I call it her Lucille Ball moment when, in last night's CNN Town Hall, in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton, is asked why she took a $675K speaking fee from Goldman Sachs. She could have easily called it out as a sexist question or accusation, instead, she froze and reacted with a nervous, giggly, non-answer.
If she was a confident, well poised, and 'electable' candidate, she would have turned around and said: it's about time women charged big fees from Wall Street institutions. She could go on to say she hopes all women charge their worth. In this way connecting with so many of us who feel underpaid. She could have talked about the lessons she has learned about financial independence as a woman, and how she hopes younger women do the same. In that way, she would have turned that question into a great opportunity to underline the fact that she is indeed the 'women's' candidate. Instead of ceasing this moment, this question that she must have known would be raised, she shrugged, grimaced, flashed a smile, giggled a little, and said, "that's how much they offered."
Bernie Sanders keeps getting better with every debate and interview. He reminds me of one those great professors I had at Boston University, like Howard Zinn, who knew their material so well, they exuded it. Bernie Sanders was having a teach-in. Unlike his opponent, he was so comfortable he seemed to be enlightening his students- not begging for votes.
Against the backdrop of constant accusations of not being experienced enough Sanders came off as a real professional politician. More importantly, he came off as that rarity: a politician with years of Beltway experience who oozes integrity. If anyone is the heir to Obama it is him. If anyone is going to bring the democrats to the urns it is him.
Oh, and the way his wife loves him. That is a subtle unspoken difference between the two democratic party candidates. Americans believe in married love, it is one of the reasons for the success of marriage equality in so short a time. When Sander's was asked what one word his wife would use to define him, he did the most natural and genuine thing, he asked her to answer. Letting us know with one un-prepped gesture his trust in her. Without a moment's hesitance, blushing like a woman in love, she said: integrity.
All those skeptics who hold that Bernie Sanders is too idealist or rigid to be able to handle opposition he will meet when he is president should watch the way he handled both Wolfe Blitzer during his interview yesterday and Anderson Cooper at the town hall meeting last night.
By the end of the Town Hall, Bernie completely disarmed Cooper and literally ran the meeting in a way that gave us a glimpse of his competence as a statesman and his ability to push issues, stay on course, and lead.
In the divisive atmosphere of this electoral landscape, Bernie Sanders has the moral high ground, the necessary gravitas, for bringing together opposing factions to work towards common goals in this late hour for saving our democracy and our planet.