Tensions are high as Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton vie for liberal support as the race progresses toward New York’s April 19 primary.
On Friday, Sanders demanded an apology from Clinton after her campaign accused the millennial favorite of lying and misinterpreting the presidential candidate’s relations with oil and gas companies, going against her promise to combat climate change.
“The truth is that Secretary Clinton has relied heavily on funds from lobbyists working for the oil, gas and coal industry, according to an analysis done by Greenpeace,” said the senator in front of a crowd of about 2,200 people in Sheboygan South High School.
The incident began when an activist asked Clinton if and when she would stop accepting donations from the fossil fuel industry, citing Sanders’ argument that the presidential hopeful’s campaign and Super PAC received “more than $4.5 million from the fossil fuel industry” and acquired contributions from “57 oil, gas, and coal industry lobbyists,” as revealed in Greenpeace’s analysis.
“The simple truth is that this campaign has not taken a dollar from oil and gas industry PACs or corporations,” Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, said in a statement.
The truth is, $307,561 of Clinton’s $157.8 million in contributions derives from individuals who work in the oil and gas industries, while the Sanders campaign “has raised more than $50,000 from individuals who work in the oil and gas industries,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“We have received over 6 million individual campaign contributions averaging $27 apiece. I’m proud of the way we are raising money,” said Sanders in his speech.
It’s time Clinton take responsibility for her actions and embrace the flip-flopper she truly is. Although she has made strides to strengthen her stance on preventing climate change, the numbers don’t lie.
Clinton has received far more donations from the oil and fossil fuel industry than Sanders and judging by the numbers, she isn’t going to stop accepting these contributions any time soon. Instead of playing the blame game, Clinton should try telling the truth for once and own up to her shortcomings like a mature adult.
Featured image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons 2.0 license.
