Hours Before NYC Debate, Bernie Strikes More Conciliatory Note With Clinton

Speaking Thursday at Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference in Manhattan, Bernie Sanders laid out a passionate case for his campaign, but the language he used to describe his rival was a far cry from when deemed her “unqualified.”

“She’s an extremely intelligent woman with a wonderful résumé, a whole lot of experience,” Sanders said, according to the New York Daily News, hours before the two Democratic candidates will debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. “I’ve known her — we’ve been friends for 25 years. You know, in a campaign things get heated up, but I have a lot of respect for her.”

Despite the more conciliatory tone, Sanders still described Clinton as a “very good candidate” for “establishment politics and an establishment economy.”

He also spoke out against Republican-backed voter ID laws, which have been successful in stifling minority voters. “We have a level of Republican voter suppression that is absolutely outrageous,” he said. He also made the dubious move of comparing the laws to the “Jim Crow days.” (Read Mediaite’s Alex Griswold‘s take on it here.)

Sharpton praised Sanders as the candidate “who has changed the conversation in this election.” The News wrote:

At the end, Sanders got a standing ovations and the crowd chanted, “Bernie! Bernie!” several times.

[h/t NY Daily News. Video courtesy of Reuters]

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