Bernie Sanders Slams Hillary Clinton For Being ‘Progressive’ Only On Certain Days, Clinton Hits Back

Bernie Sanders is not letting Hillary Clinton get carried away yet.

The former secretary of state might have been “relieved” to edge Sanders out by less than a point in the Iowa caucuses, but the Vermont senator is beginning to ramp up his attacks against Clinton as we move closer to the New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, which is only six days away now.

Speaking at a CNN town hall in Derry, New Hampshire, on Wednesday night, Bernie Sanders said he respects Clinton but added that there are issues where she is “just not progressive,” according to USA Today. This came quick on the heels of Sanders’ statement he made a day before, where he accused his fellow Democratic presidential hopeful of being a “progressive” only on “some days.”

“Except when she announces that she is a proud moderate, and then I guess she is not a progressive,” Sanders had said.

Of course, the statement led to a retaliation by Hillary Clinton on social media.

"Some days" we're pretty proud of. pic.twitter.com/LVwHJx1wGL

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2016

Furthermore, Clinton said Sanders’ statements were inappropriate and accused him of committing a “low blow” by having made the statement on Tuesday. During a separate town hall appearance in Derry a day later, Hillary Clinton sought to emphasize her achievements which were, according to her, clear indicators that she was as much a “progressive” as Sanders claims to be.

“I think it was a good day for progressives when I joined with colleagues in the Senate to stop George W. Bush from privatizing Social Security and it was another good day when I went to Geneva to speak out on behalf of gay rights and Beijing to speak out on behalf of women’s rights.

“We’ve been fighting the progressive fight and getting results for people for years, so I hope we keep it on the issues because if it’s about our records, hey, I’m going to win by a landslide on Tuesday.”

Clinton said that Sanders has clearly styled himself as the “the gatekeeper of who’s progressive” but said she is not bothered by it.

But that did not stop Bernie Sanders from continuing to slam Clinton for her alleged double-standards. Speaking at the town hall, the Vermont senator cited Clinton’s vote in favor of the war in Iraq, her support for past trade policies, and her reluctance to come out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal as key examples of why he considered Clinton as not being progressive enough.

“I do not know any progressive who has a super PAC and takes $15 million from Wall Street,” Sanders explained during the town hall appearance in a state where polls show him leading Hillary Clinton by a massive margin.

You can be a moderate. You can be a progressive. But you cannot be a moderate and a progressive.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016

Clinton had previously claimed that she would need to work very hard to defeat Sanders in New Hampshire, where Real Clear Politics’ average of the latest polls shows him leading Clinton by 17.5 points in the state. However, Bernie Sanders himself refused to give much importance to the poll results, saying he would take nothing for granted in what he calls a fight against the “most powerful political organization in the country.”

“Some of these polls are off the charts,” he said. “I mean, I think this is going to be a very close election here in New Hampshire.”

With the New Hampshire primary to be held next week, it won’t be surprising to see Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton trade more blows in the coming days, but who do you think will eventually come out smiling at the end of the nomination process?

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]