At 77, former Gov. Neil Abercrombie is three years older than Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the two New York state politicians are contemporaries who share much of the same world view.
In an interview last week, Abercrombie talked about his long friendship with Sanders and how despite the obvious political agreements, he is skipping an outright formal endorsement.
“I also have great respect for Secretary Clinton. I served with her and helped with her health care plans and am very supportive of what she wants to do,”
Abercrombie said.
On an issue level, however, Abercrombie and Sanders are holding the same hymnal.
“There is no question — his campaign platform is one I support: universal health care, foreign policy, opposition to regime change — I support him in that sense,” Abercrombie said.
On a personal level, Abercrombie and Sanders are close personal friends. They both started the same year in Congress, 1990. They are co-founders of the Progressive Caucus, and Abercrombie and his wife, Dr. Nancie Caraway, have stayed with Sanders while on vacation in Vermont.
“My relationship with Bernie goes back 26 years and we remain very close,” said Abercrombie.
The veteran Hawaii political leader said the upcoming presidential contest should be taken seriously, because GOP billionaire and reality TV star Donald Trump has captured much of the “discontent, sense of alienation that is out there because people think government is dysfunctional.”
Although he suspects that Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, the “surge campaign” is with Trump, who he predicts will win the GOP nomination.
“The enthusiasm for Clinton is at best limited, but I think the numbers are there. For Sen. Sanders, the big number of superdelegates Clinton already controls is going to make it a real challenge for Bernie,” Abercrombie said.
A tally late last week by Bloomberg News has Clinton with 1,052 of the 2,383 convention delegates needed for nomination,
including 457 superdelegates. Sanders has a total of 427, including just 22 superdelegates.
Last week’s Sanders endorsement by Hawaii’s Rep. Tulsi Gabbard cheered Abercrombie, who said he talked to Gabbard about her plans before the announcement.
“We have been in constant contact with Tulsi since my wife and I were earlier backers,” explained Abercrombie.
The former Hawaii governor sees a completed circle in the thinking done by himself, Sanders and Gabbard; they are all thinking that the same things need to be addressed.
“His campaign and orientation in terms of concern about regime change are close to my views and her views; we are much closer in alignment,” Abercrombie said.
Speaking of Gabbard’s endorsement, Abercrombie claimed that “she has the political integrity to say, ‘This is what I think in terms of the United States, and I think we are going in the wrong direction,’ and the Sanders campaign provides the platform for her to say it.”
As for Gabbard, Abercrombie predicted the rising two-term Democrat will be campaigning across the country for Sanders.
“You will be hearing a lot more from Tulsi,” Abercrombie said.
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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser. com.
