Bernie and Hillary Twitter Debate Asks: What Makes a "Progressive"?
Candidates have a few things to say on the subject... and they're not the only ones
"You can be a moderate. You can be a progressive," says Bernie Sanders. "But you cannot be a moderate and a progressive." (Image: Twitter/@HillaryClinton/with overlay)
Bernie Sanders has a few things to say about what makes a progressive a progressive. And he would like potential voters to know more precisely what he means when the specific term is used.
What started initially as a question from a campaign reporter in New Hampshire resulted on Wednesday afternoon with a sparring match on Twitter between Sanders and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Q. Do you think @HillaryClinton is a progressive?
A. Some days, yes. Other days she announces she is a moderate.https://t.co/kIdhjzXZDs— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016
Subsequently, during a rally in Derry, New Hampshire on Wednesday morning Clinton responded to Sanders by describing his remarks as a "low blow" and defending her record of what she called "progressive" accomplishments:
.@BernieSanders says Hillary’s been a progressive “some days.” Hillary responds:https://t.co/RCWx5w8oYU
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2016
But just hours later, Sanders took to his Twitter account to highlight some of Clinton's past decisions that directly contradict stances he would place in the "progressive" category.
You can be a moderate. You can be a progressive. But you cannot be a moderate and a progressive.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016
Specifically, he continued:
Most progressives that I know don't raise millions of dollars from Wall Street.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016
Most progressives I know are firm from day 1 in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. They didn't have to think about it a whole lot.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016
Most progressives that I know were opposed to the Keystone pipeline from day one. Honestly, it wasn’t that complicated.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016
Most progressives I know were against the war in Iraq. One of the worst foreign policy blunders in the history of the United States.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 3, 2016
Though Sanders subsequently posted another tweet blasting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that is on the verge of being signed by Asian and Pacific rim nations in New Zealand on Thursday, the Clinton campaign rebutted his litany of tweets questioning her progressive bona fides by arguing that defining the word "progressive" is less important than one's ability to get things done. In four-parts, her campaign tweeted:
1) This shouldn't be a debate about who gets to define "progressive"—it should be about who will get real results for American families.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2016
2) Now, if you do want to make it about who's a "real progressive," @BernieSanders, what were you on these days? pic.twitter.com/8Q6hANYPhh
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2016
3) An important part of being a progressive is making progress. From health care to fighting inequality, Hillary's record speaks for itself.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2016
4) Hillary's not running to make a point—she's running to make a difference. She'll keep doing that. Please feel free to keep tweeting.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2016
The contrasts were also made as the Clinton camp tweeted a list of "Some days" of her career they were really proud of, which only allowed the Sanders campaign to fire back with a retort under the banner "Some other days":
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Meanwhile, it was impossible that Twitter users at large would allow the candidates and their campaign staffers have all the fun.
And the proof of that? The hashtag #HillarySoProgressive was definitely feeling the bern: