PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Reeling from a near loss in Iowa and facing a possible loss in the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton has shifted her focus from government experience and foreign policy smarts to economic frustrations and liberal social programs in her stump speech, in the hopes of erasing what polls say is a 20-point deficit in the Granite State.
The self-proclaimed “moderate” democratic candidate is now working overtime to play up her progressive attributes, in a last minute attempt to reach Sanders supporters.
“In my mind, a progressive is someone who makes progress,” Clinton said Saturday night at a campaign stop in Portsmouth. “There is so much progress to be made, but we don’t start by tearing down the progress we’ve already made.”
Her comments came two days after Clinton and Sanders argued who was the better progressive and should represent the party as it shifts further to the left in 2016.
On the trail, Clinton has repeatedly referred to herself as a “progressive who gets things done.” This labeling was enough to help her narrowly win in the Iowa caucuses, but in New Hampshire the Vermont senator leads her by a very wide margin, and Clinton knows she has to do more to reach out to voters who are learning toward Sanders.
The past four days on the trail in the Granite State, Clinton has repeatedly told Sanders supporters that she is genuinely “happy to see so many people involved in the political process.” She says at every stop, “I know that Sanders has a big base of young voters who aren’t supporting me but I want them to know that I am supporting you. This isn’t an either or.”
When it comes to healthcare, both candidates pledge to move the United States to 100 percent coverage, but Clinton wants to expand the Affordable Care Act, while Sanders wants to mimic Scandinavian countries and move the system to a universal single-payer system. Both candidates want debt-free college, but Clinton wants to implement a system in which students still must pay a small percentage of their tuition, and Sanders wants to implement a plan that makes all colleges tuition free.
These plans put Clinton in an awkward position, as both candidates have the same end goals, but Sanders markets his proposals as being free of charge.
“I don’t think America can wait. I don’t think we can wait for ideas that sound good on paper but can’t get through the gridlock,” she has said repeatedly in New Hampshire, referring to Sanders’ proposals going up against a Republican Congress.
Clinton has also attempted to tap into the anger and frustration expressed by Sanders supporters on economic issues. In Concord on Saturday morning, Clinton even told supporters that “venting is good” and she’s a big believer in airing frustration. But a line she has repeated at ever campaign stop in New Hampshire better explains Clinton’s on her opponent’s policies.
She says, “I get the anger. I get the frustration. But anger is not a plan. And venting is not a strategy.”
