Why Bill Clinton called Bernie Sanders supporters 'sexist'
In the closing hours leading up the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton still has one more card up her sleeve 鈥� her husband Bill. And he鈥檚 not going easy on their opponent, Bernie Sanders.
Ms. Clinton barely scraped by in the Iowa Caucuses last week, and polls show her trailing, though close, in New Hampshire, the Vermont senator's backyard. So, at an event in Milford, N.H., Sunday, the former president railed against Mr. Sanders, accusing him of hypocrisy and of having sexist supporters, among other things.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e making a revolution ,鈥� Bill said to the audience of about 300, poking fun at Sanders鈥� rhetoric of political revolution. I want you to laugh, because when you鈥檙e mad you can鈥檛 think.鈥�
He goes on to tell the account of a liberal blogger who has had to use an online pseudonym when defending Hillary Clinton because she鈥檚 been repeatedly verbally attacked by a segment of Sanders supporters known as the 鈥淏ernie Bros.鈥�
鈥淪he and other people who have gone online to defend Hillary, to explain why they supported her, have been subject to vicious trolling and attacks that are literally too profane often, not to mention sexist, to repeat,鈥� Clinton said.
Although he didn鈥檛 explicitly name the "Bernie Bros,鈥� Sanders himself had previously denounced the group of misogynists.
The 42nd president also called Sanders a hypocrite over fundraising, because while the self-described democratic socialist has given Clinton flak for her ties to Wall street, he himself has at Democratic Party retreats in Palm Beach and Martha鈥檚 Vineyard.
鈥淚 practically fell out of my chair when I saw it,鈥� he said.
鈥淎nybody who takes money from Goldman Sachs couldn鈥檛 possibly be President,鈥� Clinton added, mockingly. 鈥淗e may have to tweak that answer a little bit, or we may have to get a write-in candidate.鈥�
Sanders鈥� universal healthcare plan and free college proposal were other points of attack for Clinton, who casts doubt on how such legislation could be funded. 鈥淚t is good for America, I don鈥檛 think so. Is it good for New Hampshire? I don鈥檛 think so,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he New Hampshire I knew if I had done that,鈥� Politico reported.
In 1992, Bill Clinton's second-place win in the New Hampshire primary marked a turning point his campaign. He was dubbed the 鈥淐omeback Kid鈥� and would go on to secure the nomination.
On Sunday, Clinton also chided Sanders for the data breach at the Democratic National Committee, where some of his campaign workers gained access the Clinton campaign鈥檚 voter file. 鈥淚t was your campaign that made 25 separate inquiries in the mere space of 30 minutes trying to [loot] information out of computers,鈥� he said, furious.
In response to the former president鈥檚 verbal assaults, Sanders鈥� senior adviser, Tad Devine, told The New York Times that it was 鈥渄isappointing that President Clinton has decided to launch these attacks.鈥�
Adding that his candidate would continue to focus on his economically focused campaign against finance corruption and income inequality, he said, 鈥淥bviously the race has changed in New Hampshire and elsewhere in recent days.鈥�
As reported by Politico, Bill Clinton鈥檚 staffers have long maintained that he won鈥檛 be too involved with his wife鈥檚 campaign and will instead invest himself in work for the Clinton Foundation. But on Sunday, he demonstrated an extensive knowledge of the campaign 鈥� he was even able to recite the names of the regional newspapers that has endorsed Hillary.
鈥淲hen it鈥檚 all said and done, all that matters is whether people are better off, whether young people have a better future,鈥� he concluded.
鈥淭he rest of this is all background noise. All of this back and forth, it will blow away like smoke in the wind.鈥�
