Just days ahead of the California primary, the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times has endorsed Hillary Clinton. They write:
This will be the most populous and among the last states to vote, giving extra symbolic heft to the dramatic clash here between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist from Vermont. Despite the many points of agreement between the two, they have come to epitomize the long-running and occasionally bitter battle within the party between idealistic liberals (championed by Sanders) and the party’s more pragmatic, moderate establishment (embodied by Clinton).
Both candidates have campaigned aggressively in the state despite its lateness on the campaign calendar and Clinton’s nearly insurmountable lead in delegates. A first-place finish in California would enable Clinton to strengthen her moral as well as mathematical claim to the nomination. But if Sanders were to prevail, even narrowly, he would be emboldened in his effort to convince so-called super-delegates to shift their support from Clinton to him.
Clinton has her liabilities as a candidate, including a penchant for secrecy and self-protection that was reflected in her decision to maintain a private email server as secretary of State and her continued refusal to acknowledge that it ran afoul of State Department policy. In a year in which many voters crave novelty, she is a familiar face. But she has formidable assets that would be especially important in a general-election campaign against Trump: steadiness, seriousness and a commanding grasp of issues about which the blowhard businessman is dangerously ignorant.
Voters in California’s Democratic primary owe a debt of gratitude to Bernie Sanders for a campaign that has emphasized issues that otherwise might have been ignored. But they should cast their votes for Hillary Clinton.