Clinton, Sanders Camps Duke It Out Over New York Debate Scheduling

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, left, and, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., argue a point during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the University of Michigan-Flint, Sunday, March 6, 2016, in ... Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, left, and, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., argue a point during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the University of Michigan-Flint, Sunday, March 6, 2016, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) MORE LESS
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Hillary Clinton’s campaign accused the campaign of her opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), of playing “political games” by failing to hammer down a date for a debate ahead of New York’s April 19 primary.

“The Sanders campaign needs to stop using the New York primary as a playground for political games and negative attacks against Hillary Clinton,” Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement on Saturday. “The voters of New York deserve better.”

Clinton’s camp claims to have offered three possible dates for the New York debate—April 4, April 14, and April 15—and been rebuffed each time.

Sanders’ spokesman Michael Briggs fired back in a statement of his own on Saturday afternoon, charging that the suggested venues and dates “don’t make a whole lot of sense.”

“The idea that they want a debate in New York on a night of the NCAA finals—with Syracuse in the tournament no less—is ludicrous,” Briggs wrote. “We have proposed other dates which they have rejected.”

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is scheduled for April 4, but NBC reported that the Clinton team claimed to have offered a time that would ensure the debate ended before the game started that evening.

Sanders, a Brooklyn native, first challenged Clinton to debate in his home state last week. Clinton, who served as a senator for the Empire State and is polling ahead of Sanders there, agreed on Tuesday.

Both camps say they are committed to reaching an agreement on a face-off in New York.

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Notable Replies

  1. We have now officially reached the “testy, testy, testy” stage of the Democratic primary.

    Which is still preferable, if less entertaining, than the Insane Clown Posse show on the other side.

  2. Sanders is beginning to sound petty like another outside candidate on the right of the political spectrum.

  3. Avatar for dswx dswx says:

    So the Bernie camp hyperventilates about 4/4 being the evening of the NCAA final but does not give any excuse for the 14th or 15th? Bernie’s camp sounds more desperate each day as they know the delegate math does not work out for them. And that they do not do well in primary states versus caucus states.

  4. This is yet another glaring example of her sneakiness and duplicity!!! How dare she attempt to upstage a basketball game!!! Shame on you Hillary!!!

  5. Well, April 15th is Tax Day, and since Bernie cannot release his actual tax forms, he certainly can’t debate that night.

    And April 14th is the day that Lincoln was assassinated. And France invaded Austria under Napoleon. Or the Anglo Persian Oil Company was formed at that day. Take you pick, one of them is obviously a conflict.

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