US Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bernie Sanders tangled repeatedly in Sunday night’s presidential debate over who is tougher on gun control and Wall Street and how to steer the future of healthcare in the US.
It was the last Democratic matchup before primary voting begins next month and both sides were eager to rumble as polls showed the race tightening in the leadoff states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Clinton rapped Sanders, the Vermont senator, for voting repeatedly with the powerful gun lobby, and then welcomed his weekend reversal of position to support legislation that would deny gun manufacturers legal immunity.
Photo: AFP
Sanders, in turn, said Clinton’s assertion that he kowtowed to the gun lobby was “very disingenuous” and pointed to his lifetime rating of a “D-” from the National Rifle Association.
On healthcare, Sanders released his plan for a government-run single-payer plan just hours before the debate, and used his opening statement to call for healthcare “for every man, woman and child as a right.”
Clinton, by contrast, urged less sweeping action to build on US President Barack Obama’s healthcare plan by reducing out-of-pocket costs and controlling spending on prescription drugs.
She suggested Sanders’ healthcare plan would impose a heavier tax burden on the middle class.
The two tangled over financial policy, too, with Sanders suggesting Clinton will not be tough enough on Wall Street given the big contributions and speaking fees she has accepted. Clinton, in turn, faulted Sanders’ past votes to deregulate financial markets and ease up on federal oversight.
Clinton worked aggressively to associate herself with Obama, claiming credit for her role in the run-up to the Iran nuclear deal, as well as praising the healthcare law.
Turning to national security, both Sanders and Clinton voiced strong support for Obama’s diplomatic overtures to Iran and opposition to sending US ground troops into Syria. Clinton defended her outreach to Russia early in her term as secretary of state, but hesitated when asked to describe her relationship with Vladimir Putin, whose return to the Russian presidency heralded the worsening of US-Russian relations.
“My relationship with him — it’s interesting,” Clinton said to laughs in the debate hall. “It’s one, I think, of respect.”
However, she added it was critical to constantly stand up to Putin, describing him as a bully who “will take as much as he possibly can.”
Clinton also shed some light on what role her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, would play in her administration. Kitchen table adviser, perhaps?
“It’ll start at the kitchen table — we’ll see where it goes from there,” she said with a laugh.
Sanders was asked about his previous criticism of Bill Clinton’s past sexual behavior. He called the former president’s behavior “deplorable,” but said he wants to focus on issues, “not Bill Clinton’s personal life.”
Hillary Clinton maintained a tight smile throughout that exchange, and nodded as Sanders said the focus should be on issues.
The debate over gun control — an ongoing area of conflict between Hillary Clinton and Sanders — took on special import given the setting: The debate took plan just blocks from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where nine parishioners were killed during Bible study last summer.
Gun control has emerged as a central theme in the race, with Clinton citing the issue as one of the major differences between the candidates.
The third participant in the debate, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, persistently tried to insert himself into the conversation. He focused on his record as Maryland’s governor and accused both Hillary Clinton and Sanders of being inconsistent on gun control.
Both Clinton and Sanders are competing for black voters in South Carolina, which hosts the fourth primary contest.
The debate was sponsored by NBC, YouTube and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute.
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