Former secretary of labor Robert Reich implied in an op-ed that the times have left Hillary Clinton behind, writing that her “old politics” might cost her victory in 2016.
Reich, who was a member of President Bill Clinton’s cabinet, opines in RealClearPolitics:
The old politics featured carefully crafted speeches and policy proposals calculated to appeal to particular constituencies. In this sense, Mrs. Clinton’s proposals and speeches are almost flawless. But in the new era of anti-politics Americans are skeptical of well-crafted speeches and detailed policy proposals. They prefer authenticity. They want their candidates unscripted and unfiltered. A mid-level executive in Salt Lake City told me he didn’t agree with Trump on everything but supported him because “the guy is the real thing. He says what he believes, and you know where he stands.” In the old politics, political parties, labor unions and business groups, and the press mediated between individual candidates and the public—explaining a candidate’s positions, endorsing candidates, organizing and mobilizing voters.
Reich, who has endorsed Bernie Sanders but also would strongly support Clinton as the Democratic nominee, added that Donald Trump “has perfected the art of anti-politics at a time when the public detests politics.”
