Following the lead of ABC’s Good Morning America, the Tuesday edition of the CBS Evening News offered a full report on the growing support among Democratic presidential primary voters for socialist and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who was described by anchor Scott Pelley as “coming up fast” in Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s “rear-view mirror.”
Correspondent Julianna Goldman began by touting the crowd for a Sanders rally Monday night in Portland, Maine as “another full house” where “he made his populist pitch to 7, 500 supporters.”
Goldman continued the favorable coverage for Sanders as she described part of his campaign as “a promise to fight income inequality and take on Wall Street” that’s caught on with some voters as “[o]ne recent Iowa poll showed Sanders doubling his support since May.”
After a quick softball question to Sanders if he was “surprised to see these numbers,” Goldman explained that his support has “come without the money or the organization of the Clinton machine” as he “raised $15 million from 250,000 people” during “the last fundraising quarter.”
While she hailed his work thus far as “a strong grassroots showing,” she quickly reminded viewers that his money totals are “pennies compare[d] to Clinton's $45 million plus more than $23 million raised by super PACs backing her.” In another direct question to Sanders, Goldman wanted to know: “Do you believe that you can viably go up against the Clinton juggernaut?”
When pressed to explain why, Sanders answered: “The American people are saying enough is enough, we’ve got to stand together to take on the big money interests. When that starts galvanizing, nothing is going to stop us.”
Following a soundbite from Clinton speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday, Goldman closed by relaying from the Clinton campaign that her “press conference today is part of a new strategy to make her more accessible to the national media and to voters” and that “advisers say they always expected a primary challenger, but they don’t see Bernie Sanders as a real threat.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley on July 7 can be found below.
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
July 7, 2015
6:39 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Challenge from the Left]
SCOTT PELLEY: It's now 30 weeks until the Iowa caucuses where the first votes will be cast on the way to the presidential nominations. Democrat Hillary Clinton is driving through Iowa this week, but another candidate is coming up fast in her rear-view mirror. Here's Julianna Goldman.
JULIANNA GOLDMAN: It was another full house for Senator Bernie Sanders.
INDEPENDENT SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (Vt.): In case you didn't notice, this is a big turnout.
GOLDMAN: Last night in Portland, Maine, he made his populist pitch to 7,500 supporters.
(....)
GOLDMAN: With a promise to fight income inequality and take on Wall Street, the Vermont Senator is closing in on Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton. One recent Iowa poll showed Sanders doubling his support since May. [TO SANDERS] Are you surprised to see these numbers?
SANDERS: Frankly, I am. I think the campaign is moving faster. I mean, I thought we would catch on, but we're catching on far than I would have thought.
GOLDMAN: It’s come without the money or the organization of the Clinton machine. In the last fundraising quarter, Sanders raised $15 million from 250,000 people, a strong grassroots showing, but pennies compare to Clinton's $45 million plus more than $23 million raised by superpacs backing her. [TO SANDERS] Do you believe that you can viably go up against the Clinton juggernaut?
SANDERS: I do.
GOLDMAN [TO SANDERS]: Why?
SANDERS: The American people are saying enough is enough, we’ve got to stand together to take on the big money interests. When that starts galvanizing, nothing is going to stop us.
(....)
GOLDMAN: Clinton's press conference today is part of a new strategy to make her more accessible to the national media and to voters. Scott, Clinton's advisers say they always expected a primary challenger, but they don’t see Bernie Sanders as a real threat.
