Bernie Sanders was avuncular and amusing while Hillary Clinton praised Barack Obama and noted: ‘Campaign in poetry, govern in prose’

With six days to go until the Iowa caucuses kick off the presidential primaries in earnest, a few takeaways from tonight’s Democratic forum in Des Moines, which featured presidential candidates Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and Hillary Clinton:



Humor counts: As usual, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders was avuncular and amusing, the “gruff uncle” stereotype that he’s been labeled with since he first came on the national political scene as a long-shot socialist candidate six months ago. But whether he was joking about how he was “too fat” to keep his coat buttoned up or going after moderator Chris Cuomo for cutting into his speaking time, Sanders’s humor showcased the authenticity that has attracted so many fans to his campaign. Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton have never been cut-ups, exactly, and their unease with jokes makes it harder for them to come across as three-dimensional humans. Point: Sanders.

As usual, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders was avuncular and amusing, the “gruff uncle” stereotype that he’s been labeled with since he first came on the national political scene as a long-shot socialist candidate six months ago. But whether he was joking about how he was “too fat” to keep his coat buttoned up or going after moderator Chris Cuomo for cutting into his speaking time, Sanders’s humor showcased the authenticity that has attracted so many fans to his campaign. Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton have never been cut-ups, exactly, and their unease with jokes makes it harder for them to come across as three-dimensional humans. Barack Obama counts too: He may still be a divisive figure nationally, but within the Democratic party, the president is still widely respected as a would-be consensus builder – and the three candidates’ approach to his legacy is indicative of that respect within the party base. On the heels of the president’s podcast interview with Politico’s Glenn Thrush – in which he called her “wicked smart” – Clinton highlighted that relationship. “We ran a really hard race against each other,” Clinton said, “and then I had the opportunity when he asked me to serve as his secretary of state ... and it turned into a real friendship. He knows how hard the job is, he knows it first-hand.” Highlighting that relationship may go a fair way in convincing voters that if Obama can trust her, they can, too. Point: Clinton.

He may still be a divisive figure nationally, but within the Democratic party, the president is still widely respected as a would-be consensus builder – and the three candidates’ approach to his legacy is indicative of that respect within the party base. On the heels of the president’s podcast interview with Politico’s Glenn Thrush – in which he called her “wicked smart” – Clinton highlighted that relationship. “We ran a really hard race against each other,” Clinton said, “and then I had the opportunity when he asked me to serve as his secretary of state ... and it turned into a real friendship. He knows how hard the job is, he knows it first-hand.” Highlighting that relationship may go a fair way in convincing voters that if Obama can trust her, they can, too. “Campaign in poetry, govern in prose”: The former secretary of state waxed philosophical about the difference between running a campaign and running a country - a not-so-subtle criticism of Sanders, whose appeal she sees as built more on a foundation of idealism than pragmatism. Pie-in-the-sky advertisements with Simon & Garfunkel tunes in the background are nice, Clinton seems to be saying, but as she told Cuomo: “There is no time in human history where everything is going well.” Counterpoint: She tried the same line of attack against Barack Obama, and she ended up working for him. Point: Sanders.

The former secretary of state waxed philosophical about the difference between running a campaign and running a country - a not-so-subtle criticism of Sanders, whose appeal she sees as built more on a foundation of idealism than pragmatism. Pie-in-the-sky advertisements with Simon & Garfunkel tunes in the background are nice, Clinton seems to be saying, but as she told Cuomo: “There is no time in human history where everything is going well.” Counterpoint: She tried the same line of attack against Barack Obama, and she ended up working for him. Personal narrative can be effective: How many Americans are familiar with the story of Bernie Sanders’s father? Eli Sanders was born in Słopnice, Poland, to a Jewish family and emigrated to the United States in 1921. Most of his family was killed in the Holocaust. When Sanders, whose chief emotion on public display is crankiness, discussed how his parents would have felt had they known he would become a US senator and presidential candidate, it showed a personal side to the candidate that few realized was there. “It’s certainly something that I don’t think they’d ever believe would’ve happened,” Sanders said, his eyes clouding over. This may have been his version of Clinton’s famous campaign stop tears. Point: Sanders.