[ad_1]
ATKINSON, NH – Joseph R. Biden Jr. spent the first months of his presidential campaign largely ignoring his nearly twenty rivals, seeking to stay above the Democratic scrum while he stood as a an unthinking pragmatist who could beat President Trump in a general election. .
But after a heated first debate, harsh criticism from his opponents and tightening of some polls, Biden made it clear during a two-day weekend in New Hampshire that he was now ready to interact directly with his fellow Democrats.
Mr. Biden's travel conditions were idyllic: a riverside speech in Dover, a press conference outside an ice cream shop in Portsmouth, a party in a green courtyard here at Atkinson .
But the words suggested that the former vice president was entering a new, more confrontational phase of his 2020 campaign.
Biden's renewed efforts to highlight the distinctions with his rivals – on issues ranging from health to foreign policy, health care, power elections and executive orders – then come as he seeks to pass the scrutiny of his record of several decades. to offer a more concrete and forward looking vision beyond its original purpose of defeating the president.
He has made some of the clearest distinctions to date between him and the other top candidates on the health care issue. These comments prompted a rare direct criticism from Senator Bernie Sanders, who, along with several other leading nominees, with the exception of Mr. Biden, supports Medicare for All, a single-payer global proposal that would virtually eliminate private health insurance. In an interview, Mr. Sanders bristled at Mr. Biden's remarks and said that some of his descriptions of Medicare for All were "totally absurd".
"I admire the rest of the world, from Bernie to Elizabeth via Kamala, who wish to benefit from Medicare for all, but let me tell you that, in my opinion, one of them the most important things we have done in our administration is success. Care Act, "Biden said at the applause Saturday morning, referring to the security measure signed under the Obama administration.
He said he wanted to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and add a public option, which, he admitted, could have a high price.
"But it does not cost $ 3 trillion, and it can be done quickly," he continued, questioned about the differences between the Democratic candidates. "I do not know why we would get rid of what really works and move on to something totally new. And then, there are differences.
A day earlier, while he was sailing in a dripping ice cream cone while he was speaking to the press in Portsmouth, Mr Biden echoed President Barack Obama, saying that his vision "would allow people who actually love their private insurance or their employer. insurance, to be able to keep it. And he also mentioned the name of one of his opponents.
"Bernie was very honest about that," he said of Medicare for All. "He said you have to raise taxes for the middle class. He says this will put an end to all private insurance. I mean, he was frank and he defended his cause. "
When asked if other candidates were equally straightforward about the costs of Medicare for All, he replied, "So far, no. Until now, no. They can. They can."
[[[[Sign up for our political newsletter and join the conversation around the 2020 presidential race.]
In an interview, Mr. Sanders, who introduced the bill for health insurance for all in the Senate and sometimes assisted Mr. Biden in the first polls, bristled at Mr. Biden's remarks. , pointing out that he, too, was committed to enacting and protecting the Affordable Care Act, even though he is now arguing for something more ambitious.
He also questioned what he saw as Mr. Biden's suggestion that the transition to Medicare for all could leave gaps in medical care, calling this involvement "totally absurd".
Mr. Sanders said, "Obviously, the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industries, the Republicans, are ignoring the fact that people will save money on their health care because they will no longer have to pay premiums. Personal expenses. They will no longer have high deductibles and high co-payments. "
When asked if it was fair to place Mr. Biden in the same category as the insurance and pharmacy industries, given his role in promoting the Affordable Care Act, Mr. Sanders replied: "The accusation he is carrying is exactly The Republicans say.
Mr. Biden's campaign did not respond when asked to comment on these comments. The Sanders campaign said it would "face the Democratic opponents of Medicare for all" in a speech Wednesday in Washington, a sign that tensions between the two candidates could intensify this week.
Mr Biden, 76, who spoke to reporters for 20 minutes Friday afternoon in Portsmouth – ignoring the "latest questions" of his help, seemed more banal and less defensive in New Hampshire than during the past weeks, dominated by questions. about his opposition to many bus transportation initiatives dating back to the 1970s, and the outcry over his warm memories last month about working with segregationists in the Senate, two issues that had become problematic in the past. last presidential debate.
Last Saturday, Mr. Biden, who is generally reluctant to apologize for elements of his long record, expressed regret for these comments.
By the time he reached New Hampshire, however, Mr. Biden was no longer on a tour of apology.
"One of the things we have to do – and I know that a lot of the members of the new Democratic Party I'm counting on, and I respect them in passing – is that, in a way, the idea that being able to cooperate with the other party is considered naive, "Biden said Friday afternoon.
Asked about this view, 77-year-old Sanders, who, like many lawmakers, has also sometimes worked across the hall, said, "Joe may be thinking of what was in Congress 30 years old, I do not know. At one time, moderate Republicans were ready to support good legislation. Unfortunately, especially under Trump, these days are over. "
Admittedly, Biden has also made numerous calls for the unity of the Democratic Party and has largely focused on highlighting political differences in broad terms, rather than calling into question more clearly the experience or judgment of each opponent. But even though Mr. Biden said he "would break his neck" in helping to elect the proposed candidate and warning against a "circular squad", his willingness to highlight the differences between the parties was undeniably a break from his promises never to speak. sick of another Democratic presidential candidate. "
"We rightly accuse Trump of abusing executive power," the secretary-general told a rally of young Democrats in Portsmouth, as a thunderstorm threatened Friday night. "How many times do we hear candidates on the stage, out of 400 people who show up, how much do they hear," If I'm elected, I'll go, by executive order, to do the following. "There is a constitution, it separates power, it is important."
Mr. Biden also sought more subtly to draw contrasts on the question of eligibility, saying to Dover: "I think I am the only candidate or whoever has been asked to campaign in 24 states," naming " Red States "As in Alabama – where Senator Cory Booker had also appeared for a race in the Senate – and in Montana and North Dakota," blue states as well as purple states that we should never lose, like Pennsylvania , Michigan, etc. "
But as much as Biden insisted he was ready to focus on the future, many voters – not to mention his opponents – have not finished talking about his past.
On Saturday morning, Biden was asked about his previous support for the war in Iraq. The mistake "I made is to trust President Bush" on the issue of sending inspectors to this country, he said.
He was also asked if he was considering appointing Anita Hill, now a professor at Brandeis, to the Supreme Court. Professor Hill testified at the Justice Clarence Thomas Appointment Hearings in 1991, when Mr. Biden was Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Critics of the time and more today claim that he has mismanaged the situation.
Biden said he had "long conversations with Anita Hill" and also indicated that she could vote for Mr. Biden. "I did not say it, but she said yes. So it's a bit exaggerated. He added "it is important that the courts look like the country," including people of color and women.
Mr Biden also indicated that he was waiting for further examination.
"Many people who do research on the opposition seem to be very interested in my 40-year record, and I'm proud of my record," he said. "Have I made mistakes? Of course, I made mistakes. But the fact is, you need to know the context. "
[ad_2]
Source link