Mediaboss Marketing

Hours later, Trump reversed his initial position -- criticized as extreme by both supporters and opponents of abortion rights -- saying only the doctors should be held liable.

"The Republicans all line up together," Clinton said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

"Now maybe they aren't quite as open about it as Donald Trump was earlier today, but they all have the same position," she said, noting anti-abortion positions taken by both John Kasich and Ted Cruz. "If you make abortion a crime -- you make it illegal -- then you make women and doctors criminals."

"Why is it, I ask myself, Republicans want limited government, except when it comes to women's health?" she said.

Many Trump's critics have sought to paint him as hostile to women, and Clinton said she largely agreed with that assessment.

Trump came under heavy fire on Tuesday when his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was charged with simple battery on a female reporter.

"(Trump's) been inciting aggressive behavior. He's been applauding violence," Clinton told Cooper. "You go through the last month, and there's just a lot of evidence that his behavior has been inciting violence."

But as eager as she may be to tangle with Trump, Clinton on Wednesday maintained that she is not overlooking the threat posed by Bernie Sanders, her Democratic opponent. Sanders led Clinton in a Wisconsin poll released earlier on Wednesday, where voters weigh in on April 5.

"I'm going to keep focused on the primary. I'm going to go after every vote in every contest that I can possibly earn," she said. "But I also think it's important not to stay silent when Republican candidates say some of the offensive and dangerous things they been talking about."

And Clinton brushed off concerns about Wisconsin, where she will return this weekend to campaign, even as she indicated she would continue to battle fiercely with her Democratic rival.

"We've got a lot of contests ahead of us," she said, pledging to continue to contrast herself with Sanders. "I'm going to do everything I can to draw the contrast between me and Sen. Sanders."

See the article here:
Hillary Clinton slams Donald Trump's abortion comments ...

Watch CNN and NY1's Democratic debate, moderated by Wolf Blitzer, Thursday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET.

"They're going to question my qualifications, well I'm going to question theirs," Sanders said Thursday during a news conference in Philadelphia.

"The Washington Post had a headline that said 'Clinton questions whether Sanders is qualified to be president.' That was what was thrown at me."

"I believe the Clinton campaign told CNN that their strategy is, 'we go into New York and Pennsylvania. Disqualify him, defeat him and unify the party later,' "he said.

Clinton herself has never said Sanders isn't qualified to be president. When asked Wednesday on MSNBC if she thought Sanders was "ready to be president," she said: "I think he hadn't done his homework and he'd been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn't really studied or understood, and that does raise a lot of questions."

By Thursday morning, Clinton laughed off questions about Sanders' assertion that she isn't "qualified" for the presidency.

"It's kind of a silly thing to say," she told reporters in New York. "But I'm going to trust the voters of New York who know me and have voted for me three times."

At his news conference, Sanders said he was trying to run an "issue-oriented campaign" and blamed "the media" for taking things off course.

He then repeated on Thursday the same swipes on Clinton he cited the night before.

"My response is if you want to question my qualifications, then maybe the American people might wonder about your qualifications Madame Secretary," he said.

Sanders' remarks rankled Clinton's aides, with many arguing it shows Sanders' campaign growing desperate in the face of growing odds to win the Democratic nomination. Clinton's aides were outraged late on Wednesday night, when they gathered for a conference call about the change in tone.

"Hillary Clinton did not say Bernie Sanders was 'not qualified.' But he has now - absurdly - said it about her. This is a new low," campaign spokesman Brian Fallon tweeted.

In addition to a trove of delegates New York is an important symbolic contest. Sanders was born in the Empire State, and New York City has been at the center of the national political battle over income inequality -- a signature issue for the Vermont senator. But Clinton represented the state in the Senate, and her campaign headquarters is based in Brooklyn.

CNN's Dan Merica and Julia Manchester contributed to this story.

Read this article:
Bernie Sanders: Hillary Clinton is not 'qualified' to be ...

Watch CNN and NY1's Democratic debate, moderated by Wolf Blitzer, Thursday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET.

As Sanders took a victory lap following a 14-point triumph in Wisconsin, Clinton took fresh aim at the Vermont senator as part of a three-part strategy before the New York primary on April 19: Disqualify him, defeat him, and unify the party later.

"Some of his ideas just won't work because the numbers don't add up," Clinton told a labor union audience Wednesday in Philadelphia. "In a number of important areas, he doesn't have a plan at all."

It's the latest chapter in Clinton's approach to Sanders. She's tried ignoring him, brushing him aside, gently dismissing his policies. The Clinton campaign has refrained from going nuclear on Sanders, aides say, in large part to keep at least some good will alive in hopes of unifying the party at the end of the primary fight.

No more, a top adviser told CNN. The fight is on. Extending an olive branch to Sanders' supporters "will come later," an adviser said.

It's a new moment in this Democratic primary fight, with the Clinton campaign poised to dramatically escalate its criticism of Sanders in the coming days.

Both sides are bracing for a rough-and-tumble contest in New York, with the Sanders campaign already telegraphing its plan to aggressively go after Clinton and her policies. Aides to Clinton said they were simply going on defense, a step needed even more in the wake of their double-digit loss in Wisconsin.

"We've said for a long time that this primary is about who's really going to be able to get things done. And from reading this interview, you get the impression Senator Sanders hasn't thought very much about that," Reynolds wrote. "In fact, even on his signature issue of breaking up the banks, he's unable to answer basic questions about how he'd go about doing it, and even seems uncertain whether a president does or doesn't already have that authority under existing law."

She added: "If you want to know why Hillary's experience and deep understanding of the issues facing American families matter so much, you should read this."

See the original post here:
Hillary Clinton plan: Defeat Bernie Sanders, then unify party ...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton were forced to defend a joke made by the mayor at a charity dinner that critics considered racially offensive.

The incident occurred Saturday night, when Clinton and De Blasio took part in a skit at the Inner Circle dinner, a black-tie event in which New York City's political press corps and politicians spend the evening making fun of each other.

Clinton took the stage ostensibly to thank De Blasio, a former aide, for his belated endorsement of her for the Democratic nomination.

"Took you long enough," Clinton said.

De Blasio responded, "Sorry, Hillary. I was running on C.P. time." The phrase, popular in pop culture, is a reference to the stereotype that African-Americans are typically late for appointments.

Broadway actor Leslie Odom Jr., who was also on stage with Clinton and De Blasio and appeared to be in on the joke, said, "That's not - I don't like jokes about that, Bill."

Clinton then turned to Odom and delivered the punch line, "Cautious Politician Time. I've been there."

The exchange takes place at the 8:30 mark of this video, posted on the NYC Mayor's Office YouTube channel.

The joke was widely criticized in the media, with New York magazine calling it "amazingly unfunny, terribly executed". Left-leaning website Salon called it "cringeworthy", as did The Root, which bills itself as a site for "Black News, Opinion, Politics, and Culture."

The skit came at an awkward time for Clinton, who has ridden strong African-American support to several wins in key primary states but has also been criticized by some for using the term "superpredator" during her husband's administration to describe criminals.

Last week, former President Bill Clinton clashed with Black Lives Matter activist and defending his criminal justice policies at an appearance in Pennsylvania. Hours before her Inner Circle appearance, Hillary Clinton told the New York Daily News that she also agreed with critics who say the bill contributed to high levels of incarceration for non-violent crimes, like drug offenses.

De Blasio told CNN Monday evening that critics of the skit were "missing the point."

It was clearly a staged show. It was a scripted show and the whole idea was to do the counter intuitive and say 'cautious politician time,'" he said. "Every actor involved, including Hillary Clinton and Leslie Odom Jr., thought it was a joke on a different convention."

A Clinton spokesman said in a statement to ABC News, "We agree with the mayor."

Continue reading here:
Hillary Clinton, NYC Mayor De Blasio draw criticism over ...

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Updated: Friday, April 15, 2016, 10:10 AM

Hillary Clinton came to Thursday's Democratic debate armed with the Daily News to take on rival Bernie Sanders over his positions on Wall Street and guns.

The highly contentious and spirited debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard turned into an old-fashioned donnybrook with each candidate going after the other aggressively as they jockeyed for positioning just days before the state's April 19 primary.

Time and time again, Clinton used Sanders' own words against him, repeatedly pointing to the transcript of his April 1 interview with the New York Daily News editorial board as evidence that he simply wasn't prepared to lead the country, carry out his campaign's central promises, and take on the gun lobby in the U.S.

N.Y. RIPPED OVER ELECTION RULES THAT PREVENT 3 MILLION RESIDENTS FROM VOTING IN PRIMARY

"He voted for the most important NRA priority," Clinton said, referring to Sanders' 2005 vote in Congress in support of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects gun manufactures from most lawsuits stemming from illegal use of their products.

"Then he doubled down on that in the New York Daily News interview," she continued, pointing to the transcript of the Vermont senator's sit-down with "New York's Hometown Newspaper.

When asked whether he would support the Sandy Hook parents suing to try to do something to rein in the advertising of the AR-15, which is advertised to young people as being a combat weapon, killing on the battlefield. He said they didn't deserve their day in court a reference to efforts by the families of the 2012 Newtown, Conn., shooting to sue the manufacturer of the weapon used in the massacre.

"I could not disagree more, this is the only industry in America that has this kind of special protection. We hear a lot from Senator Sanders about the greed and recklessness of Wall Street, but what about the greed and recklessness of gun manufacturers and dealers in America," she added in a response punctuated by loud cheering.

GONZALEZ: WHEN VOTING CLINTON OR SANDERS, ACTIONS MATTER, NOT WORDS

"The law that Senator Sanders voted for and that I voted against," Clinton said, pointing to her vote as a U.S. senator from New York, "is an absolute abdication of responsibility on the part of those who voted for it."

When asked by CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer whether he owed the Sandy Hook families an apology, Sanders gruffly responded in the negative.

No, I don't think I owe them an apology, he said, prompting some booing, and another Clinton retort.

"This is a unique gift given to only one industry in the world ... by the U.S. Congress," she said.

The exchange came just hours after a ruling by a Connecticut judge not to dismiss a lawsuit by families of the Newtown massacre victims.

DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD SAYS VOTE HILLARY CLINTON

Clinton, who has opened up a double-digit lead over Sanders in New York, didn't stop with guns, though. She also ripped into Sanders over his perceived inability to explain how he would break up large financial institutions deemed "too big to fail" one his most prominent campaign promises and she again cited The News in doing so.

"Look, we have disagreements on policy. There's no doubt about it. But if you go and read, which I hope all of you will before Tuesday, Senator Sanders' long interview with the New York Daily News, talk about judgment and talk about the kinds of problems he had answering questions about even his core issue, breaking up the banks. When asked, he could not explain how," Clinton railed after being asked to respond to Sanders' claim that she was unqualified to be President.

"When asked about a number of foreign policy issues, he could not answer about Afghanistan, about Israel, about counterterrorism, except to say if he'd had some paper in front of him, maybe he could. I think you need to have the judgment on day one to be both president and commander-in-chief," Clinton said, prompting more cheering.

As loud as Clinton and Sanders grew at times Thursday night, the excited and divided crowd grew louder, playing a boisterous role over the course of the amped-up event.

TRANSCRIPT: HILLARY CLINTON MEETS WITH THE DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD

Clinton's vigorous offensive Thursday, however, failed to throw Sanders off his game. He quickly shot back, taking aim at Clinton's acceptance of money from special interests, lucrative speeches to Goldman Sachs and her support for the 2003 Iraq War.

"Let us talk about the worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country," he said. "And do we really feel confident about a candidate saying that she's going to bring change in America when she is so dependent on big money interests?"

Coming just five days before New Yorks primary, Thursday's debate was likely Sanders only remaining opportunity to cut into Clintons growing lead in the Empire State and in the overall Democratic race.

The latest RealClearPolitics average of polling in New York shows Clinton leading Sanders 53%-39% in the state.

Meanwhile, the primary itself could also end up being Sanders last chance to make a substantial dent in Clintons lead in the total delegate count for the nomination.

TRANSCRIPT: BERNIE SANDERS MEETS WITH THE DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD

As it stands, Clinton has 1,758 delegates to Sanders 1,069, including superdelegates. New Yorks 291 delegates will be allocated proportionally, based on the election results, meaning Sanders would have to win Tuesdays contest by a wide margin to eat into his rivals lead.

Despite the tensions occurring throughout it, Thursdays debate represented a unique common denominator for both candidates: Brooklyn.

Sanders, who was born in Brooklyn, and Clinton, who represented New York in the U.S. Senate from 2001-2008 and resides in Chappaqua, and whose campaign headquarters are based in the borough of kings and churches, have both emphasized their years-long ties to the area.

With Alfred Ng

See the original post here:
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders clash in N.Y. debate - NY ...