Sanders, Biden attack rivals in LV speeches

The two top candidates vying for delegates in Nevada’s Democratic caucuses criticized their opponents at a kickoff dinner in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for some of his policies. And former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Sanders over his vote on gun manufacturers’ legal liability.

Sanders and Biden finished at the top of The Nevada Poll™, conducted by the Review-journal and AARP Nevada.

Sanders said first he had “absolute confidence” that the party would coalesce around the eventual nominee. But he quickly made it clear he doesn’t believe that candidate is Bloomberg.

“Regardless of how much money a multibillionare candidate is willing to spend on his election, we will not create the energy or excitement we need to defeat Donald Trump if that candidate pursued, advocated for and enacted racist policies like stop and frisk, which caused communities of color in his city to live in fear,” Sanders said.

When Biden took the stage, he lamented the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting and the “carnage” in the streets caused by gun violence.

“And guess what? Gun manufacturers are the only industry in America that’s exempt from being able to be sued. The only one!” Biden said. “And they were given that exemption in 2005. And some of the people running for office voted for that exemption.”

He also slammed Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren over health care.

“We have to defend Obamacare, not get rid of Obamacare,” Biden said. “Trump is trying to destroy it, trying to get rid of it in court. And some of our Democrats running want to get rid of it. I’m not going to let that happen.”