The Washington Post did not endorse Hillary Clinton for president, but it essentially wrote off her main rival for the Democratic nomination.
In an editorial published Wednesday night, the Post hit Bernie Sanders’s campaign as “fiction-filled” and said he’s making extravagant, expensive promises he can’t possibly keep.
“Mr. Sanders is not a brave truth-teller,” the Post said. “He is a politician selling his own brand of fiction to a slice of the country that eagerly wants to buy it.”
Sanders’s appeal stems from his populist rhetoric and outspoken defense of democratic socialism, which for him includes free higher education and healthcare for everyone.
“He would be a braver truth-teller if he explained how he would go about rationing healthcare like European countries do,” the Post said. “His program would be more grounded in reality if he addressed the fact of chronic slow growth in Europe and explained how he would update the 20th-century model of social democracy to accomplish its goals more efficiently. Instead, he promises large benefits and few drawbacks.”
The Post continued, “Mr. Sanders’ success so far does not show that the country is ready for a political revolution. It merely proves that many progressives like being told everything they want to hear.”
Sanders is effectively tied with Clinton in Iowa and leads her in New Hampshire.
