On the campus of Baldwin Wallace University Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders campaigned for votes Thursday. In 2008, Ohio was the state that gave Hillary Clinton’s campaign against Barack Obama new life, ground that eight years later Sanders is not conceding.
“Look what we’ve done in the last nine months is gone from three percent in the polls to a situation where in the last ten days three national polls actually have us leading,” Sanders said adding that the message that’s resonating across the country is doing so also in Ohio.
Sanders also pointed out recent polls that show him beating Donald Trump in a head to head matchup. Sanders said Trump is the candidate who gives him the clearest path to the White House if he was the Democratic nominee.
“I think his views and his personal demeanor are not what the American people want. You can't go around insulting everybody. You know I have differences with Secretary Clinton, you're not going to hear me ripping her apart, telling you that she's the worst person in the world,” Sanders said.
“I know that the media responds to what Trump does, they love that, those kinds of vicious attacks, I don't think that's what the American people want."
Sanders hit on many of the key positons that resonate with young voters, few more than the issue of free college tuition. We asked Sanders how he’d pay for it and what he’d say to the college students cheering him at his rally who will be graduates by the time he’d be able to implement his plan and carry tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
“This is how we do it. You know when Wall Street's creed and illegal behavior nearly destroyed our economy and Ohio was particularly hard hit, Congress against my vote bailed them out. Now in my view we need a tax on Wall Street speculation which I think is good public policy, brings in a lot of revenue.
“That will pay to make public colleges and universities tuition free plus to answer your second question, substantially lower student debt. What our legislation does is say that people with student debt can refinance their loans and get the lowest possible interest rates they can find,” he said adding there would be no plan to somehow forgive the debt.
Sanders stop in Ohio comes just days out from the South Carolina primary which Hillary Clinton is favored to win. As for what states he feels he can point to and circle for him going forward?
“Here, Ohio is one. I think we'll do well in Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vermont last I heard we were about 75-80 percent in the polls I think we'll do well there. I think we'll do well in Maine, I think we're going to do well in Oklahoma, I was in Oklahoma yesterday we had a wonderful turnout and other states.
“I think the momentum is with us and you know you never can predict, you look at the election results and say wow we never expected this but I think we have the energy and I think we're going to surprise a lot of people on Super Tuesday and in other elections in March," he said.
