Sanders is scheduled to be in Washington on Wednesday morning, where he has an informal meeting scheduled with President Obama at the White House before returning to Iowa for a Wednesday night rally.
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These issues weren’t the focus of the meeting, Sanders said, downplaying the differences as he stood in the driveway of the White House to talk to reporters.
-It was their first extended sit-down since Sanders launched himself into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The proposal comes as Sanders and Clinton are locked in a tight battle in the first-to-vote states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
He did ask for an update on the fight against Islamic extremism and the effort to warm relations with Iran, he said.
“Our readers have demanded a debate to help them see who is most fit to be the Democratic nominee for President”, said Joseph W. McQuaid, president and publisher of the Union Leader, according to the paper. He said the process required a “rational, thought-out schedule of debates, not just ad hoc debates scheduled when a network decides they want to have one”.
Clinton said she wanted DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to approve the debate and for Sanders to join her. But both have resisted.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders worked to expand their appeal Tuesday to voters who fueled President Barack Obama’s rise, while Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz played up evangelical support ahead of the critical Iowa caucuses. Even since leaving her post, Obama has met privately with Clinton periodically, often for lunches at the White House.
The push by Clinton for more debates underscores Sanders’ strength in Iowa and New Hampshire and the heightened concern within Clinton’s team that she could lose both of the early voting states. Tom Harkin of Iowa, who is supporting Clinton’s candidacy, said her campaign organization has taken the necessary steps to maximize her support in Monday’s caucuses.
“Hillary Clinton would be happy to participate in a debate in New Hampshire if the other candidates agree, which would allow the DNC to sanction the debate”, Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said. Most Democrats give Obama high approval ratings, yet many still struggle to reconcile his soaring campaign rhetoric with what he has been able to accomplish – or not accomplish – as President. Democratic debates this cycle have far exceeded the viewership of debates in past competitive primaries. Obama allies bristle at comparisons between Sanders and the president. He is the 2008 Obama.
Although Sanders and Obama overlapped in the Senate, they have few personal ties. “But if there is a large turnout, I think we win”.
The poll continued to show a significant gender gap, as men back Sanders 63 percent to 32 percent but women support Clinton 54 percent to 40 percent. At a televised town hall forum Monday evening, she said she was “really touched and gratified” when she saw the interview – Obama’s strongest indication to date of his preference in the race.
Sanders’ new position contradicts what he said earlier this month.
Calling the meeting “constructive and productive”, Sanders cautiously praised the Obama administration’s economic work, saying there is still work to be done. Unlike the Sanders meeting, the White House typically hasn’t disclosed those sessions in advance.
Sanders and Obama see eye-to-eye on issues such as same-sex marriage and climate change.
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They also praised Clinton for doing “what is right, not what is politically expedient”.
