Bernie Sanders: ‘I loved Ted Kennedy, but…’
The Vermont senator and presidential hopeful doesn’t agree with the late liberal hero on everything.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has recently worked to tack itself to the legacy of President Barack Obama. But in Thursday’s Democratic debate, Clinton tried to use another liberal icon as a wedge against Bernie Sanders: The late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Clinton voiced her support for Obama’s executive actions to allow 5 million undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States before noting that Sanders voted against immigration reform in 2007.
The Vermont senator — who also said he supports a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. — owned his 2007 vote, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center’s critique of guest-worker programs included in the bill that were “akin to slavery.’’
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“It wasn’t just me who opposed it,’’ he said. “It was LULAC, one of the large Latino organizations in this country. It was the AFL-CIO. It was some of the most progressive members of the United States Congress who opposed it for that reason.’’
Clinton responded by pointing out one progressive legislator who supported the bill: Kennedy.
“With respect to the 2007 bill, this was Ted Kennedy’s bill. And I think Ted Kennedy had a very clear idea about what needed to be done. And I was proud to stand with him and support it.’’
For a moment, it looked like Sanders would go full-Lloyd Bentsen.
“Let me just respond,’’ Sanders said. “I worked with Ted Kennedy. He was the chairman of my committee. And I loved Ted Kennedy.’’
Ultimately though, Sanders said the late liberal lion was wrong in 2007.
“But on this issue, when you have one of the large Latino organizations in America saying vote no,’’ he said. “And you have the AFL-CIO saying vote no, and you have leading progressive Democrats, in fact, voting no, I don’t apologize for that vote.’’
Debate ends with tense exchange over Obama.
Sanders and Clinton get heated in first debate after the New Hampshire Primary.
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