CNN's Inside Politics panel agreed Sunday that Hillary Clinton's attempts to hit rival Bernie Sanders from the left on abortion this week largely fell flat.
After GOP frontrunner Donald Trump remarked there ought to be "some form of punishment" for women who have illicit abortions, Clinton pounced, calling it "outrageous." Sanders also ripped Trump but called the media frenzy over the remarks a distraction from more serious issues.
Clinton attempted to land a punch on Sanders for that comment, reading out Sanders' remarks at a rally Thursday, saying she felt abortion was a serious issue and suggesting Sanders didn't take it seriously. However, Sanders, who has frequently out-flanked Clinton with his far-left views, has boasted about his 100-percent pro-choice record as a legislator.
He charged his comments were taken out of context by Clinton. One reporter said it was reminiscent of Clinton's failed attempt to label Sanders a sexist last fall.
"I don't think this is one that works," Daily Beast reporter Jackie Kucinich said. "When she was calling Bernie Sanders sexist, those haven't landed the way that I think that the Clinton campaign had hoped."
"But it's math, right? She's trying to say to Democrats, he hasn't been a Democrat," host John King said. "There she's trying to say to women, he's not as loyal to you as I am or he doesn't think it's a big enough deal?"
"She's chipping away at the edges, but the problem with all of these arguments with Bernie is that it's really hard to out-progressive Bernie," the Washington Post's Abby Phillip said. "I think Democrats really give him the benefit of the doubt on a lot of this stuff, and this isn't actually the first time that she's tried this.
"Back in Iowa and New Hampshire, there was a big push by pro-choice groups to say Bernie Sanders hasn't done enough, and that just didn't work. It didn't really go anywhere, and part of the reason is because Bernie Sanders gets a lot of credibility for just being consistent, not necessarily for being a party loyalist. I think that's the challenge that Hillary Clinton and her campaign need to exploit. Has he really been consistent?"
CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny added it was indicative of Clinton's "deficiencies" that she was still trying to get young female voters flocking to Sanders.