Hillary Rodham Clinton hit on a variety of subjects at her sun-splashed campaign rally here this weekend, but not once in her 30 minutes of speaking did she utter these words: Bernie Sanders.
Campaigning 1,200 miles away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sanders was interrupted for applause 77 times — but not a single line in the senator’s nearly hour-long stump speech referred to Clinton or any other Democratic primary opponent.
The Republican presidential campaign is being dictated by how the 17 candidates, led by Donald Trump, attack each other — from policy disagreements to nasty personal barbs.
The Democratic race stands in stark contrast. Despite tightening polls, the two leading candidates refuse to draw sharp contrasts, let alone criticize each other, leaving voters to discern the differences in their agendas and priorities largely on their own.
Former president Ronald Reagan famously pronounced an 11th commandment for the GOP: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” In the 2016 contest, however, it’s the Democrats who are heeding Reagan’s call — at least so far.
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) poses for a photo with supporters following a town hall meeting on Sept. 3 in Grinnell, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Sanders boasts that he never has run an attack ad in his four-decade-old career in politics and, in an interview Saturday in Iowa, explained his rationale for not going after his chief rival this time.
“You’re looking at a candidate who honestly believes that the discussion of the serious issues facing the American people is not only the right thing to do, it’s good politics,” Sanders said. “I know the media would like me to attack Hillary Clinton and say all kinds of terrible things and tell the world that I’m the greatest candidate in the history of the world and everybody else running against me is a jerk and terrible, awful people. Nobody believes that stuff.”
Sanders and his campaign strategists have calculated that to beat Clinton he must expand the electorate — and that going negative will turn off too many potentially new voters.
“We have to follow the formula that brings people into the process,” said Sanders adviser Tad Devine. “Otherwise we can’t win.” When pressed by reporters, however, Sanders is willing to explain his policy differences with Clinton.
Here's the takeaway, Hillary Clinton CANNOT provide an answer for using personal email aside from "convenience." Convenience from what?
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) September 4, 2015