Sen. Bernie Sanders went on the attack Saturday night by promising he wouldn’t be “politically expedient” like his frontrunner opponent, Hillary Clinton.
In a speech to the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner, the Vermont socialist promised not to “abandon” any faction in America because it is simply “politically expedient.” That seemed to be a shot at Clinton, who only two years ago came out in favor of same-sex marriage.
In addition, Sanders told the room full of Iowa Democrats that he will govern based on principle instead of poll numbers. The 2016 hopeful’s comments are his sharpest critique of his Democratic rival since she came out in against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an issue Sanders has consistently opposed from the start.
After explaining long held views of his, singling out his opposition to Wall Street, as well as his stances on trade deals of the past, the Keystone XL pipeline, and same-sex marriage, Sanders told the crowd, “Those are the choices I made when I came to the forks in the road. I think they tell you a lot about the choices I will make as president.”
“And my message to you today is the same as it was yesterday, and will be tomorrow,” Sanders said, according to his prepared remarks.
“I promise you tonight as your president I will govern based on principle not poll numbers,” Sanders said. “I pledge to you that every day I will fight for the public interest not the corporate interests. I will not abandon any segment of American society – whether you’re gay or black or Latino or poor or working class – just because it is politically expedient at a given time.”
Sanders also took a subtle shots at Clinton over the Iraq War and Keystone XL, both of which he opposed from the outset, and said his decision “wasn’t that complicated.”
Clinton only came out against TPP in early October, having told PBS Newshour host Judy Woodruff that it she’s “not in favor” of the deal as it stands, and that it doesn’t meet the “high bar” she set for it. This came after her time in the State Department when she repeatedly advocated for and pushed forward trade negotiations to achieve an agreement.
