Biden defends his ‘vision’ against Warren’s indirect attacks

Bristling at Elizabeth Warren’s suggestions that he’s a milquetoast moderate with small ideas, presidential candidate Joe Biden countered Saturday that he offers a “bold” vision for country and warned that Democratic primary voters should t get distracted by party’s increasingly tense battle over ideological labels.

It was a departure from Biden’s usual campaign speech and signaled perhaps a new phase of Democrats’ search for a minee to take on President Donald Trump, with Warren, leing progressive candidate, and Biden, top choice for most moderates and establishment liberals, ratcheting up intensity three months ahe of Iowa caucuses.

“ vision I have for this country, re’s thing small about it. It is like going to moon,” Biden told supporters in Des Moines, as he hit high points of a policy slate that would increase federal government’s spending and scope on everything from health care to climate crisis.

Without naming Warren, former vice president said his ideas — such as a “public option” to compete alongside private health insurance, as opposed to Warren’s “Medicare-for-All” plan run altoger by government — actually set progressive standard in 2020 for a simple reason: y’re more achievable.

“I’m t promising anything crazy,” Biden said. “But it’s a vision — a vision of how we can get things done.”

With reporters afterward, Biden zeroed in on Warren’s estimated $20 trillion price tag for first dece of single-payer insurance. “Getting that plan through, even in a Democratic Congress,” Biden predicted, “would be difficult.”

Biden’s latest volleys came barely 12 hours after Warren used Iowa Democrats’ annual fundraising gala to draw sharp distinctions in Democratic field, though she, like Biden, avoided naming opponents.

“Anyone who comes on this st and tells you to dream small and give up early is t going to le our party to victory,” Massachusetts senator told thousands of voters sporting t-shirts and waving signs as ir preferred candidates took turns on center st at a downtown Des Moines arena Friday night.

Even if “some people in our party don’t want to mit it,” Warren argued, nation is in “a time of crisis” t just because of Trump’s divisiveness but more so because of an ecomic and political system rigged against working class. “If most we can promise is ‘business as usual’ after Donald Trump,” Warren said, “n Democrats will lose.”

senator doubled-down Saturday, insisting in Vinson, Iowa, that sweeping plans are good politics and perhaps necessary to upend Trump. “We need big ideas to inspire people, to get m to turn out for caucuses, to turn out and vote,” Warren said.

At least, Biden’s reaction suggests frustration over Warren’s apparent momentum, even as he and his aides maintain that his philosophical approach will be successful among both Democratic primary voters and general electorate.

Biden’s proposals, to be clear, put him to left of recent Democratic minees, including Hillary Clinton in 2016. But on most points, he falls short of proposals on left flank that Warren and her fellow progressive, Sen. Bernie Sanders, have set.

Rar than obliterate private insurance, Biden touts a government plan to compete alongside private firms. Rar than government covering all four-year college tuition, Biden pushes two years a taxpayer-paid tuition. On climate, he backs most long-term goals of left’s “Green New Deal,” but on a longer timeline and with an initially less aggressive crackdown on fossil fuel industry.

“It’s me to look like ‘Well, Biden is coming off with some moderate proposal,’” Biden said Saturday. “re’s thing moderate about making sure everyone has health care. re’s thing moderate about getting to net-zero emissions. re’s thing moderate about fundamentally changing school system in America so we can effectively complete in 20th century.”

difference in his proposals, Biden argued: “I tell you straight up how we’re going to pay for it and how much it’s going to cost and how it’s going to get done.”

dynamics Biden faces were crystallized as young climate activists interrupted him and chided him for t doing eugh to take on oil and gas industry. “Let her speak,” candidate said as his supporters tried to drown out one of activists.

Yet as small group chanted, sang and ultimately departed, Biden grew more frustrated.

“If you’ll tice, y left before I answered her question,” he said. “This is what is going on that’s wrong with our party right w. Everything is taken in contexts that are t accurate.”

As his voice calmed, he sought again to widen his appeal.

“ way we win is we unify, we come toger as Democrats,” he said. “We all have basically same hopes and dreams. question is, practically, how we get re. But it’s t a lack of vision.”

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Associated Press reporter Will Weissert contributed to this report from Vinson, Iowa.

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Follow Bill Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP.