Bernie Sanders has established a loyal following, but he lacks the stature that Biden, a sitting vice president, would have brought to the race. Clinton had made a press release to that impact in the course of the Democratic presidential debate earlier this month.
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Takeaways from the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner, known to insiders as the “J-J”.
Sanders essentially offered his rebuttal, pointing to a litany of issues – trade deals, the Keystone XL pipeline, the Iraq War and gay rights – where he took a principled stand and Clinton shifted her positions.
Carson said Vice President Joe Biden has the best chance, though, the interview took place before Biden announced that he would not seek the nomination. His cheering section roared in approval.
“Sometimes, it’s important: You just have to roar about what you need to fight for”, Hillary told the crowd after Katy’s performance. But when it came to Sanders, the former secretary of state was careful not to alienate his supporters.
Where Sanders’ address represented a new and more aggressive posture against the frontrunner, Clinton delivered one that was close to her standard stump speech, in which she made the argument that she would be a fighter who would find common ground and deliver results.
“They are our opposition; they’re not our enemies”, Biden said.
Clinton, on the contrary, subtly framed Sanders as someone more comfortable yelling and complaining than getting things done.
“We can not move beyond today’s gridlocked politics by returning to the divisions of our past”, O’Malley said. Sanders supported the measure in 2005, a stance that puts him at odds with many liberals. Her campaign said it drew more than 4,000 people.
He recalled her early days at the Children’s Defense Fund and a legal aid clinic at the University of Arkansas, showing how her biography might be used to counter perceptions that she’s dishonest.
Bill Clinton made a joking reference to his wife’s effort to make history as the first woman to be elected president.
Republican presidential candidate Carson shared his thoughts with Fox News radio host John Gibson during an interview on Wednesday.
Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, who has been supporting the vice president through the Draft Biden Super PAC, which organized a national effort to increase momentum for Biden if he would have chose to enter the race, said he was “disappointed but I completely understand and support the vice president’s decision”.
Sanders reiterated his respect for Clinton in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” but said voters should see their differences.
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“The American people in the last six weeks have seen a lot of Hillary, what she’s for, and why she’s running and what kind of president she would be”, he said.
