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Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders, left, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speak simultaneously as they discuss issues during the Democratic presidential candidates debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham
Photo- Reuters
Fireworks flying on Thursday night in the first one-on-one debate
between Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and her formidable
opponent as the former accused the veteran senator from Vermont of
subjecting her to an “artful smear” while Sanders suggested the former
secretary of state was a captive of America’s political establishment.
The two Democrats embraced a markedly more contentious tone than when
they last debated before the year’s presidential voting began in Iowa,
and it signalled how the race for the nomination has tightened five days
ahead of the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire next Tuesday.
Both candidates had a lot to lose, and it showed. Clinton’s team was
stunned by Sanders’ near-victory in Iowa – their polls had predicted a
much easier win than her fractional, disputed victory; And Sanders, up
by as many as 30 points in recent polls in his near home state, found
himself, for the first time, on the wrong end of the expectations game
against an aggressive challenger.
Here are few explosive moments of the debate:
‘A very artful smear’
In one of her most energetic salvos of the campaign, Clinton ripped
Sanders for “attacks” and “insinuation” suggesting that anyone who takes
campaign contributions has been “bought.” “If you’ve got something to
say, say it directly, but you will not find that I ever changed a view
or a vote because of any donation I ever received, and I have stood up
and I have represented my constituents to the best of my ability,” she
said, calling on Sanders to “end a very artful smear that you and your
campaign have been carrying out.” An incredulous Sanders, shaking his
head attempted to respond, but Clinton continued talking over him.
‘Not the biggest deal’
Asked about the razor-close Iowa caucus Monday, Sanders shrugged off
the narrow lead for Clinton. “You have 22 delegates. I have 20
delegates,” he said. “We need 2,500 delegates to win the nomination, so
this is not the biggest deal in the world.” He said he agrees with a Des
Moines Register editorial calling for a review of the caucus process
and a full audit of Monday’s results. But he said it wouldn’t do more
than show minor shifts. Clinton, too, shrugged off the results, though
she raced to declare victory Monday when the results were still unclear.
“Whatever they decide to do that’s fine,” she said.
The business model of Wall Street
After Clinton decried Sanders’ focus on “one street” - meaning Wall
Street - Sanders delivered one of his most direct assaults on the
financial industry. “In my view, the business model of Wall Street is
fraud,” he said. “I believe that corruption is rampant and the fact that
major bank after major bank has reached multi-billion dollar
settlements with the Untied States government when we have a weak
regulatory system tells me that not only did we have to bail them out
once, if we don’t start breaking them up, we’re going to have to bail
them out again.”
Progressives and progress
When MSNBC moderator Rachel Maddow recited a litany of Clinton’s
positions that don’t necessarily align with the Democratic Party base,
Clinton was ready with a quip that epitomizes her case against Sanders.
“A progressive is someone who makes progress,” she said. Clinton said
Sanders’ definition of “progressive” would exclude President Barack
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, New Hampshire Sen. Jean Shaheen and the
late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone. She also argued that Sanders’ votes
against the gun control bill undermines his own credentials. “In your
definition as you being the self-proclaimed gatekeeper of progressivism,
I don’t know anyone who fits that definition.”
War in Iraq
When Sanders reiterated his well-worn criticism of Clinton for her
decision to authorise the 2003 war in Iraq, Clinton was ready with a
rebuttal. “A vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS (an acronym of
Dae’sh). We have to look at the threats that we face right now,” she
said.
