Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is over.
He won’t be nominated at the party convention in Philadelphia. Hillary Rodham Clinton will get the nod and will march off to campaign against Republican nominee, who at this moment appears to be Donald J. Trump.
But …
Why does Sen. Sanders still have all those Secret Service agents shadowing him as he returns to work in the U.S. Senate?
I get that the Secret Service protection won’t break the federal bank. It does seem a bit “lavish,” though, for him to continue to have the protection.
Sure, he’s entitled to it. President Lyndon Johnson issued an executive order back in 1968 that provides this protection for presidential candidates. He acted in the wake of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s murder in Los Angeles on the night he won the California Democratic primary.
Sanders has sought to portray himself as a common man, someone who eschews big-money speaking fees.
But the presence of the Secret Service and all the bells and whistles the protection brings tells a bit of a different story.
According to the Washington Post: “There’s no denying that some of the accoutrements that come with campaigns can be intoxicating,” said Jim Manley, a longtime Democratic operative who is supporting Clinton.
Sanders won’t “suspend” his campaign because he still wants to have a say at the party convention this summer. I understand the reason for his staying in … even though his candidacy has been reduced to symbolism.
Does he still need the Secret Service protection? Really?
I think not.
It’s over, Sen. Sanders.