Someone let me know when one of these talking heads in our corporate media is going to ask when the Republicans have gone too far to the right?
Here's CNN's John King asking his panel on this Sunday's Inside Politics if Donald Trump "had a point" or not when he railed about Sanders being a so-called Socialist/Communist, and opining that he may have moved the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton too far to the left.
KING: And, you know, Hillary Clinton got rave reviews for the debate. Bernie Sanders also turned in a very strong performance, for a guy who's focused most of his time in Iowa and New Hampshire. The rest of the country got to see him.
Now, one of the questions about it is, you know, even listen to Donald Trump here kind of biased I guess when it comes to the Democratic race. But one of the questions among Republicans is yes, internally the Democratic family -- they have a strong debate. But is Bernie Sanders pulling not just himself but Hillary Clinton and the whole party too far to the left?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The poor woman, she's got to give everything away because this maniac that was standing on her right is giving everything away so she's following. That's what's happening. This socialist/communist, ok -- nobody wants to say it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Nobody would say it, quite in fact. But is there a point? Marco Rubio put it this way. He said the party is now at least as far left as Michael Dukakis --
NIA MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes.
KING: -- who lost 40 states and maybe further. Is there a point? President Obama is to the left but he won at a unique moment also and you had dissatisfaction with the Iraq war and the Democrats were going to win that race.
The Republicans have a point. Does Mr. Trump have a point?
HENDERSON: In some ways, yes. I mean certainly Bernie Sanders has pulled Clinton to the left on certain issues -- TPP for one, on foreign policy not so much. She's still pretty hawkish there. I think another point has emerged out of this debate and that is if they are all sort of treating Hillary Clinton with kid gloves -- right. And she's not going to be tough enough if she's able to get through this.
Nobody on that debate stage really wanted to after her. You saw Bernie Sanders, of course there, do her a solid saying we're sick -- you know, America's sick of your e-mails. So yes, I mean this is an issue for her. Not only is she being pulled too far to the left.
I do think she's walking a fine line there on certain issues like the Keystone. She's with the party there. I don't think in a general election people are going to know necessarily what Keystone is. But on other issues I think --
KING: I think the Republicans will try to make people understand what Keystone is if they get to that point.
HENDERSON: Yes.
KING: But to that point she did have a strong debate performance and part of the commentary though is did she have a strong debate performance because it's a relatively weak field. Is that part of her strength and would a Biden have made it different? Would it feel like 2008 that made it a different debate?
Expect the marginalizing to get worse and not better if Sanders continues to do well in the polls and eventually the primaries.
