Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says though many of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders's ideas sound good in theory, "In theory isn't enough. A president has to deal in reality."
While speaking to a crowd of roughly 600 people at Simpson College in Indianola on Thursday, Clinton said she wants to build on President Obama’s work with the Affordable Care Act to get more Americans healthcare coverage. In contrast, Clinton says Sanders' approach would create gridlock since he wants, "...to start over from scratch with a whole new system."
Sanders voted for the ACA, but says he wants to create a universal, single-payer system.
Clinton also referenced her four years as Secretary of State while taking aim at her chief rival on foreign policy.
“It can sound like he hasn’t really thought it through," says Clinton. "For example, he suggested we invite Iranian troops into Syria. That is like asking the arsonist to be the firefighter. As bad as things are in Syria, and they are, more Iranian troops are only going to make it worse."
Clinton says she supports a “no-fly zone” over rebel-controlled northern Syria, something Sanders and President Obama oppose. She says this would keep refugees safe from ISIS and the Al-Assad regime.
Many Iowa Democrats are still deciding who they'll caucus for, and some came to Simpson to get a better feel for Clinton.
"To be honest I came in on the fence, cause I 'feel the Bern.' Today's speech was good. I guess I'm pretty much convinced that I'll probably caucus for Hillary," says Beverly Krejsa, a lab technician from Warren County. "I wish there was a spot for Bernie helping Hillary. And maybe Bernie's theories have enabled her to step a little more to the left in what she talks about."
The latest pollfrom the Des Moines Register this month has Clinton and Sanders just a few percentage points apart among likely caucus-goers. The Iowa Caucuses are February 1st.
