The women on “The View” did their best today to run interference for Hillary Clinton against their guest Bernie Sanders.
Appearing from Anaheim, California, Sanders was peppered with loaded questions from the hosts ranging from his rationale for still running, his strategy for the convention and the kerfuffle at the recent Nevada Democratic convention.
But the one that stood out was whether the socialist senator is “harming” the Democratic Party because he continues to run in a race that is not yet won by either candidate.
Co-host Paula Faris asked him, “By staying in this race, are you doing more harm to the party than good?”
Sanders responded, “Well, let me just say this so we get the facts right.
“Right now, I’m taking on a very powerful political organization, starting 60 points behind Hillary Clinton. We have won about 46% of all pledged delegates. There are 9 contests remaining.
“If we do very, very well — and I’m the first to concede this is an up-hill fight. We do have a chance to win a majority of the pledged delegates,” Sanders said.
“And I think we have an excellent chance to win California. The political problem we’re having, among other things, 400 super delegates came on board Hillary Clinton’s campaign before anybody else was in the race, before the first ballot was cast.
“And our job in this campaign is to convince those delegates what I believe is to be the truth: that poll after poll shows Bernie Sanders is a much stronger candidate to defeat Donald Trump.”
“Do you concede that you are harming the party?” Faris asked.
“No, absolutely not,” Sanders responded.
He added, “I don’t think I’m harming the Democratic Party. I think I’m invigorating American democracy and invigorating the Democratic Party.”
In the second segment, the hosts wondered whether Sanders’ criticisms of Clinton are giving Trump “an arsenal of ammunition.”
“Believe me, I don’t think I need to give Donald Trump an arsenal about anything,” Sanders responded.
Joe Bahar bristled the most at Sanders and his answers.
In particular, she didn’t see how Sanders could criticize Clinton’s positions on issues, then endorse her if she wins the sufficient number of delegates.
“You’ve questioned her judgement,” Bahar said. “Now we all know the Iraq war was a big mistake, everybody agrees with you. But a lot of people made that mistake and you keep harping on it.
“Maybe you should just let that go already,” she said to Sanders’ astonishment.
And with that, they were done with him.
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