JoeScar Defends Clinton: She Never Said Sanders ‘Unqualified’ To Be Prez

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton found a defender Thursday in “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, who said Clinton never explicitly said her Democratic presidential rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was “unqualified” to be President.

Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, said Clinton dodged his direct question about whether she thought Sanders was qualified for the nation’s highest office.

“I tried to get Hillary Clinton four times – three or four times – to say that Bernie Sanders was unqualified to be President of the United States,” he said. “I keep going until I get an answer or give up and after three or four attempts with Secretary Clinton, I gave up because she was not going to say the words ‘He is unqualified to be President of the United States.’”

Scarborough then asked MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle if his take away from the interview was Clinton arguing that Sanders isn’t qualified.

“No, she clearly did not say Bernie Sanders was not qualified to be President,” Barnicle agreed. “This is going to be a 12-day tension convention here in New York state between Sen. Sanders and Secretary Clinton.”

Co-host Mika Brzezinski pointed out Clinton said Sanders hadn’t “done his homework” about how to restructure the big banks.

“But she never said he was not qualified,” Scarborough responded.

Scarborough pressed Clinton three times on whether Sanders is ready to be President on Wednesday’s show. Clinton didn’t explicitly call the senator “unqualified,” but did say Sanders “hasn’t done his homework” and has been talking about “doing things that he obviously hasn’t really studied or understood.”

Clinton also questioned Sanders’ credentials as a Democrat in two Wednesday interviews, including on MSNBC. Sanders hit back over the remarks, saying “I don’t believe that she is qualified.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Maybe what Sanders isn’t qualified to do is check facts before blasting an opponent about something she never said?

  2. Avatar for sjk sjk says:

    Bad Bernie. I thought he wasnt into the personal attacks.

  3. Clinton also questioned Sanders’ credentials as a Democrat in two Wednesday interviews, including on MSNBC.

    I fail to see the controversy or reason to dispute Clinton's assertion Sanders isn't a Democrat, as in a declared member of the Democrat Party. Below is his contact information from the United States Senate official website. He's list as to party affiliation as an "I". All he has to do to clear up any confusion is request that designation be converted to a "D". Until then Clinton is on solid ground.
    
    
    
    Sanders, Bernard - (***I - VT***)	Class I
    332 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
    (202) 224-5141
    Contact: www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/
    
    http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
  4. It’s quite noteworthy that he seems not to have taken exception to something she actually did say, about how he might not actually be a Democrat.

    Given that he’s always disdained to join the Democratic Party, and that he’s been unwilling to help fundraising for the Party’s candidates this year, and that he’s now painted himself into a corner from which he can’t logically support Clinton as the Party’s candidate in November, I guess he intends to fire his cannon in all directions from now on. Pity, that.

  5. Is he gonna do a Trump and whine about how she made him do it?

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