Sanders heading into critical stretch against Clinton
Sanders heading into critical stretch against Clinton
KEN THOMAS
Burlington Free Press
After filling arenas with fervent supporters over the summer, Sanders now faces a series of hurdles: He is trying to present sharp policy contrasts with Clinton without ceding the high road and going negative. He's planning a big speech to explain what he means by democratic socialism, a label that makes some Democrats uncomfortable but captures his political philosophy. And he wants to prove to Democrats he could go the distance.
"The campaign right now is really at a crossroads," Democratic strategist Steve Rosenthal said. "People want to win, and I think the biggest problem for Sanders at this point is convincing the Democratic and progressive communities that it's not just about raising the issues."
Sanders is competitive with Clinton in the first contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, and his fundraising has been stronger than expected — more than $40 million raised, mostly online. He's still drawing large crowds; a college forum at George Mason University in Virginia on Wednesday filled a small field house with 1,700 students, as people at 300 colleges watched online.
He's trying to expand his coalition beyond white liberals, college students and working-class supporters. But he has a major deficit with black voters who are crucial in South Carolina, which follows New Hampshire on the calendar, and among Latinos who are influential in Nevada, the fourth contest, suggesting he'll need the first two states to provide him with a sling-shot. Sanders has a past in the civil rights movement but a political career rooted in mostly white Vermont.
"We've got to begin to build bridges to people now, sooner rather than later," said Tad Devine, Sanders' senior adviser. "But a lot of what we're hoping to do will be premised on early success in Iowa and New Hampshire."
"Who is going to take on the corporate interests and Wall Street?" Sanders asked in an interview with PBS's Charlie Rose. "That's the issue. And if people think Hillary Clinton is that candidate, go for it."
Sanders swears off running negative ads but he says voters should know where the candidates differ.
= new reply since forum marked as read
