Tensions fray in both parties ahead of New York primary

[webfact]

Tensions fray in both parties ahead of New York primary
LISA LERER, Associated Press
KATHLEEN RONAYNE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Tensions frayed in both the Democratic and Republican presidential races on Monday, as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump tried to stave off the prospect of a lengthy battle for the nomination with big victories in New York.

While Clinton escalated her attacks against rival Bernie Sanders, Republican front-runner Donald Trump complained about a "rigged" nomination process, prompting a fierce defense from party leaders. Both candidates are pushing for big wins in next week's New York primary, hoping to create a sense of inevitably around their candidacies with sizable delegate gains.

Campaigning in southern California, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz described Trump's attacks on the Republican nomination process as "whining."

"Donald has been yelling and screaming. A lot of whining. I'm sure some cursing. And some late-night fevered tweeting," Cruz told hundreds of supporters gathered in Irvine, California.

He noted Trump's complaints follow his struggles in recent primary contests in Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Colorado.

Trump has seized upon his delegate woes in recent days as evidence that "the fix" was in. He angrily denounced the allocation of all of Colorado's delegates to Cruz as "dirty and disgusting" during a Monday night rally in Albany, New York.

Trump said a similar game was playing out on the Democratic side, where "Bernie Sanders wins and wins and wins" but yet "can't win the race."

"The system is rigged, folks," said Trump, who spoke to more than 10,000 people in an Albany arena during a rally that was interrupted several times by protesters.

Trump's accusations come as he seeks to outmaneuver Cruz in local state gatherings where the delegates who will attend the summer convention are being chosen. In state after state, Cruz's campaign has implemented a more strategic approach to picking up delegates, which, despite Trump's current lead, are essential if he wants to reach the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination.

Cruz is pinning his hopes on a contested convention with no candidate having enough delegates to win on the first ballot. On subsequent ballots, many of the pledged delegates will become free to vote for any candidate.

Trump's complaints call into question the integrity of the voting process at a time when the party could be working to unify behind its front-runner. In an interview with conservative radio host Mike Gallagher, Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, pushed back against Trump's claims, saying that the convention system used in Colorado is "not an affront to the people of Colorado. It just is what the rule is."

"I don't know why a majority is such a difficult concept for some people to accept," he said.

On the Democratic side, the April 19 primary in New York has become a make-or-break moment for both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns.

Clinton hopes to capture what her team says would be an all-but-insurmountable lead by the end of the month in primaries in New York and other Eastern states.

Sanders believes he can turn a string of primary wins into a victory in delegate-rich New York. But he faces the daunting challenge of needing to win 68 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates, party officials who can vote for any candidate, if he hopes to clinch the Democratic nomination. That would require blow-out victories in upcoming states, big and small, including New York.

Campaigning across southern New York on Monday, Clinton targeted Sanders' record on guns, immigration, Wall Street reform and foreign policy.

"I have noticed that under the bright spotlight and scrutiny here in New York, Sen. Sanders has had trouble answering questions," she told reporters after a campaign event at an Indian restaurant in the New York City borough of Queens.

Sanders hit back at a rally in the city of Binghamton in upstate New York, rallying supporters by slamming Clinton for promoting fracking as secretary of state and only offering conditional opposition to the practice. The oil and gas drilling method, reviled by environmentalists, has been banned in New York.

The harsher tone comes just days before the two Democrats will meet on stage for the first Democratic primary debate in more than a month. Since their last faceoff, the contest has taken a decidedly negative turn, with the two candidates trading a series of barbs over their qualifications for the White House.
___

Peoples reported from Irvine, California. Kathleen Ronayne in Binghamton, New York, Jonathan Lemire in Albany, New York, Jill Colvin in Rochester, New York, and Vivian Salama in Washington contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-04-12

[dunroaming]

Given that is seems to be that the democrats will vote for Clinton not out of any enthusiasm for her but simply because there is no real alternative apart from Bernie who won't muster enough support. This may well mean a very poor turnout by the democratic voters when it comes to the actual election. So will the republicans manage to claw back some respectability by persuading more of their voters to turn out to vote or will it be a case of apathy deciding the day?

When Obama first ran I won a nice amount of money on the result. Again for his second term although I couldn't get good odds then. I haven't bothered this time as the odds are very poor for Clinton and quite honestly there would be little satisfaction in the result.

[thai3]

The American system must be the most prolonged and boring in the world, how long have they been at it now already?

[dutchisaan]

The American system must be the most prolonged and boring in the world, how long have they been at it now already?

You say this election is boring?

Well, that means you don't have a sence of humor.

This time it's even better than Saturday Night Life.

[Mudcrab]

Anything is better than Saturday Night Live

[mrwebb8825]

Things will be getting even more interesting this Summer when the FBI calls Clinton in for questioning. Hope they include her being named in the Panama Papers.

[grumpyoldman]

Things will be getting even more interesting this Summer when the FBI calls Clinton in for questioning. Hope they include her being named in the Panama Papers.

Are you still on about the email? No indictment o.k., nothing there!! Panama papers, now you are just rumor mongering.

Right-whingers with their last gasp grasping of straws.

Say hello to HRC Admin 1, probably will be 2 and then it will have been 16 years since the GOP has had another chance to ruin the nation.

[mrwebb8825]

Things will be getting even more interesting this Summer when the FBI calls Clinton in for questioning. Hope they include her being named in the Panama Papers.

Are you still on about the email? No indictment o.k., nothing there!! Panama papers, now you are just rumor mongering.

Right-whingers with their last gasp grasping of straws.

Say hello to HRC Admin 1, probably will be 2 and then it will have been 16 years since the GOP has had another chance to ruin the nation.

Really?

http://www.inquisitr.com/2910559/hillary-clintons-email-gate-problem-is-not-going-away-fbi-chief-is-certain-that-she-broke-the-law/

[Jingthing]

The American system must be the most prolonged and boring in the world, how long have they been at it now already?

The republican contest is the least boring in the history of most Americans alive today.

The democratic contest is kind of boring though.

On the other hand having the two front runners, one being a woman and the other a socialist Jew does make it novel and historic.

As far as the general, well if it's Clinton vs. Trump it will definitely not be boring.

If it's Clinton vs. Cruz it will be SUPER NASTY. That's not boring either.

If it's Clinton vs. Kasish, it will be close race and that's never boring.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Jingthing

[grumpyoldman]

Things will be getting even more interesting this Summer when the FBI calls Clinton in for questioning. Hope they include her being named in the Panama Papers.

Are you still on about the email? No indictment o.k., nothing there!! Panama papers, now you are just rumor mongering.

Right-whingers with their last gasp grasping of straws.

Say hello to HRC Admin 1, probably will be 2 and then it will have been 16 years since the GOP has had another chance to ruin the nation.

Really?

http://www.inquisitr.com/2910559/hillary-clintons-email-gate-problem-is-not-going-away-fbi-chief-is-certain-that-she-broke-the-law/

Doers that "really" come out as a whiny term that gets extensively overused by people that can't come up with anything better to say?

What a horrible expression that has become.

Note in your article, that the FBI can only recommend, they can't do dick, and a whole lot of people smarter than you and I have already cleared this matter.

Straws jack, you're grasping at straws.

[Chicog]

Things will be getting even more interesting this Summer when the FBI calls Clinton in for questioning. Hope they include her being named in the Panama Papers.

Are you still on about the email? No indictment o.k., nothing there!! Panama papers, now you are just rumor mongering.

Right-whingers with their last gasp grasping of straws.

Say hello to HRC Admin 1, probably will be 2 and then it will have been 16 years since the GOP has had another chance to ruin the nation.

Really?

http://www.inquisitr.com/2910559/hillary-clintons-email-gate-problem-is-not-going-away-fbi-chief-is-certain-that-she-broke-the-law/

There is nothing in that link other than a ludicrous interpretation of a New York Post story that has no supporting evidence.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Chicog

[Jingthing]

So boring.

If you don't know THE CIRCUS it's highly recommended.
They will do this until it's OVER.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Jingthing

[up2u2]

You have to question the ability of the media to get the story straight. Bernie's comments in respect of Hillary being 'qualified' to run for the Presidency were backed up with points made concerning her votes for Bills before Congress. Rather than animosity or 'getting nasty' it is a fair question. It seems with the media everything has to be 'click bait' rather than anything of substance and accuracy. Bernie should add Media reform and regulation to his Presidential campaign.

[Jingthing]

You have to question the ability of the media to get the story straight. Bernie's comments in respect of Hillary being 'qualified' to run for the Presidency were backed up with points made concerning her votes for Bills before Congress. Rather than animosity or 'getting nasty' it is a fair question. It seems with the media everything has to be 'click bait' rather than anything of substance and accuracy. Bernie should add Media reform and regulation to his Presidential campaign.

I don't agree with you.

Bernie's "she's not qualified" mantra was total garbage.

She's one of the most qualified candidates to run for president in American history.

He knows that too and he later retracted the idiotic implication of his statement.

If he wanted to question her on ISSUES and her VOTING RECORD, that was totally legit.

But the way he did with that obvious play for media SOUND BITE over the "not qualified" garbage was cheap and nasty.

I think if he ever had a chance to beat Hillary, which was always slight, that ENDED it.

Also you are WRONG, the media covered it with the full statement.

It was actually worse for him to show the full statement. Sounded even more IDIOTIC and WRONG.

I know idealists like Bernie, but he muddies his brand of being honest and NOT SLEAZY with stunts like that.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Jingthing

[DDbkh]

I think if Trump doesn't get the nomination or if he does and fails to win the election, the section of society that has followed him will feel even more disenfranchised than they do now. Particularly if he continues to claim that the system is rigged against him. Given the connections with right-wing extremism that Trump seems to have attracted this can only mean that there will be a great deal of unrest in America.

The world is under threat from the Putin inspired migration crises, and I fear that an outwardly divided America will give the enemies of freedom a lot of room to create havoc.

[Chicog]

I'm really GLAD that you PUT those capitalisations in the SENTENCES to make it MORE readable.