Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday issued his most direct challenge yet to front-runner Hillary Clinton, questioning her stances on issues dearest to liberal voters as he vowed that his campaign would incite a “political revolution” fueled by young supporters.
Clinton, meanwhile, moved to consolidate her support with minority voters at the “First in the South” showdown with her top rivals for the party’s nomination, who have struggled to gain traction with black and Hispanic voters crucial to electoral success across the region.
The sharp-elbowed rhetoric marked a dramatic shift from Sanders' performance at the first Democratic debate in Las Vegas, where he offered Clinton a virtual amnesty for one of her biggest weaknesses by saying voters are "sick and tired" of hearing about her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.
This time, he portrayed himself as the only Democrat able to win the White House next November, and questioned whether she could forcefully take on Republicans on issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to college affordability.
“I don’t think it’s good enough just to talk about campaign finance,” he said. “You have to walk the walk. I’m the only Democratic candidate without a Super PAC.”
Clinton avoided taking shots at her opponents as she depicted herself as the natural successor to the nation’s first black president.
“President Obama doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the great job he has done. I want to build on the progress he has made, but I want to go further,” she said, adding: “For me, this is about how do we have a new New Deal. How do we give everybody new chances?”
‘First in the South’
The forum was a chance for voters in South Carolina and the rest of the region to get a taste of the sparring between the top three candidates for the Democratic nomination. But it was not a typical debate, and the three contenders did not answer questions on the stage together. Instead, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow interviewed each separately.
Unlike the rollicking Republican race for president, the Democratic field has significantly shrunk since the party’s last showdown. Two low-profile candidates dropped out of the race shortly after the Las Vegas debate, and Vice President Joe Biden ended much speculation by announcing he wouldn’t run soon after that meeting.
Clinton has emerged as the unquestioned front-runner, and she’s riding a wave of polls that show she’s shaken off a sluggish summer. She also has the edge in the early-voting state of South Carolina and the rest of the region, thanks to support from black voters who make up the brunt of the Democratic electorate across the South.
Sanders has tried to regain the edge that made him the most serious challenger for the party’s nomination, and his biting remarks signaled a sharp new phase of the campaign. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is trailing the other two in the polls, also targeted Clinton’s recent opposition to the Keystone pipeline.
“Yeah, but Secretary Clinton got there just last week, and I was against it a year ago,” said O’Malley, who was then asked why that matters.
“I think it’s important because I think leadership isn’t about following polls,” he answered. “I think leadership’s about being clear about your principles and bringing people together on them.”
Southern strategies
The setting was an opportunity for the three to outline how they would chip into the GOP’s dominance across the South, which was underscored by elections this week. Republican candidates won the Kentucky governor’s race, held the top job in Mississippi and staved off a Democratic effort to wrest control of the Virginia Senate.
Shell-shocked party leaders huddled here for another round of soul-searching as they plotted a new course forward, and each of the three candidates were pressed on how they would reverse the Democratic Party's Southern decay.
Clinton, who launched her political career in Arkansas, highlighted her deep roots in the South while Sanders said he will travel the nation asking white voters a pointed question.
“Why do you keep voting against your own best interests?” he said. “We have got to have a major focus on getting white, working-class voters back in the party.”
O’Malley said the party can build inroads to the South if candidates start appealing to the “spirit of the young people in this country” who are fearful of climate change, open to gay marriage and welcoming of immigrants.
“We need to do a better job nationally framing this and sticking to the message,” he said.
For Sanders, the forum was also a reminder of the lingering challenges about his gun stances that could open a wider rift between him and his more liberal supporters.
He tried to portray his rural-state background and opposition to the Brady Act, which mandated a waiting period and background checks for gun sales, into an advantage that gives him leverage to broker a consensus over new gun control rules.
“We’re going to have to stop shouting at each other and come together,” he said. “Very strong gun control advocates may not get everything they want. And people who think they should have a missile launcher in their backyard as a constitutional right may not have that. Alright?”
About the Author
