Hours after engaging in their most contentious debate to date, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders reconvened on Monday in a less charged setting to honor the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Speaking in succession at a Martin Luther King Day event in Columbia, S.C., the two leading Democratic presidential candidates made no mention of each other as they heralded the work of the civil rights icon. But beneath the warm words, it was clear that the campaign must go on as Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders both sought to cloak themselves in Mr. King’s legacy in different ways.
For Mrs. Clinton, the pressing issues of the day were criminal justice and gun violence, which she pointed out is disproportionately harming black Americans.
“This isn’t just a public safety issue, it’s a civil rights issue,” Mrs. Clinton said of the need to restrict access to guns.
The former secretary of state drew cheers when she praised civil rights leaders of the past and the removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s capitol last year. As she did during Sunday night’s debate, she also embraced President Obama, echoing his language about being part of the “Joshua generation.”
“Dr. King died, but his work is unfinished,” Mrs. Clinton said. “It is up to us to see it though.”
Mr. Sanders, who spoke after Mrs. Clinton, agreed with that sentiment but suggested that he was best suited to act upon Mr. King’s intentions.
“What would he say?” Mr. Sanders said, asking how Mr. King would have addressed issues like the lack of health insurance and affordable education for many in the United States. The senator added that Mr. King should not be viewed as a museum piece or a figure from the past, but as an inspiration for the future.
“All of us have got to stand together and fight for dignity for all,” Mr. Sanders said.
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/18/bernie-sanders-and-hillary-clinton-leave-sparring-behind-at-a-king-day-event/
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