Biden praises Sanders on income inequality, calls Clinton 'relatively new' to the fight
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By
Kevin Liptak, CNN White House Producer
Updated 4:19 PM ET, Tue January 12, 2016 | Video Source:
CNN
Full interview part 1: Biden weighs in on 2016 election 09:27
"Hillary's focus has been other things up to now, and that's been Bernie's -- no one questions Bernie's authenticity on those issues," he said.
Clinton and Sanders are locked in tight races in both
Iowaand New Hampshire, which hold the nation's first nominating contests in less than a month's time. That's a distant cry from the start of the race, which saw Clinton an overwhelming favorite among Democrats.
Related: Biden says Obama offered financial help amid son's illness
The tightening in polls prompted Sanders, a Vermont senator who identifies as a Democratic Socialist, to jab at Clinton's campaign as being in "serious trouble" during a campaign stop in Iowa Monday.
Full interview part 2: Biden on the loss of his son 07:07
Biden expressed little shock that Sanders was drawing ample support among Democrats, claiming that Sanders' self-identification as a socialist mattered little to his party's voters.
"If Bernie Sanders never said he was a democratic socialist, based on what he's saying people wouldn't be calling him a democratic socialist," he said, claiming Clinton entered the race with an "awful high bar for her to meet."
"I never thought she was a prohibitive favorite," he said. "I don't think she ever thought she was a prohibitive favorite. So I think it's, you know, everything's sort of coming down to Earth."
Balance:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/politics/joe-biden-bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-income-inequality