Establishment or not?

Here’s what Sanders said Thursday after Hillary Clinton touted the long list of prominent Democratic Party officials who have endorsed her bid for the presidency:

I will absolutely admit that Secretary Clinton has the support of far more governors, mayors, members of the House. She has the entire establishment or almost the entire establishment behind her. That's a fact. I don't deny it. But I am pretty proud that we have over a million people who have contributed to our campaign averaging 27 bucks apiece. That we have had meetings where 25,000-30,000 people have come out. That our campaign is a campaign of the people, by the people, and for the people. So, Rachel, yes, Secretary Clinton does represent the establishment. I represent, I hope, ordinary Americans, and by the way, who are not all that enamored with the establishment, but I am very proud to have people like Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva in the House, the co-chairmen of the House Progressive Caucus.

Notice that Sanders didn’t say he isn’t a member of the establishment. He said he doesn’t “represent the establishment.” That strikes me as a perfectly defensible claim.

Hillary Clinton didn’t dispute it. But she did take umbrage at how Sanders characterized her. “Honestly, Senator Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment,” she said. “And that it is really quite amusing to me.”

Did you notice how she changed his words?

Sanders said that she “represents the establishment,” not that she “exemplifies the establishment.” But even the stronger claim strikes me as true. There may not be one true definition of “the establishment,” but Hillary Clinton is a member by any reasonable definition.

Growing up, Hillary Rodham joined the Girl Scouts and participated in the National Honor Society. At 17, she volunteered for Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign. Then she went to Wellesley, where she served as president of the Young Republicans, president of the student government, and commencement speaker.

Next, she went to Yale Law School.

She met Bill Clinton there, married, and became a law professor in Arkansas. Later she became the first female partner at the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi. She represented corporate clients and influenced judicial appointments. Her husband became governor. She took an active role in the statehouse.

She also sat on Walmart’s board of directors.

This is as good a time as any to note that, even at this stage, she has a tremendously impressive resume! The fact that a person is a member in good standing of the establishment is not, itself, a bad thing. I’ll bet that every institution Clinton touched back then was better for her work. Perhaps she even pushed them all in a progressive direction. The point is that she always did so as a powerful insider seeking incremental improvements to the established order. I don’t say that as a criticism. It’s a perfect good way to effect change. The only point is that way back in the 1980s, she already exemplified the establishment.