Obama Says Clinton’s Strengths Also Weaknesses As Sanders Surges

But he also lowered the ceiling for what “high” means, warning observers not to expect President Obama’s unforgettable Iowa caucus night to be repeated this time around.

Sanders had a friendly demeanor with the inevitable decibel hike when talking about his core message of income distribution and wealth inequality. So we are working hard all over the state of Iowa. Notably, one audience member told her as a prelude to his question that he became a die-hard Clinton supporter after watching all 11 hours of her Congressional testimony about Benghazi.

“You do talk a lot in this campaign”, she said as she reached for a glass of water and a lozenge. The polls are giving Bernie Sanders, the 74-year-old self-described socialist, a slender lead in Iowa and an advantage of 19 percentage points in New Hampshire.

The Vermont independent waxed confident on Tuesday that he had an “excellent chance” to win Iowa if his voters turn out.

Just a day earlier, Clinton had been soaking in presidential praise.

Answering questions from voters about his philosophy and proposals, Sanders largely stuck to familiar arguments against a government “dominated by the billionaire class”. “If you are paying now $10,000 a year to a private health insurance company, and I say to you, hypothetically, you’re going to pay $5,000 more in taxes – actually less than that – but you’re not going to pay any more private health insurance, are you going to be complaining about the fact that I saved you $5,000 in your total bills?” In short, Sanders said that when he faced the same tough calls as Clinton, that he made the correct decision-as proven by the events that followed-and she did not. “I think Hillary came in with the both privilege and burden of being perceived as the front-runner”, Obama said in an interview with Politico released Monday morning. “I think I have the background, I think I have the judgment to do that”, Sanders said.

“The longer you go in the process, the more you’re going to have to pass a series of hurdles that the voters are going to put in front of you”, he said.

An aide to the president said: “He’s not panicked by Sanders but he’s clearly thumbing the scale for Hillary”.

As Sanders left Iowa and Minnesota for his meeting with Obama on Wednesday, the meeting was being watched for signs of the president’s leanings. I did it to reform the foster care and adoption system with one of the most partisan Republicans in the house, Tom DeLay. The White House did not disclose the session ahead of time, and said afterward it was mostly a “social occasion”. While he was governor, his state had succeeded in reducing crime and cutting imprisonment rates at the same time, he added. But a day after repeating calls for a political groundswell, Sanders is now managing expectations for the actual turnout for the beginning of the revolution – the Iowa caucuses.

“They should hold strong”, he said. Particularly the economy and the gap in wealth in this country.

“Hillary Clinton is always dividing us for her benefit”. Clinton has said it would be unwise to reopen a venomous debate over the issue in an attempt to enact the dramatic overhaul Sanders has proposed. (Clinton now says her vote was a mistake.) He said he predicted numerous war’s dire consequences. “The two will meet privately in the Oval Office and there will be no formal agenda”.