From his first day in office, President Obama has faced blistering attacks and unceasing obstruction from the Republicans in Congress. It continues today, as we witness their latest tactic to block anyone the president nominates to replace the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Their constant refusal to accord to our first African-American president the same respect and authority given all of his predecessors is a disgrace and a stain upon the character of this country.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has been a member of Congress for more than 25 years. So exactly what role has he played these past seven years to help President Obama govern this nation?

While Hillary Clinton was traveling the world as President Obama’s chief spokesperson for foreign policy, Sen. Sanders was launching criticisms against President Obama for attempting to work with congressional Republicans. For Sen. Sanders, compromising was an unforgivable betrayal. The final straw for me was his statement, prior to President Obama’s 2012 re-election bid, that he was thinking about finding a challenger to run against our president.

Many things give me great pause in jumping on the Bernie bandwagon. My support will go to the candidate who promotes a “progressive” agenda, has steadfastly had President Obama’s back and is someone I trust to protect the legacy of our phenomenal president. And it’s not Bernie Sanders.

OPHELIA GILLIAM

Henrico County