Hillary Making Too Many Mistakes? Clinton’s Gaffes May Cost Her New York
Hillary Clinton has now lost seven of the last eight democratic primaries. Tuesday’s Wisconsin vote scored big for Bernie Sanders, who triumphed with 567,936 votes, winning by a 56.6 percent margin with 47 delegates. Hillary trailed with 432,767 at 43.1 percent, with 36, respectively.
Clinton’s fundraising has been lagging, too. For the month of March, she raised $29.5 million compared to Sanders’ $44 million. It was the third month in a row that Hillary’s cash tally was lower than The Bern’s.
My message to every American worker is this: I will stand with you, I will have your back. pic.twitter.com/6po7XbU1CL
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 6, 2016
The Boston Globe’s Eric Fehrnstrom noted that “Clinton’s skills as a candidate have deteriorated, measured not just by a lengthening string of losses but by miscues and gaffes.”
“What makes it all the more remarkable is that Clinton’s primary opponent is fighting with one hand tied behind his back, refusing to make an issue of major vulnerabilities like her mishandling of classified information as secretary of state.”
Bernie Sanders’ Wisconsin win, the Boston Globe says, “essentially denies Clinton the ability to quickly pivot to the general election and exclusively focus her attention on the GOP, forcing her instead to continue slogging it out with Sanders through the next batch of East Coast primaries this month.”
Sanders commented from a campaign rally in Laramie, Wyoming.
“She’s getting a little nervous and I don’t want her to get more nervous, but I believe we have an excellent chance to win New York and a lot of delegates in that state.”
Fehrnstrom wrote, “Just as a magician’s sleight-of-hand depends on misdirection, Clinton has benefited from the spectacle created by Donald Trump’s candidacy to escape hard scrutiny. But in any other season, the number of errors committed by Clinton is enough to get her demoted to triple-A.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCF_xjfTz3c&nohtml5=False
Clinton made a blunder on Sunday’s Meet the Press, when she referred to a developing child in the womb as an “unborn person.” Supporters on the left were enraged by this label, as they prefer medically neutral terms like “embryo” or “fetus.” The term “unborn person” insinuates a right to life and an anti-abortion message.
And of course, there is Hillary’s ever-lurking email scandal, with an FBI investigation looming.
Then there was the incident last week with a climate activist, who asked Clinton about contributions from oil and gas interests. Clinton lost her cool.
“I do not have, I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies. I’m so sick. I’m so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I’m sick of it.”
Clinton’s closed-door speeches to financial institutions on Wall Street continue to be a bone of contention. Her refusal to release transcripts is raising eyebrows and questions. The speaking tour paid generously, but was a gamble for Clinton’s standings in the eyes of liberals who are suspicious of big banks.
Full disclosure of the transcripts may help her cause, but until then, her integrity will remain under scrutiny by voters who want an honest candidate.
Sanders may have capitalized on this a bit in a statement he made after the Wisconsin vote.
“We have decided that we do not represent the billionaire class. We do not represent Wall Street or the drug companies or the fossil fuel industry. And we do not want their money.”
But Steve McMahon, a Virginia-based Democratic strategist, indicated that Hillary can afford to make mistakes.
“Bernie Sanders has vastly exceeded expectations and become an extraordinary candidate, but the math is still the math and it overwhelmingly favors Secretary Clinton.”
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders feud over New York debate scheduling https://t.co/gwyPAnMVUQ pic.twitter.com/l6V896nwkb
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) April 3, 2016
Clinton and Sanders have agreed to debate in Brooklyn on April 14, five days before the all-important New York Primary.
Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Senator Harry Reid, cautioned the squabbling politicians against “running into the gutter.”
“Now that we got over the debate over the debate, it looks like it’s going to be a real barn burner in New York.”
Fehrnstrom suggested that “Hillary’s inability to unite the party and her missteps suggest more trouble ahead.”
[Photo by A Katz/Shutterstock.com]
