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| On King Holiday, 2020 Democrats March Arm in Arm to Honor His Legacy | On King Holiday, 2020 Democrats March Arm in Arm to Honor His Legacy |
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| COLUMBIA, S.C. — Several Democratic presidential candidates briefly put aside their recent sparring on Monday and marched arm in arm through the streets of South Carolina’s capital to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom they later invoked in speeches about America’s past and future that were rich with election-year overtones. | COLUMBIA, S.C. — Several Democratic presidential candidates briefly put aside their recent sparring on Monday and marched arm in arm through the streets of South Carolina’s capital to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom they later invoked in speeches about America’s past and future that were rich with election-year overtones. |
| As the six-block march began from the Zion Baptist Church to the State House, where a Confederate flag once flew over the dome, Senator Bernie Sanders looped an arm through Senator Elizabeth Warren’s elbow, as the two joined other candidates in singing “We Shall Overcome” for part of the trip. Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Senator Amy Klobuchar each locked elbows with former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as well. | As the six-block march began from the Zion Baptist Church to the State House, where a Confederate flag once flew over the dome, Senator Bernie Sanders looped an arm through Senator Elizabeth Warren’s elbow, as the two joined other candidates in singing “We Shall Overcome” for part of the trip. Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Senator Amy Klobuchar each locked elbows with former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as well. |
| The sight of Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren shoulder to shoulder — after a week in which they argued over their recollections of a private conversation about whether a woman could win the presidency — delighted Lisa Ray Clarkson, a retired teacher from Norfolk, Va., who was at the march. | The sight of Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren shoulder to shoulder — after a week in which they argued over their recollections of a private conversation about whether a woman could win the presidency — delighted Lisa Ray Clarkson, a retired teacher from Norfolk, Va., who was at the march. |
| “That means they have gotten over their differences and the Democratic Party is reuniting,” Ms. Clarkson said as she walked alongside the procession to the State House, where several thousand people converged. | “That means they have gotten over their differences and the Democratic Party is reuniting,” Ms. Clarkson said as she walked alongside the procession to the State House, where several thousand people converged. |
| It was a hopeful sentiment for a Democratic field that has become noticeably more fractious in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 caucuses in Iowa, where Mr. Biden, Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., are bunched tightly in polls and campaigned on Monday afternoon. | It was a hopeful sentiment for a Democratic field that has become noticeably more fractious in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 caucuses in Iowa, where Mr. Biden, Ms. Warren, Mr. Sanders and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., are bunched tightly in polls and campaigned on Monday afternoon. |
| In addition to the Warren-Sanders argument, Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders have been criticizing each other’s records, with Mr. Sanders trying to cut into Mr. Biden’s support among older voters and black voters by portraying the former vice president as open to cuts in Social Security. Mr. Biden has denied that and demanded an apology from Mr. Sanders, who has stood firm. | In addition to the Warren-Sanders argument, Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders have been criticizing each other’s records, with Mr. Sanders trying to cut into Mr. Biden’s support among older voters and black voters by portraying the former vice president as open to cuts in Social Security. Mr. Biden has denied that and demanded an apology from Mr. Sanders, who has stood firm. |
| And tensions flared on Monday after the Sanders campaign circulated an op-ed written by Zephyr Teachout, an associate professor at Fordham Law School and a former New York political candidate, that accused Mr. Biden of having a “big corruption problem.” Ron Klain, a top Biden adviser, responded on Twitter: “There are a lot of legitimate issues to debate in 2020. But the only two campaigns ever to call @Joebiden “corrupt” are Trump and Sanders. What does that tell you?” | And tensions flared on Monday after the Sanders campaign circulated an op-ed written by Zephyr Teachout, an associate professor at Fordham Law School and a former New York political candidate, that accused Mr. Biden of having a “big corruption problem.” Ron Klain, a top Biden adviser, responded on Twitter: “There are a lot of legitimate issues to debate in 2020. But the only two campaigns ever to call @Joebiden “corrupt” are Trump and Sanders. What does that tell you?” |
| The four leading candidates in the polls are competing hard in South Carolina, particularly for support from black voters, who will make up a majority of the Democratic primary vote in the state on Feb. 29. Mr. Biden has a strong lead in South Carolina polls and is widely favored among black voters. None of his rivals took him on frontally on Monday, but instead sought to make the case to African-Americans and others in South Carolina about how the next president could benefit their interests. | The four leading candidates in the polls are competing hard in South Carolina, particularly for support from black voters, who will make up a majority of the Democratic primary vote in the state on Feb. 29. Mr. Biden has a strong lead in South Carolina polls and is widely favored among black voters. None of his rivals took him on frontally on Monday, but instead sought to make the case to African-Americans and others in South Carolina about how the next president could benefit their interests. |
| Mr. Sanders, addressing the enthusiastic crowd on a cold day at the State House, reminded onlookers of Dr. King’s legacy of courage and opposition to the Vietnam War, which the 78-year-old Vermont senator also denounced. While Mr. Sanders has been trying to draw a contrast with Mr. Biden on their records on military action, he focused more on Monday on President Trump. | Mr. Sanders, addressing the enthusiastic crowd on a cold day at the State House, reminded onlookers of Dr. King’s legacy of courage and opposition to the Vietnam War, which the 78-year-old Vermont senator also denounced. While Mr. Sanders has been trying to draw a contrast with Mr. Biden on their records on military action, he focused more on Monday on President Trump. |
| “If we do not allow Trump and his friends to divide us up by the color of our skin, or where we were born, or our sexual orientation or religion, if we stand together there is nothing we cannot accomplish in the fight for racial justice, social justice,” Mr. Sanders said. | “If we do not allow Trump and his friends to divide us up by the color of our skin, or where we were born, or our sexual orientation or religion, if we stand together there is nothing we cannot accomplish in the fight for racial justice, social justice,” Mr. Sanders said. |
| Ms. Warren, of Massachusetts, told the gathering that the nation was ready “to write the next chapter of our history.” | Ms. Warren, of Massachusetts, told the gathering that the nation was ready “to write the next chapter of our history.” |
| “The next chapter — that will be an America where health care is a basic human right, that will be an America where safe and affordable housing is available and no one sleeps on the street, that will be an America where people trying to get an education will not be crushed by student loan debt,” she said. | “The next chapter — that will be an America where health care is a basic human right, that will be an America where safe and affordable housing is available and no one sleeps on the street, that will be an America where people trying to get an education will not be crushed by student loan debt,” she said. |
| Ms. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, invoked Dr. King’s comment that Americans are “all tied in a single garment of destiny — what affects one directly affects all indirectly,” and said that rising hatred across the nation would ultimately wound everyone. | Ms. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, invoked Dr. King’s comment that Americans are “all tied in a single garment of destiny — what affects one directly affects all indirectly,” and said that rising hatred across the nation would ultimately wound everyone. |
| “It coarsens our civic life. You can see it in the senseless racist shooting of worshipers in Charleston, you can see it in that rabbi’s home and stabbing, you see it in that bombing of the mosque in Minnesota, you see it at the riot in Charlottesville,” she said. | “It coarsens our civic life. You can see it in the senseless racist shooting of worshipers in Charleston, you can see it in that rabbi’s home and stabbing, you see it in that bombing of the mosque in Minnesota, you see it at the riot in Charlottesville,” she said. |
| Addressing Mr. Trump directly over his comment in 2017 that “both sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville that killed Heather Heyer, who was protesting a white supremacist rally there, Ms. Klobuchar said: “And no, there are not many sides to blame, Mr. President, when one side is the Ku Klux Klan. There is only one side, and that is the American side. That is it. That is all.” | |
| Before the march and State House speeches, several candidates told a breakfast gathering of predominantly black voters that they were committed to advancing Dr. King’s legacy and that defeating Mr. Trump in November was a crucial step toward that goal. | Before the march and State House speeches, several candidates told a breakfast gathering of predominantly black voters that they were committed to advancing Dr. King’s legacy and that defeating Mr. Trump in November was a crucial step toward that goal. |
| “My campaign revolves around the image of the first day that the sun comes up over South Carolina and our country and Donald Trump is no longer the president of the United States,” Mr. Buttigieg said at the Columbia Urban League’s annual King breakfast. “I raise the image of that sunrise because it will bring forth the burning question Dr. King posed in the summer of 1967: Where do we go from here?” | “My campaign revolves around the image of the first day that the sun comes up over South Carolina and our country and Donald Trump is no longer the president of the United States,” Mr. Buttigieg said at the Columbia Urban League’s annual King breakfast. “I raise the image of that sunrise because it will bring forth the burning question Dr. King posed in the summer of 1967: Where do we go from here?” |
| “Because on that day our country will be even more polarized and torn up than it is now,” said Mr. Buttigieg, who is one of the top-polling candidates in Iowa but is struggling in South Carolina and among black voters. He urged action to combat disparate treatment by race in the health care system and to address environmental pollution disproportionately affecting African-Americans, who make up a majority of the Democratic primary electorate in the state. | “Because on that day our country will be even more polarized and torn up than it is now,” said Mr. Buttigieg, who is one of the top-polling candidates in Iowa but is struggling in South Carolina and among black voters. He urged action to combat disparate treatment by race in the health care system and to address environmental pollution disproportionately affecting African-Americans, who make up a majority of the Democratic primary electorate in the state. |
| Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, the only black candidate still in the Democratic field, took a different tack, telling the breakfast audience, “If we are really going to deliver a future for our children and grandchildren consistent with the values of equality, opportunity and fair play, to which Dr. King and the Urban League served as examples, then we’re going to have to start rejecting false choices.” | Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, the only black candidate still in the Democratic field, took a different tack, telling the breakfast audience, “If we are really going to deliver a future for our children and grandchildren consistent with the values of equality, opportunity and fair play, to which Dr. King and the Urban League served as examples, then we’re going to have to start rejecting false choices.” |
| “Prosperity and justice can live alongside each other,” he said. “The notion that you have to hate business to be a social justice warrior or hate police to believe black lives matter are ridiculous.” | “Prosperity and justice can live alongside each other,” he said. “The notion that you have to hate business to be a social justice warrior or hate police to believe black lives matter are ridiculous.” |
| Mr. Biden said that Mr. Trump’s conduct and record in office — including his remarks that gave a boost to white supremacists after the Charlottesville rally — had led to an “inflection point in the civil rights movement.” | Mr. Biden said that Mr. Trump’s conduct and record in office — including his remarks that gave a boost to white supremacists after the Charlottesville rally — had led to an “inflection point in the civil rights movement.” |
| “We have a president who embraces white supremacists, who rips families away at the border,” Mr. Biden said. “We have to work together twice as hard to get out of the situation we find ourselves in.” | “We have a president who embraces white supremacists, who rips families away at the border,” Mr. Biden said. “We have to work together twice as hard to get out of the situation we find ourselves in.” |
| “God willing, we can turn four years of Donald Trump into an historical aberration,” he added. | “God willing, we can turn four years of Donald Trump into an historical aberration,” he added. |
| After the South Carolina events, most of the candidates flew quickly to Iowa to attend the 2020 Iowa Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum on Monday afternoon. | After the South Carolina events, most of the candidates flew quickly to Iowa to attend the 2020 Iowa Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum on Monday afternoon. |
| Mr. Buttigieg was pressed there about his mayoral record in South Bend, specifically regarding his decision to fire a black police chief and his handling of racial divisions within the department. At times, the questioning even seemed contentious, as Mr. Buttigieg refused to go into detail about specific personnel decisions. | Mr. Buttigieg was pressed there about his mayoral record in South Bend, specifically regarding his decision to fire a black police chief and his handling of racial divisions within the department. At times, the questioning even seemed contentious, as Mr. Buttigieg refused to go into detail about specific personnel decisions. |
| Mr. Buttigieg acknowledged fault on one point: the decrease in the number of black police officers during his tenure. | Mr. Buttigieg acknowledged fault on one point: the decrease in the number of black police officers during his tenure. |
| “This is an area where I’ve admitted it’s not where I wanted to be,” he said. | “This is an area where I’ve admitted it’s not where I wanted to be,” he said. |
| Mr. Sanders faced a question about the president’s wall on the southern border, and whether it would be a powerful statement if the existing barrier were taken down. “I don’t know, maybe the answer is yes,” he said, adding that if it cost “billions of dollars to tear it down, maybe the money would be better spent on child care in this country.” | Mr. Sanders faced a question about the president’s wall on the southern border, and whether it would be a powerful statement if the existing barrier were taken down. “I don’t know, maybe the answer is yes,” he said, adding that if it cost “billions of dollars to tear it down, maybe the money would be better spent on child care in this country.” |
| Mr. Sanders also spoke about his immigration plans, which include a moratorium on deportations, and said there could be exceptions to the moratorium if an undocumented immigrant were convicted of a “terrible, terrible” crime. | Mr. Sanders also spoke about his immigration plans, which include a moratorium on deportations, and said there could be exceptions to the moratorium if an undocumented immigrant were convicted of a “terrible, terrible” crime. |
| But he noted that his immigration stance could leave him open to attack in a general election. | But he noted that his immigration stance could leave him open to attack in a general election. |
| “This is an issue, of course, something Trump will jump all over,” he said. | “This is an issue, of course, something Trump will jump all over,” he said. |
| Reporting was contributed by Jonathan Martin from Columbia, S.C., Lisa Lerer from Washington, and Katie Glueck, Jennifer Medina and Astead W. Herndon from Des Moines. | Reporting was contributed by Jonathan Martin from Columbia, S.C., Lisa Lerer from Washington, and Katie Glueck, Jennifer Medina and Astead W. Herndon from Des Moines. |