Former Clinton adviser, fierce critic of Sanders now praises 2020 campaign
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A former advisor for Hillary Clinton and a staunch critic of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, during the 2016 election has now expressed solidarity with the Democratic frontrunner ahead of 2020.
Peter Daou, who headed Clinton’s digital operations during her 2008 campaign, wrote an op-ed for The Nation and praised the “considerable strengths” Sanders brings to the upcoming election.
“Bernie Sanders is unquestionably in the top tier of candidates for the Democratic nomination, and it would be an epic act of self-destruction for Democrats to plunge into an internecine conflict over his candidacy at a time when they need to marshal every asset to defeat Trump and his GOP cronies,” Daou wrote. “I am calling on Democrats, progressives, and leftists to hit the pause button, to table our disagreements, no matter how intense, as we fight to preserve the rule of law and the last semblance of our democracy. We owe it to ourselves and our country.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He reflected that during the 2016 election, there was an “ugly family dispute” between Clinton and Sander supporters and that he began to “unblock” people on Twitter he previously had disputes with.
“Bernie Sanders can beat Donald Trump—and it would be an epic act of self-destruction for Democrats to try and hobble his campaign,” Daou declared. “To defeat Trump and to reverse the rising tide of white nationalism that threatens the foundations of our democracy, we must have the courage to set aside old grievances for the greater good. Bernie Sanders is not the only candidate who can defeat Trump, but he’s certainly one of them. And he should not be treated as the enemy.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Daou’s op-ed sparked a major reaction among progressives on social media.