Key takeaways from the president’s recent comments about Clinton and rival Bernie Sanders.
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It’s the kind of blunt, un-politician-like talk that has endeared Sanders to his fans, but it’s also a comment ready-made for a political attack ad. This time, Clinton’s subtler critique was to couple Sanders’ goals with those of Hillary Clinton, and diligently explain why her prescription would be more effective.
While never explicitly criticizing Sanders, a senator from Vermont whose campaign is focused on pledges to redress social inequality and contain Wall Street excesses, Obama praised Clinton’s experience and suggested several times that Clinton’s messages are grounded in realism.
She vowed to work with Republicans as president, saying she did so as first lady, USA senator, and secretary of state, and added she’ll give them “bear hugs”.
According to to the Fox Newss Poll, Clinton’s national lead among likely Democratic primary voters has narrowed too – she’s up 49 percent to Sanders’ 37 percent, a third Fox News poll showed.
Sanders has been surging in New Hampshire and Iowa, but Clinton has the advantage nearly everywhere else.
At Monday night’s Democratic town hall, Sanders made a play for the Obama mantel with a page from the Obama playbook: attacking the former secretary of state for her vote on the Iraq War.
“We will raise taxes, yes we will”, Sanders said to moderator Chris Cuomo of CNN at a Democratic forum on the campus of Drake University. “It affects everybody, but especially women”, Sanders said. He said that’s more individual contributions than any candidate has ever raised.
“This calls for a standing up response”, he said, arguing that he’s displayed better judgment than Clinton on a number of issues, including beating Clinton to the punch with his opposition to the Iraq war and the Keystone pipeline. I loved it”, Clinton said, pointing to the ad’s emotional resonance: “You campaign in poetry, you govern in prose. The Sanders campaign took the president’s comments in stride.
But, Obama said, Sanders could face the same scrutiny if he wins the early nominating states of Iowa or New Hampshire, which polls indicate he may do. Party leaders worry that having such a provocative candidate will alienate voters the GOP needs to win in November, potentially risking both the White House and down-ballot races.
A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders cast his governing philosophy as one reflecting that “the right for economic security should exist”.
“I think there’s so many undecided people, and I wish they were all committed to me”, Kasich said.
He went on: “I think voters are going to contemplate who is the fighter with the tenacity to get results on the issues that keep voters up at night, who can do all aspects of the job, keeping them safe from terrorism but also ensuring the prosperity is shared economically up and down the income ladder”.
In talking about Clinton’s strengths in 2016, in other words, Obama took care to minimize her weaknesses in 2008.
“I feel good where that is going to lead”, Rubio said of his campaign on Monday.
All three have been zig-zagging the state in recent days, trying to shore up support before the February 1 caucus.
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“Bernie is somebody who, although I don’t know as well because he wasn’t, obviously, in my administration, has the virtue of saying exactly what he believes, and great authenticity, great passion, and is fearless”, Obama said. “It is the right thing to do to build on what we’ve got”.
