Normally, every four years, by the middle of spring, the top contenders left standing in the ring for both major political parties keep their eyes on the November championship prize, but this hasn't been a normal year. Seventeen Republican candidates contended, but only three are left standing, and none seemed inclined to even support the eventual winner, who may not be crowned until July's Republican National Convention. Early on, in the Democratic race, the candidates fought with pillows, but now the last two contenders are starting to trade harder blows, and things are starting to get down and dirty.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are set to rumble in Brooklyn in the Naval Yard on April 14th, five days before the New York primary, in which 291 delegates are at stake. And while both still say they'll support the other one if they lose, Sander's campaign manager suggested on Tuesday in an interview on CNN that Clinton might not be able to win over their side's young supporters because she "dissed" them too much recently.
While New York polls once showed Clinton with a commanding lead, the most recent polls indicate that the former Empire State senator may only have an eleven percent advantage. Just a few weeks ago, one poll claimed that Clinton was "trouncing" Sanders by 48 points. But the poll had some issues, as Daily Caller reported, since it relied on landlines, and most younger people only own cellphones, and tend to screen their phone calls.
Almost buried in a Politico story, and not even highlighted at CNN, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver "challenged Clinton’s electability, calling into question whether she can rally support from Democrats" or even independents who are feeling the Bern more.
“[If] Bernie Sanders is the nominee, he will get the over, over, overwhelming support of Democrats in this race," Weaver said on CNN's "New Day" show. "The question is who can capture and mobilize young people and independents in this race to bring them out and to have them vote in the general election so that we can elect not just Bernie Sanders but Democrats up and down the ballot."
Weaver added, “Hillary Clinton is not gonna do that. All these young people who are coming out for Bernie Sanders, are they gonna come out for Hillary Clinton? I’m not so confident about that given how many times she’s dissed them recently.”
One of the "disses" that Weaver appeared to be referencing was when Clinton snapped at a young activist during a rally at SUNY Purachase on March 31, after she was asked, "Will you act on your words and reject fossil fuel money in your campaign?"
After arguing that she only takes "money from people who work in the fossil fuel" industry, Clinton complained to Eve Resnick-Day, "I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me, I am sick of it."
As noted at Real Clear Politics on Sunday, Clinton told NBC's "'Meet The Press' host Chuck Todd that she 'feels sorry for' young supporters of Bernie Sanders who believe his 'lies' about her taking money from the fossil fuel industry, without 'doing their own research.'"
"When people make these kinds of claims, which now I think have been debunked," Clinton said. "Actually the Washington Post said 'Three Pinocchios'-- and the New York Times analyzed it. Independent analysts have said that they are misrepresenting my record."
In a Fact Checker article on Saturday, The Washington Post reported: "The Sanders campaign is exaggerating the contributions that Clinton has received from the oil and gas industry. In the context of her overall campaign, the contributions are hardly significant. It’s especially misleading to count all of the funds raised by lobbyists with multiple clients as money 'given' by the fossil-fuel industry."
So far, Clinton hasn't specifically responded to the "dissed" comment, but she may have a tougher road ahead of her than Sanders since she and some of her former State Department employees are facing an FBI investigation for their use of private emails to trade information later marked classified. Sanders might even pull out the brass knuckles and score a knock-out in Brooklyn, if he decides to use what could be his strongest weapon to reach the final bout. If Sanders makes it to the DNC, and is able to woo enough superdelegates, the seventy-four-year old one time long shot might be crowned the new "comeback kid."
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