Rejecting Mrs Clinton’s charges that he is not prepared to be commander-in- chief, Mr Sanders aimed to show he was more closely aligned with the Democratic base and to contrast his positions with Mrs Clinton’s on issues on which she has pivoted.
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In such a close race for the presidential nomination, each question asked and answered was paramount for Iowa voters, but it looks like Sanders may have reigned supreme here.
The dual developments on Tuesday created new ripples of uncertainty six days before voting in the presidential race begins.
But with the Iowa campaign now in its final week, it’s Sanders’ message that’s generating enthusiasm in the states that kick off the primary contests.
News and the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper have invited Democratic candidates to participate in an unsanctioned presidential debate next week in New Hampshire.
“They like the drama”, he said.
Sanders has energized young voters in particular with his call for a “political revolution”. Moderators would be NBC News’ Chuck Todd and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Trump’s campaign later said he definitely will not participate. In an interview with Politico published Monday, Obama showered praise on Clinton but was less effusive in discussing Sanders. But the fireworks Tuesday were on the Republican side.
“They should hold strong”, he said.
Clinton is casting herself as a “tireless fighter”, in the words of one aide, who has “spent her entire life taking on the toughest fights on behalf of families and children”. He humblebragged about his athletic talents of when he was younger, and then answered a question about releasing his health records by looking at his wife, Jane, in the audience and asking her where they were.
“America’s scanning the horizon” for new leadership, he said. “I think I have the background, I think I have the judgment to do that”, Sanders said.
And when asked about Sanders’ plan to make college free, Clinton spoke of the ways that setup could be abused.
In the runup to the Iowa caucus, Vermont Sen.
Cruz, appearing at an evening rally, offered to face Trump “mano a mano” anytime.
“You know what?” Sanders told the crowd. “You’re fired”, Cruz said, riffing on Trump’s famous rejoinder from his reality TV show “The Apprentice”. “Moderate” and “conservative” voters are divided, with 47 percent for Clinton and 46 percent for Sanders. They do not. You can quibble all you want about what Sanders really means with that label – it’s a lot less radical than many might fear – but in the heat of a campaign such quibbles get you nowhere.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the two will meet Wednesday in the Oval Office. This was an event for Democrats and she continually brought up women’s rights, reminding everyone, yet again, that she is a woman and running to be the first female president.
Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, prefers to talk about “achievable” outcomes and douses her campaign remarks with reminders about how hard almost every fight a president takes on will be to achieve. And while Sanders has Ellison’s support, Clinton has been endorsed by the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, both of its senators, and Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the state’s Democratic Party affiliate.
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Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton at the CNN Democratic Debate at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Tuesday, October 13, 2015.
