Bernie Sanders Attacks Hillary Clinton Directly on Trade Deal - NYT

[WillyT]

Bernie Sanders Attacks Hillary Clinton Directly on Trade Deal
By Patrick Healy - NYT
5/27/15


Senator Bernie Sanders speaking at an event at New England College in New Hampshire on Wednesday.Credit Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

<snip>

CONCORD, N.H. – It took a New Hampshire farmer to show that Senator Bernie Sanders could land a political punch squarely on Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mr. Sanders, who has foresworn personal attacks on Mrs. Clinton as they compete for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, stuck to high-minded rhetoric during the first 30 minutes of a campaign event here on Wednesday. After taking a question about ending discrimination against gay and transgender Americans in the military — which he said he would do — another audience member, Jeanny Aldrich from Chesterfield, N.H., stood and said, “I have a much bigger question for you.”

“I don’t want to be just the party that takes away from Hillary – I want to kick her butt,” said Ms. Aldrich, a longtime Democrat who owns a produce and livestock farm.

“Why can’t we ask Hillary to give up her spot and give it to you?” she added to sustained applause from the room of about 125 people at New England College.

Mr. Sanders barely suppressed a grin.

“I could be wrong, but I suspect she would disagree with you,” he said.

Then he pivoted and used the moment to make clear that he won’t simply play patty-cake with Mrs. Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He said he would fight her on the issues instead.

“I have voted against every major trade agreement since I have been in office,” said Mr. Sanders, who became Vermont’s congressman in 1990 and has been a United States senator since 2007. Referring to his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal now before Congress, he offered his toughest words yet about Mrs. Clinton by name:

“Hillary Clinton can be for the trade agreement — the president is. She can be against the trade agreement — I am, Elizabeth Warren is, many of us are. I just don’t know how you don’t have an opinion on this enormously important issue, which is her view.”

Mr. Sanders, in invoking Ms. Warren...

<snip>

More: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/05/27/bernie-sanders-attacks-hillary-clinton-directly-on-trade-deal/

[cyberswede]

1. That doesn't seem like an "attack" to me.

[WillyT]

4. Usually... The Reporter Doesn't Write The Headline... An Editor Might... To Get Eyes To The Page...

[jwirr]

5. I think the word challenge would better discribe what he said.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. "Comparing" would describe it too.

[jwirr]

16. Yes.

[onehandle]

2. After the four or five times today this has been posted today, it still reads the same.

Sounds like some of our 'Not Hillary' people in that audience.

Not so much for Bernie, but against Hillary.

“I don’t want to be just the party that takes away from Hillary – I want to kick her butt,”

“Why can’t we ask Hillary to give up her spot and give it to you?”

Funny. I want to put another Democrat in the White House and help America.

That's the difference between a 'Not Hillary' and a Democratic candidate supporter.

Bernie of course, was nothing like his audience.

[JDPriestly]

21. Where does Hillary stand specifically on the TPP?

[eloydude]

3. Your serve, Hillary supporters....

I've mentioned that Hillary has been waffling on the TPP issue, and that is a major problem - because Americans will want to know if they are going to keep their jobs or not. People do *vote* with their wallets. And if the wallet is empty, then there's no room for Hillary Clinton to be supporting TPP.

Income inequality - a key issue for me, and for Bernie and he nails it, both at the same time - while poking at Hillary Clinton to *SAY* something about TPP.

[Doctor_J]

6. I read this all the way through twice, and still can't find the attack

[Paka]

7. Far from an attack,

he simply stated a fact. She, as do many others, remains uncommitted. Many others of us find that troublesome.

[kentuck]

8. That's not an "attack"..

Not even close.

[WillyT]

9. And As I Said Above... That's The NYT Headline Writer... Not Me...

I use the ACTUAL Headline, when I remember to, to use the DU Search mechanism to make sure I'm not posting a dupe.

I agree it's not an attack, yet that WAS the headline.

[kentuck]

11. Exactly!

Thanks for pointing that out.

[Thinkingabout]

10. Fact is Hillary is not waffling on TPP, she has stated she is waiting until the final

Agreement is given. Apparently many wants to push her on this, she will not be pushed on this.

[CentralMass]

12. Many of us are ignoring her until she does make a stand on the relevant issues.

[raindaddy]

18. We need a leader and Hillary's failing in that dept...

There's more than enough information out on the TPP to know it's not only bad for the poor and middle class it's bad for the country...

The longer she refuses to take a stand she loses opportunities to influence her colleagues and educate the public.

Her silence plays into the hands of people who want to see global corporations gain the power to undermine laws that protect the public and the environment. Maybe that is her strategy who knows?

[bvar22]

31. That is not quite fair.

While a Senator, Hillary led the charge against Flag Burning, and cartoon violence in Video Games.

[raindaddy]

33. She's the "waiting to see" candidate...

"Waiting to see" is the new "worth having a conversation about."

Hell can freeze while we're waiting for people to see or have that conversation that never f-ing happens...

[Thinkingabout]

19. Kinda the way it works with other candidates also.

[Joe the Revelator]

13. This, I wholeheartedly agree with.

How can you not have an opinion on TPP??

[CentralMass]

14. This was her opinion on the TPP in 2012..

From 2012

http://www.ibtimes.com/hillary-clinton-trade-deal-flip-flop-she-praised-trans-pacific-partnership-now-hedges-1887195

"In November 2012, the then-secretary of state declared that “we need to keep upping our game both bilaterally and with partners across the region through agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. ... This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field. And when negotiated, this agreement will cover 40 percent of the world's total trade and build in strong protections for workers and the environment.”

[whereisjustice]

17. Thanks! I was going to post this. Of course she is for TPP, she's hoping it will be a done deal

and passed before she has to defend herself for supporting it just as she supports nafta and sending millions of jobs to India and China.

[bvar22]

32. ---and bringing thousands of Tech Jobs here from India...

...who will work for less, driving down wages.

[Thinkingabout]

20. So far the final agreement has not been reached. Premature opinions are just that, premature

opinions.

[CentralMass]

22. You can pick any number of issues, lets take the Keystone-XL pipeline, and you wont get

her to commit on the issue. I voted for and supported her in 2008 but her inability to pick a side on the issues out of her personal convictions is a turn-off. As I read about numerous contributions to the Clinton foundation and other news links I am starting to draw my own conclusion on where she stands on some of the issues.

My guess is that she is:
1. Pro Keystone-XL pipeline.
2. Pro TPP
3. Pro Monsanto and GMO'
4.Pro Wall St in a very tangible she has their back sort iof way.
5. Pro fracking

[Thinkingabout]

24. Same old talking points, nothing new here. If she answered all of these it would be another problem

[CentralMass]

27. Well, ok. You dont seem to care about the issues.

[cali]

28. you never discuss issues. you appear to pose as no knowledge of issues

You post nothing but feeble defenses of HRC, and whinging over any criticism of her. It looks like to you it's just some big dumb popularity contest

[Thinkingabout]

30. Why are you attacking me?

[hootinholler]

23. How dare he Attack Her!

On an issue Hillary is apparently ignoring no less!

Wait a minute, that's an attack?

[Thinkingabout]

25. Did Hillary attack Bernie on issues he has not addressed, no. Has Bernie's supporters attacked

Hillary, yes.

[leftofcool]

26. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[MineralMan]

29. There's no "attack" on Clinton from Sanders in that story.

An audience member made the "attack." Senator Sanders, once again, said he wanted to know Clinton's opinion on it.

This headline is a distortion of what happened. Anyone actually reading the article would recognize that.

I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton does have an opinion on TPP. She has not stated it yet as part of her campaign so far. I'm sure she will, however. Senator Sanders is keeping his word about not attacking his opponent. Sadly, others are not following his lead. That's too bad.