Why Bernie Sanders Is Offended by Hillary Clinton
Sanders was irked by Clinton's ambiguous trade stance.
— -- Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders was asked at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning whether it offends him that Hillary Clinton hasn’t taken a firm position on the trade bills now before Congress.
“It does,” the senator said. “You can be for it or against it. But I don’t understand how, on an issue of such consequence, you don’t have an opinion.”
Sanders, an independent competing for the Democratic nomination, pushed back against the notion that progressives are split on trade, saying that labor unions and environmental groups agree -- along with a majority of Democrats in Congress -- that President Obama and Republicans are wrong on trade.
He added that Clinton’s voice could influence the congressional debate.
“We need to speak out right now. Right now,” Sanders said.
He also reiterated his displeasure with the Democratic National Committee’s slate of debates and said he’ll be talking to DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., about adding to the approved slate. He said he might go outside the process to have debates in more places, including red states, and wants a debate that would include both Democrats and Republicans -- perhaps a dozen total candidates.