Democratic voters size up Clinton, Sanders: #tellusatoday

Letters to the editor:

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are both progressives. Their shared goals on social and economic policy are closely aligned. The two admit that, given the partisan divide, instituting these goals will not be easy.

However, there is an even greater obstacle in the way of achieving economic and social justice in this country: the outsized role played by corporate lobbyists. And on this last point, the two candidates could not be more different. Before either of them can make any progress on the issues they care about, we have to get the money out of politics.

Because of her ties to special interest groups — through political contributions and the Clinton Foundation — that important first step will prove impossible for Clinton. That is the reason growing numbers have voted for Sanders.

Heather T. Remoff; Arlington, Mass.

Feminists and establishment Democrats are wracking their brains trying to figure out why Clinton is losing support to Sanders. It’s not that complicated. Sanders is cool. He’s idealistic. He’s a great politician.

Most important, he appeals to a demographic that has zero knowledge of how the American political system works. Many Millennials want what they want without any common sense or realistic understanding that Sanders simply can’t do what he promises to do.

The truly cool and smart voter will buck the peer pressure and take a long hard look at all that Clinton has done for women, children, families, minorities and progressive values worldwide. Contrast her accomplishments with the the years of empty promises by Sanders, and you’ll be on board for Clinton.

Nick Paccione; Long Beach, Calif.

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

At the debate before the primary in New Hampshire, Clinton said she would “certainly look into” releasing transcripts of her high-paid speeches to financial industry groups.

But no one, including Clinton, seems to have followed up on this matter. The public “certainly” deserves to know what she saw if she took a “look into” it.

Marshall H. Tanick; Minneapolis

We asked what our followers thought about Hillary Clinton’s decisive win over Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary. Comments from Twitter edited for clarity and grammar:

No surprise Hillary won SC. Southern Dems are still too conservative for Bernie. She will win all of South except maybe Florida.

— @IAmTheJody

Hillary won easily in SC. Let the coronation continue.

— @RetiringOne

SC will be a distant memory after #SuperTuesday. Let the revolution begin.

— @1031ent

The nation is in trouble if it’s Clinton vs. Trump. No good option there for America. #Election2016

— @smsportsguy

I think it is a sure sign we need her to be president of the United States.

— @givens1613

She still has a fight on her hands.

— @MohanadasR

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.