Duking it out in the Brooklyn CNN debate before the April 19, 2016 New York primary, 68-year-old Democratic front runner Hillary Rodham Clinton and 74-year-old Bernie Sanders showed the Democratic contest heating up. Winning seven-of-the-eight last Democratic primaries and caucuses, Sanders hoped to keep his momentum heading into the New York. Down by about 12%, Sanders hoped to make up ground but didn’t land a knockout punch in the debate. Bernie continued his attack on Hillary for her Wall Street and fossil fuel super PAC, taking millions from the oil and banking industries. When pressed by CNN reporter Dana Bash about what policy Hillary changed by taking cash Wall Street cash, Sanders talked about Wall Street executives getting away with murder after the 2008 financial collapse. He mentioned nothing about Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) charge that Hillary changed her vote on the 2001 bankruptcy bill.
Only five days before the New York primary, Sanders had a golden opportunity to land a knockout punch on Hillary, highlighting her change of heart on the bankruptcy bill. Instead he rambled on showing his age, unable to itemize flaws in Hillary’s domestic and foreign policy. Sanders mentioned nothing about the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Presidential Library taking tens-of-millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and millions more from Gulf States all backing the Syrian war to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. If Sanders raised Hillary’s Saudi connection backing a five-year-old proxy war, it would have demonstrated to voters how cold-hard-cash influences Hillary’s foreign and domestic policy. Hillary insists there’s no evidence that receiving foreign or domestic cash influences her decision-making. When you look at her position of toppling Bashar al-Assad, she shows no insight into how the disastrous Iraq War flooded the Mideast with terrorism.
Bernie raised the issue of Hillary voting for the Oct. 10, 2002 Iraq War Resolution, authorizing the March 20, 2003 Iraq War. Not only did Hillary back the Iraq War, she backed the Aug. 24, 2011 ousting of Libya’s dictator Col Muammar Gaddafi. President Barack Obama and Hillary wholeheartedly backed toppling Gaddafi, ceding much of Libya to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS]. Hillary’s foreign policy directly caused the rise of ISIS, takeover in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Sinai Peninsula, threatening to make the Middle East worst by toppling Bashar al-Assad. Hillary boasts of her vast foreign policy experience but has a track record of turning the Mideast into more chaos. Bernie lost his chance before the New York primary to impeach Hillary’s credibility. Pointing out how much cash Hillary takes from Wall Street and other special interests, Bernie could have swayed the election, making the New York Primary competitive.
Bernie’s campaign problems stem less from so-called Superdelegates giving Hillary an unfair advantage heading into Philadelphia July 25 but his inability to score points during the debates. His talking point about Wall Street and the income gap only goes so far when it’s only a part of the president’s job. Whatever’s wrong with the economy, it pales in comparison to U.S. foreign policy where the U.S. has taken a backseat to Russia leading polices in the Middle East. Bernie fell on his sword in New York telling voters that more balance has to be given to Palestinians to achieve Mideast peace. Today’s problems with ISIS and Syria, flooding Europe with Mideast refugees and causing Europe’s terrorism problem, far outweigh anything between Israelis and Palestinians. Bernie’s foreign policy is 40 years behind the times, stuck in the days of former President Jimmy Carter. There’s no question that Bernie’s lack of current foreign policy savvy hurts his candidacy.
Debating with Hillary gave Bernie the perfect chance to close the sale in New York As it stands now, Hillary has a lock on New York, not because she has so much consensus but because Bernie can’t cut it on foreign policy. Bernie doesn’t win votes in New York telling voters that Israel used excessive force in its 2015 war with Hamas. Sanders says he 100% backs Israeli national security but shows no interest in Israel ridding its Gaza border with Hamas’ of the dangerous tunnel system threatening Israeli national security. Hamas’ rocket war against Israel prompted whatever response Israel needed to stop the barrage against civilians and national security. Bernie doesn’t get that pandering to Palestinians doesn’t make him more credible with anyone, other that Arab states seeking to destroy Israel. Bernie shows his dated understanding of today’s Mideast issues, especially what to do in Syria or how to stop ISIS from taking more sovereign land.
Bernie shot himself in the foot in CNN’s April 14 debate, unable to say how Hillary’s Wall Street ties impacts her voting on key pieces of legislation. When Sen. Warren writes about that subject in her 2001 book, “A Fighting Chance,” Bernie should at least report the facts. Unable to state the obvious shows that Bernie’s showing fatigue at the end of a long campaign. New Yorkers aren’t likely to reward him Tuesday when they go to the polls. When asked after the debate by CNN why he didn’t bring up Warren’s example of Hillary changing her vote to back Wall Street, he said he can’t think of everything. What he missed revealed Bernie has trouble thinking on his feet. Hillary has a real problem going forward in the general election without Bernie’s support. At least 30% of his loyal following won’t vote for Hillary because of her Wall Street ties and Mideast policies. Refusing to consider Bernie as vice president could do Hillary in November.
