Sanders says presidential rival Bloomberg won't excite voters
Democratic US presidential prospect Bernie Sanders said on Saturday (Feb 15) Mike Bloomberg wouldn't normally generate the "excitement and energy" needed to win the White House, focusing on a rival still not fully participating in the race.
"The simple truth is that Mayor Bloomberg, with all his money, will not create the sort of excitement and energy we must have the voter turnout we should have to defeat Donald Trump,"Sanders said at a Democratic party gala.Sanders, wanting to build momentum after winning New Hampshire and a photo-finish for first place in Iowa, mentioned only the billionaire former NEW YORK mayor among his competition in a NEVADA speech.
He was critical of Bloomberg's stances on minimum wage laws, policing, taxing the rich and regulating Wall Street. Nevada will hang on Feb 22 the next contest in the state-by-state race to pick a Democratic opponent for Republican President Trump in November's election.
Bloomberg had not been at the function in Las Vegas and isn't competing in Nevada. He's choosing instead to give attention to states that vote starting on March 3's "Super Tuesday," including Virginia, where Bloomberg campaigned on Saturday. His campaign did not immediately react to a obtain comment beyond normal working hours.
Sanders' remarks appeared dismissive of other prospects who did speak at the forum. They included former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who raced Sanders to a picture finish in the Iowa caucus and trailed him only narrowly in New Hampshire earlier this month.
Former US Vice President Joe Biden criticized Sanders, though not by name, in his own speech for Sanders' prior support of a law shielding gun manufacturers from some liability for mass shootings. Early in the day, Biden taped an interview with NBC's Meet up with the Press where he said Sanders should "disown" some supporters for aggressive attacks on the senator's critics.
A lot of the other prospects avoided confrontations despite just a week until Nevada's caucus."The bad news is, after more than 100,000 selfies, I found somebody's cold," prospect Elizabeth Warren told the crowd, her voice cracking and barely audible.
"The good news is, 'nevertheless she persists.' I'm on this stage tonight because I am a fighter."Early voting started in Nevada on Saturday, with 11,800 Democrats participating. One party official characterized turnout as higher than expected.
