trump, but not to Hillary Clinton.
- Hillary’s reliance on millions of dollars from SuperPACs is a real problem.
- Young voters are crazy about Bernie Sanders and just don’t care Hillary Clinton.
President Barack Obama positioned himself as the anti-establishment candidate in 2008 to beat Clinton for the Democratic Party’s mantle; the very same thing George W. Bush used to defeat Al Gore, and that Bill Clinton used to defeat George H. W. Bush, King writes.
“Donald’s biggest liability is also an enormous liability for [Clinton],” King wrote, adding “Hillary’s millions of dollars worth of paid speeches to banks and lobbyists cedes a certain high moral ground to Donald Trump.”
King said it is only Sanders who has devoted his entire life and career to being a public servant — a point that, he says, resonates with the self-described democratic socialist’s millennial supporters.
King also pointed out that while many independent voters will sit out of the election if Sanders is not the Democratic candidate, Trump will still be able to garner the votes of “many more conservative independents.”
He concludes: “Hating Trump is not the same thing as supporting Hillary Clinton and young voters know this.”
King’s entire op-ed can be found here.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz
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