If Bernie Sanders can run in 2020, so should Hillary Clinton

Sanders’ second shot at the presidency is supported by a common belief held among his ardent supporters that he never got a fair shake. But that's true for Hillary too

Hillary Clinton has not announced a 2020 presidential campaign — though we already know what would happen if she did.

Boisterous (mostly male) political pundits would immediately lay an axe to her candidacy, decrying her “selfish” and “illogical” attempts to serve the American public in the White House. Democratic lawmakers would urge her to withdraw from the race, calling for “unity” in the battle against Donald Trump. And when it comes to the president, his sexist smears would once again ignite an exhaustive election cycle riddled with false double standards.

Even the prospect of Clinton launching another run for the Oval Office has produced fervently critical commentary: headlines in recent weeks have read, “Please, God, not Hillary.”

All in all, a campaign roll-out for Hillary would face far more backlash than that of Bernie Sanders, whose 2020 announcement was met with millions of dollars in donations from voters in every state across the country and swift analysis on how the lifelong Independent lawmaker could possibly win in an ever-crowded pool of popular Democrats.

Sanders’ second shot at the presidency is supported by a common belief held among his most ardent supporters: the Vermont senator’s candidacy has simply never been provided a fair shake. In their view, his campaign was wronged by everyone from the mainstream media, to the Democratic National Committee, to Democratic voters themselves — the list goes on.

In reality, he and Clinton both faced unfair obstacles in 2016. The DNC had clearly chosen Clinton as its favourite in the race from early on, seemingly propping her up against her opponent in the Democratic primaries. There is no longer any denying this fact. However, Sanders’ supporters often overlook the historic onslaught of domestic and foreign attacks that simultaneously plagued Clinton’s candidacy.

For starters, the US Intelligence Community has confirmed she was the target of election meddling campaigns brought by foreign adversaries who sought to sow division in the Democratic primaries and beyond. Her campaign was hacked and had its information stolen. Moreover, such hacks were seemingly encouraged by Donald Trump, who enthusiastically implored Russia to look into his opponent during a 2016 rally.

In the US, Hillary Clinton faced a whole other sort of beast. As the first female presidential nominee for a major political party, she found herself stepping out into a field of arrows. She was hit with every typical insult women face in the workplace and in their personal lives: she didn’t smile enough; she “screamed” during policy debates; her clothes were unflattering; she was too old and frail to serve. If she adopted any of the progressive policies her Democratic opponent had featured in his campaign platform, Clinton would have been labelled “pie in the sky” or “hysterical about capitalism.”

“When Bernie yells, it shows his dedication to the cause,” said Jay Newton-Small of Time Magazine. “When she yells, it’s interpreted in a very different way: She’s yelling at you.”

And yet, somehow, she still managed to beat Donald Trump in the popular vote by 2,864,903 ballots.

The impact of both Sanders and Clinton having run in 2016 can now be seen on the national stage. The Democratic Party has co-opted Sanders’ calls for universal healthcare, lowering the price of prescription drugs and fighting for economic equality and social justice.

Thanks in part to Hillary Clinton, the largest number of female lawmakers are now seated in the US House of Representatives. There is also a record number of women running for the White House in 2020.

None of this is to say Clinton should run for the White House. That is not my call to make. However, we all know the exact level of vitriol she would face if she chose to do so, and the alarming juxtaposition between that prediction and Sanders’ reality shows how little progress we have made in the last three years.