Democratic race turns negative as Sanders, Clinton spar over experience

The race for the Democratic nomination has been fairly polite compared to the spouse-sparring and name-calling across the aisle, but it looks like those polite days are over.

Ahead of the New York primary (April 19), Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have begun trading jabs over who is more "qualified" to be president.

It all began when Clinton implied Sanders was not ready to be president in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" the day after the Wisconsin primary.

She pointed to a recent interview Sanders gave the New York Daily News editorial board where he appeared to stumble over some answers about breaking up big banks.

"I think he hadn't done his homework and he'd been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn't really studied or understood, and that does raise a lot of questions," Clinton said of Sanders.

She was directly asked whether Sanders is "qualified" to be president, and she hedged.

"I think that what he has been saying about the core issue in his whole campaign doesn't seem to be rooted in an understanding of either the law or a practical ways you get something done," Clinton said.

She also questioned the independent senator from Vermont's loyalty to the Democratic party.

"I think he himself doesn't consider himself to be a Democrat, and, you know, look, he's raised a lot of important issues that the Democratic Party agrees with, income inequality, first and foremost, but it's up to the Democratic primary voters to make that assessment," said Clinton. "I've been in the trenches for a long time and I believe in electing Democrats up and down the ticket.

Then, Wednesday night, in a rally in Pennsylvania (which holds its primary April 26) Sanders responded with harsh words.

"Secretary Clinton appears to be getting a little bit nervous," Sanders told a crowd of thousands at Temple University in Philadelphia. "She has been saying lately that she thinks that I am quote-unquote, not qualified to be president. Well, let me just say in response to Secretary Clinton, I don't believe that she is qualified, if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds."

To be fair, Clinton never explicitly said Sanders was "unqualified" to be president. But, still Sanders, ripped into her listing a litany of reasons he feels Clinton isn't "qualified" to be president.

"I don't think you are qualified if you get $15 million from Wall Street through your super PAC. I don't think you are qualified if you have voted for the disastrous war in Iraq. I don't think you are qualified if you have supported virtually every disastrous trade agreement which has cost us millions of decent paying jobs. I don't think you are qualified if you supported the Panama Free Trade Agreement — something I very strongly opposed, and, which as all of you know, has allowed corporations and wealthy people all over the world to avoid paying their taxes to their countries," he said.

The Sanders campaign then double downed on that message, sending out a press release that reiterated the reasons why "Clinton isn't qualified to be in the White House."

Clinton's press secretary pointed out that Clinton never said Sanders was "unqualified."

And, by the end of the night, Clinton's campaign has already begun sending out fundraising emails to capitalize on the the latest twist in the Democratic race.