Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:52 pm
In her sharpest contrast with her Democratic opponent yet, Hillary Clinton accused Bernie Sanders of not being able to deliver on his proposals because his solutions aren’t based in political reality.
While campaigning in Iowa, Clinton said:
I’ll tell you, I’m not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never make it in the real world. I care about making a real difference in your life. And that gets us to the choice that you have to make in this caucus. Now, Senator Sanders and I share many of the same goals, but we have different records and different ideas about how to drive progress.
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I know Sen. Sanders cares about covering more people as I do but rather than build on the progress we’ve made he wants to start over from scratch. In theory there’s a lot to like about some of his (Sanders’) ideas. But ‘in theory’ isn’t enough. A president has to deliver in reality. Sen. Sanders has been in Congress for 25 years, he’s introduced his health-care plan nine times but he’s never got a single vote or co-sponsor.
The reality hurdle is one that is coming up increasingly often for Sen. Sanders. When he has been asked about how he is going to accomplish his broad liberal agenda, Sanders has often spoken about public pressure forcing Congress to act. It is a tactic that he is deeply passionate about, but unfortunately in the times that we live in currently, the idea that a popular mass movement will inspire Congress to act on legislation strikes some as fantasy.
The United States is already being forced to confront the problem of a Congress that only listens to the special interests and billionaires who fund their campaigns. There is no way that a Republican-controlled House will pass a Medicare for all bill, or a $15/hour minimum wage, or paid medical leave.
A Democratic-controlled Congress couldn’t get the votes to pass the public option during the ACA debate, so what chance does Medicare for all have if Republicans are in control of the House?
Sen. Sanders is running a great campaign that is pushing the political conversation in the country towards a discussion of issues that have been ignored for decades. As Clinton correctly pointed out, having great ideas that people support is the first step. The make or break step for Bernie Sanders will be if he can convince voters that his plans can successfully move from legislation to law.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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