One of the most memorable moments during the first Democratic primary debate was Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ defense of Hillary Clinton’s “damn emails.”
“I do not regret that at all,” Sanders told CNN on Monday.
Neither do his female fans, several of whom spoke with the Washington Examiner over the weekend.
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2575923
A handful of women planning to vote for Sanders in South Carolina’s Democratic primary appear to appreciate the socialist senator’s hands-off approach toward launching personal attacks against his female opponent.
“It makes me trust him a little more,” Mary Bordonaro, a second-year student at Winthrop University, told the Examiner at a recent on-campus event hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Women’s Council. The event featured remarks from Sanders himself following a brief introduction by his wife, Jane.
“As a younger person, I get very tired with the whole political process because I see people just attacking each other,” Bordonaro added. “Some people want the action, they want people insulting each other and attacking each other.”
“I like Bernie because he’s not running against someone, he’s running for something,” she said.
Meghan Rasor, a single mother who claims her interest in politics piqued when Sanders joined the 2016 race, said the Vermont senator is “doing just fine without attacking Hillary.” Rasor commended Sanders for steering clear of “all that nastiness,” but said she would “of course” continue supporting him if he began behaving like his GOP opponent, Donald Trump.
“He’s never had to criticize others before and he’s won,” noted Peggy Franklin, a lifelong Democrat from Aiken, S.C.
Unlike Trump, whose incessant criticism of his Republican rivals has become a staple of his campaign, Sanders has stuck to highlighting Clinton’s inconsistent record on issues like Wall Street reform, same-sex marriage, trade and the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I disagree with Hillary Clinton on virtually everything,” Sanders told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow last Friday during the “First in the South” presidential forum.
Still, the senator has no plans to attack Clinton with the same gusto as Trump.
“Time after time I’m being asked to criticize Hillary Clinton. That’s the sport that you guys like,” Sanders told reporters in August.
“But the reason this campaign is doing is doing well [is] because we’re talking about the issues that impact the American people,” he added.
Joan Furlong, chair of the Horry County Democratic Party, said Sanders and his fellow Democratic hopefuls are “outstanding for having a conversation about issues instead of focusing their dialogue on personal attacks.”
“I don’t expect them to start going after each other, and I believe the Democratic Party has set a standard of behavior that we’re going to see carried forward as the primaries continue to play out,” she told the Examiner.
To some extent, Sanders’ criticism of Clinton’s record alone appears to be working.
“I feel unsure of Hillary because she’s changed her mind on a lot of things,” said Bordonaro. “If you go back a few years, you can see videos of her saying marriage is between a man and a woman.
“Bernie is very sure in what he believes and he’s been very sure for a long time,” she added.
