Clinton criticized what she called “systemic racism” in education, housing and employment. NPR’s national political correspondent Mara Liasson reports.
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Had Hillary Clinton not pointed it out, it might have gone unnoticed: Thursday night in Milwaukee was the first time a presidential debate stage featured a majority of women. And she accused Sanders of trying to shade the truth about what she said would be a 40 percent increase in the size of the federal government in order to implement his policies.
“When it mattered, he stood up and took on Wall Street”, Clinton said of Obama, adding, “So, let’s not in any way imply here that either President Obama or myself would in any way not take on any vested interest, whether it’s Wall Street, or drug companies, or insurance companies, or frankly, the gun lobby, to stand up to do what’s best for the American people”. Clinton said those proposals come with unrealistic price tags.
“Boil it down, be clear, be succinct, and make absolutely sure everybody knows you have a plan”, Reuters quoted Shekar Narasimhan, a Clinton donor and managing partner at Beekman Advisors. “That is what I believe”. And I think once I’m in the White House, we will have enough political capital to be able to do that. Sanders, in an improved performance since the past two weeks, spoke passionately about issues on criminal justice in an effort to reach non-white supporters.
LIASSON: Sanders was dismissive and sometimes sarcastic last night, perhaps a sign of confidence after his big win in New Hampshire. Both candidates made specific appeals to African-American voters who could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the race.
IFILL: Senator, do you worry at all that you will be the instrument of thwarting history, as Sen. Women on the Left can see through Clinton’s ideological façade. “I’m asking people to support me because I think I’m the most qualified, experienced and ready person to be the president and the commander in chief”.
“That’s fine”, Clinton said, going on to defend Kissinger’s policies with China as a net positive for the US “You know, I listen to a wide variety of voices that have expertise in various areas”.
Faced with the tricky task of beating back a rival who is becoming a favorite of her party’s liberal base, Hillary Clinton chose several different lines of attack Thursday. His record will get the same scrutiny as Clinton’s has.
From health care, to immigration, the former secretary of state hugged the President tight in her debate with Bernie Sanders. And I loved Ted Kennedy. But on this issue, when you have one of the large Latino organizations in America saying vote no and you have the AFL-CIO saying vote no and you have leading progressive Democrats, in fact, voting no, I don’t apologize for that vote. So she brought up his criticisms of President Obama, who is a revered figure in the African-American community.
“Senator Sanders said that President Obama failed the presidential leadership test”, said Clinton.
“He has called (Obama) weak”.
Sanders has called for the creation of universal Medicare and has offered government-paid public college tuition.
“Doesn’t the Clinton campaign have the funds to run its own ads without resorting to its super PAC, which is funded by the very people Secretary Clinton has promised to take on?” Sanders is attracting Americans who are in search of more than a protest vote. “I was not that candidate”, he said, before giving his closing statement.
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LIASSON: For the most part, Sanders was relentlessly on message.
