In many ways, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D., Ver.) could not be more different than Hillary Clinton in politics, style, and authenticity. That may be a big problem according to Mark Halperin.
Haperin said on Thursday that Sanders’s cause to run is to tackle all of the issues Clinton has yet to take positions on.
"The foundation is a huge problem. There are more stories about that today—one in Politico about the chaos at the foundation. But I think the Iraq war one which bedeviled her last time is a big problem," Halperin said.
"Then you go to the issues he raised where she has not taken positions. On the pipeline and on trade, I think Sanders—you mentioned this before—his authenticity and his willingness to take clear stances will cause her to be on 1000 very typical Hillary Clinton conference calls to say, what do we do about Bernie Sanders? That is not where she wants to be."
Sanders already jabbed at Clinton’s refusal to offer up policy positions, now he is expected to go after Clinton’s big money ties. Sanders called the Clinton Foundation’s controversial donations "a very serious problem." The self-proclaimed socialist is also sure to hit Clinton for her close ties to Wall Street.
Halperin is not the only political commentator to notice Sanders as a potential nuisance for the Clinton campaign. To many, he can be the left-wing challenger that Elizabeth Warren refused to be. Clinton has already ticked to the left since her rollout in anticipation being outflanked.
Consensus is growing that Sanders’ focus on the issues, rather than the fluffy rhetoric most politicians engage in, can force Clinton to take on issues she has avoided thus far.