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Iowa wins put Buttigieg, Sanders at centre of criticism at Democratic debate


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Iowa wins put Buttigieg, Sanders at centre of criticism at Democratic debate

By James Oliphant and Michael Martina

 

2020-02-07T221001Z_2_LYNXMPEG160HM_RTROPTP_4_USA-ELECTION-DEBATE.JPG

FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, speaks during a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire, U.S., February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Democratic presidential contenders Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, the top finishers in Iowa's first nominating contest, faced a barrage of criticism on Friday from rivals who said they did not have what it takes to beat Republican Donald Trump in November.

 

In a heated debate in New Hampshire just four days before the state's pivotal primary, their Democratic rivals questioned whether Sanders' democratic socialist views and Buttigieg's relative lack of experience and lack of support with African-Americans and Latinos made them too much of a risk for the Nov. 3 election.

 

Sanders, 78, a U.S. senator and leader of the party's progressive wing, and Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, finished in a virtual dead heat in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses earlier this week.

 

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the one-time national front-runner who finished a disappointing fourth in Iowa, delivered his most aggressive performance yet, a sign of possible desperation as he looks to rebound.

 

Biden said Trump would have an easy time ripping into Sanders in a general election campaign, and Sanders would drag down other Democratic candidates in federal and state races.

 

"Bernie has labelled himself, not me, a democratic socialist. I think that’s the label that the president is going to lay on everyone running with Bernie if he is the nominee," Biden said.

 

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who finished a distant fifth in Iowa, said Sanders would not attract the kind of centrist voters Democrats need to win.

 

"Donald Trump’s worst nightmare is a candidate who will bring people in from the middle," Klobuchar said at the eighth Democratic debate. "I think we need someone to head up this ticket that actually brings people with her instead of shutting them out."

 

Sanders, who has called for a political revolution that will attract new voters, said "the way to beat Trump is by having the largest voter turnout in the history of this country." He said he could appeal to working class voters who have given up on the political process.

 

Biden and Klobuchar also questioned whether Buttigieg had enough experience to face off with Trump.

 

Buttigieg, who served two terms as mayor of South Bend, a city with a population of 100,000, said the Washington insider experience of some of his rivals was no longer what was needed, and it was time to "turn the page" on the old Washington politics.

 

"It is easy to go after Washington, because that’s a popular thing to do," Klobuchar said, telling Buttigieg that "it’s popular to say and makes you look like a cool newcomer."

 

'I WILL PROBABLY TAKE A HIT'

 

Historically, candidates who win the Iowa caucuses see a boost in New Hampshire, and two opinion polls released this week showed Buttigieg within striking distance of Sanders, who has consistently been atop the field in the state.

 

Biden did not seem confident about how he would do.

 

"This is a long race. I took a hit in Iowa, and I’ll probably take a hit here," he said.

 

With controversy surrounding the Iowa caucuses - technical problems and inconsistencies delayed the results for days - New Hampshire's primary on Tuesday takes on added importance.

 

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who has focused heavily on upcoming primaries in the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina, launched a lengthy discussion of race and noted the party's broad diversity - and the mostly white candidates on the stage aside from Andrew Yang, an Asian-American.

 

He took a swipe at Buttigieg, saying he has not been able to show much appeal to the black and Latino voters who are crucial to a winning Democratic campaign.

 

"Unless you can appeal to the diverse parts of the Democratic Party, including specifically the black community, including specifically Latinos, if you can’t do that, then we can’t beat Donald Trump in November," Steyer said.

 

Buttigieg came under fire for his record on race in South Bend. When asked about an increase in arrests of blacks on marijuana-related charges, he said as mayor he targeted cases "when there was gun violence and gang violence."

 

Asked if Buttigieg's answer was sufficient, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren said: "No. You have to own up to the facts."

 

Democratic rivals also had moments of unity - when the subject of Donald Trump came up.

 

Biden criticized Trump's firing on Friday of Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the White House's National Security Council, two days after Trump was acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial.

Vindman served as a star witness during the House of Representatives' impeachment proceedings.

 

Biden said Trump "should be pinning a medal on Vindman and not Rush Limbaugh," a reference to the president’s decision to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the conservative radio host earlier this week.

 

"Stand up and clap for Vindman," Biden said, encouraging a standing ovation in the debate hall.

 

Klobuchar praised Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney and Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones of conservative Alabama for having the "courage" to vote to convict.

 

Notably absent from the debate was Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire former New York mayor, who is not competing in New Hampshire but has been assembling a formidable operation in later voting states.

 

He has been funding his own campaign and not taking donations, so he failed to meet the donations criteria for the debate. The Democratic National Committee dropped the donor requirement for the next debate in Nevada, however, possibly opening the door for Bloomberg.

 

(Reporting by James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Michael Martina; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Sonya Hepinstall)

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-08
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48 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

faced a barrage of criticism on Friday from rivals who said they did not have what it takes to beat Republican Donald Trump in November.

But they do ?,Mayor Pete,is a better choice than the old farts, 

but will him been gay have any effect,i am sure Trump would

have plenty to say about him.

regards worgeordie

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37 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

But they do ?,Mayor Pete,is a better choice than the old farts, 

but will him been gay have any effect,i am sure Trump would

have plenty to say about him.

regards worgeordie

Being gay has become much more accepted over the last several decades.  IMHO I don't think the acceptance is to the point where America would elect a gay as President.

 

No matter, really, as I don't think he'll win the Democratic nomination anyway.

 

Edited by Tippaporn
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19 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

Who wants a President who is beholden to donors?  Trump is beholden to no donors . . . just the American people.

So are you saying he's using all his own money ?

regards worgeordie

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Being English, I have no politics in this but I have been following both sides. Mitt Romney was a blast in the side for President Trump and what James Carville said about his own Dems is a warning for them. In my view the 'ripping' episode by N.P. was ill timed and would have better done it at a press conference rather than at the SOTU...and I don't think it would impress those who haven't yet made up their mind.

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6 hours ago, worgeordie said:

But they do ?,Mayor Pete,is a better choice than the old farts, 

but will him been gay have any effect,i am sure Trump would

have plenty to say about him.

regards worgeordie

Mayor Pete won't get the needed black vote. Having fired a black police chief for recording racist white cops talking racist <deleted> about him and then making the South Bend PD whiter than ever, blacks will not warm to him. Yes, being a racist like Mayor Pete will cost. We needn't worry much about what Trump will say, because Mayor Pete won't be the nominee.

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5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Sounds like a Bernie line. If he's nominated, that will be a non-issue. If Bernie is nominated expect 24/7 ads conflating him with Chavez/Maduro. The point is to beat 45. 45 is an existential threat to American democracy. This is not the time for purity tests!

I keep hearing Democrats say Trump is a threat to democracy. That seems odd, given it's Democrats who say Trump is an illegitimate president, didn't actually win and continue to fight to overturn the results of the 2016 election. Of course, it's extra silly as we watch Hillary Inc. rig the Iowa primary with this silly app of theirs.

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Remember McGovern who BTW was a very good man. 

Nominating Bernie would get a similar result. 

Democrats need to wake up. 

Don't commit political suicide. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bernie-sanders-poses-a-quandary-for-vulnerable-democrats/2020/02/07/e8a4fac8-491a-11ea-bdbf-1dfb23249293_story.html

 

 

Is Sanders an election-year disaster waiting to happen?

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2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Remember McGovern who BTW was a very good man. 

Nominating Bernie would get a similar result. 

Democrats need to wake up. 

Don't commit political suicide. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bernie-sanders-poses-a-quandary-for-vulnerable-democrats/2020/02/07/e8a4fac8-491a-11ea-bdbf-1dfb23249293_story.html

 

 

Is Sanders an election-year disaster waiting to happen?

Don't worry. The DNC made sure Bernie wasn't the nominee in 2016. They'll do it again this year. Oddly, it's the "Democrats" who hate democracy, don't even trust their own voters and rig elections to their leadership's liking. At least in this case, you agree with their meddling, yes?

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13 minutes ago, sucit said:

You say the most outlandish, backwards <deleted> you can possibly say. 

 

You say you want to beat Trump more than anyone, and you favor candidates who poll the worst against Trump. You do know BERNIE Polls the best against Trump, right?

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/480643-poll-sanders-best-challenge-to-trump-in-texas

 

Not to mention, a centrist just lost to Trump. Trump has a lot more leverage now. What on earth makes you think a centrist will beat him this time? 

 

I think it is you who needs to wake up if your goal of getting Trump out is true anyway. 

National popular vote polls mean nothing now. If you seriously think Americans are going to ever elect a socialist that honeymooned in Soviet era Russia well OK, I don't. 

 

HRC wasn't a generic political ideology. She had very specific baggage and she did indeed run a crappy campaign. 

 

But this is what democrats are struggling with now. You're convinced Bernie is the answer and I'm convinced he'd be a disaster. 

 

Yes the stakes couldn't be higher. 

 

I guess we're just going to have to see who is nominated and who is right. 

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15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

National popular vote polls mean nothing now. If you seriously think Americans are going to ever elect a socialist that honeymooned in Soviet era Russia well OK, I don't. 

 

HRC wasn't a generic political ideology. She had very specific baggage and she did indeed run a crappy campaign. 

 

But this is what democrats are struggling with now. You're convinced Bernie is the answer and I'm convinced he'd be a disaster. 

 

Yes the stakes couldn't be higher. 

 

I guess we're just going to have to see who is nominated and who is right. 

Why are national popular vote polls EVER relevant in a US presidential election?

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20 minutes ago, Crazy Alex said:

No. Please reread my post. I clearly stated Hillary Inc., which obviously isn't the same as saying Hillary the person. The app behind the Iowa catastrophe was developed by Hillary campaign veterans. That is FACT, not a conspiracy theory.

 

https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-02-04/clinton-campaign-vets-behind-2020-iowa-caucus-app-snafu

 

EDIT: Hillary Clinton is no longer at the center of anything. She is a twice-failed candidate for president who has been thrown off to the side and left blaming everyone for what a horrible, corrupt, inept, incompetent political hack.

Despite your ps/Edit attempt you as an avid supporter of Trump have repetitively used  reference to Hillary Clinton as some sort of populist comparative benchmark. Why? Is it somehow extraordinary that a politically aligned person with an interest in an organization that invests in a software application that initially presents with some issues is some sort of  political key to the current devolution of US  democracy?

Few would contradict you in that  Hillary Clinton is no longer a political contender but personal opinion can not  deny validity of her  or any other in pursuing investment related to personal political agenda of free choice as indeed  you demonstrate for yourself.

Those that object to Trump and  his demonstrated autocratic attitude do not do so purely on the basis of "beating" him but also consider candidates who offer a democratic agenda that not only  defeats him  but also repairs  the insidious damage he has and is likely to continue to inflict contrary to not only the  greater interests of the USA but to the rest of a  very shrunken world.

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20 minutes ago, sucit said:

He is the most popular senator alive. Your choice hands the white house to Trump. You are delusional. You are comparing Sanders to the Soviet Union? 

 

I will do you a favor. If you really are interested in ousting Trump, stop by Bernie's website and learn a few things. Republican talking points do not really count as "information". Or, you could just listen to what he has to say about the concerns you have about the US morphing into the Soviet Union lol. Where do you people come from? I mean seriously? 

Stop insulting me. 

You really don't get it. 

I'm not red baiting Bernie. 

I'm saying that the republicans will and that it will work. 

Also its a fact that Bernie identifies as a democratic socialist and to most Americans unfortunately that translates into just socialist or even communist. 

Also it happens to be a fact that Bernie did travel to Soviet era Russia for his honeymoon. 

That will not play well in the heartland. 

I have a similar background to Bernie. 

My mother went to a grade school where they sang the Internationale every day. 

Ever heard of red diaper babies? 

Just too far out of the mainstream to ever be elected president but yes he might be nominated. 

I wont bother with Bernie's website. My priority is beating 45. As far as  l'm concerned almost any American citizen would be a better president and human being than 45. Of the credible democratic candidates I think Bernie would have the poorest chance because he'd be red baited. Heck any of them are going to be red baited but in his case they can make it stick much easier for more people. 

Yes I know younger Americans are less socialism phobic than older ones. But guess what. They don't turn out in very impressive numbers. 

Edited by Jingthing
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9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Stop insulting me. 

You really don't get it. 

I'm not red baiting Bernie. 

I'm saying that the republicans will and that it will work. 

Also its a fact that Bernie identifies as a democratic socialist and to most Americans unfortunately that translates into just socialist or even communist. 

Also it happens to be a fact that Bernie did travel to Soviet era Russia for his honeymoon. 

That will not play well in the heartland. 

I have a similar background to Bernie. 

Ever heard of red diaper babies? 

Just too far out of the mainstream to ever be elected president but yes he might be nominated. 

I wont bother with Bernie's website. My priority is beating 45. As far as I l'm concerned almost any American citizen would be a better president and human being than 45. Of the credible democratic candidates I think Bernie would have the poorest chance because he'd be red baited. Heck any of them are going to be red baited but in his case they can make it stick much easier for more people. 

Yes I know younger Americans are less socialism phobic than older ones. But guess what. They don't turn out in very impressive numbers. 

You do realize you are not making arguments, right?

 

"Soviet Union" is not an argument. 

 

"Socialism" is not an argument. Our high schools are socialist. Our police are socialist. Your social security is... socialist. You are not going to beam into the Soviet Union if your healthcare turns socialist. 

 

I don't get it, but you do while you support a candidate who is getting 4% against Trump right now and I am supporting the one most favorable against Trump? You think getting 4% against Trump in a poll "means nothing", and I don't get it? 

 

You also need to answer for yourself, once again, why is a centrist going to win this time if a centrist lost last time? Answer that. Make an argument, because you have made none. "Socialism" and "Soviet Union" don't count. 

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