Democratic senator: Sanders campaign promises a 'vision'
Washington (CNN)Jeff Merkley, who on Wednesday became the first U.S. senator to endorse Bernie Sanders, promptly downplayed expectations for the Democratic contender's campaign promises.
"They are a campaign vision," Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, told CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead." "You can call them a promise to fight for the direction we need to go."
Merkley was responding to a longstanding criticism from Democrats and others that Sanders' proposals -- including free tuition at public universities and universal health care coverage -- are too "pie in the sky."
The New York Daily News blasted Sanders on its front page declaring him a "fantasist."
But Merkley argued that even presenting the goals he espouses makes them more likely to happen.
"By laying out that vision, the likelihood of taking steps in that direction become much more significant," he told Tapper.
Earlier Wednesday, Merkley called the Vermont independent's vision "very bold and powerful."
"Bernie Sanders is the individual who has put forward a very bold and powerful vision on the biggest issues facing America and the biggest issues in the world," Merkley told CNN Wednesday.
More senators might have endorsed Sanders had they believed earlier in the race that he would have been a competitive candidate, Merkley suggested.
"I think most senators took their positions very early on, at a time that I don't think very many people anticipated that Bernie Sanders was going to become a significant player in the presidential primary," Merkley said. "Perhaps if we were to turn the clock back, there'd be a lot more company."
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/13/politics/bernie-sanders-jeff-merkley-endorsement/index.html
