IN THE last Democratic debate before the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton came up with her fourth explanation for the gluttonous speaking fees and campaign contributions that the financial sector and investment firms – “Wall Street”, in liberal shorthand – have been showering on her for so long.
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“I hear some talk that people are trying to decide do they vote with their heart, do they vote with their head”, Clinton told MSNBC debate moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow of her race with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
The gloves came off on the issue of campaign finance and Mrs Clinton’s past donations from Wall Street companies as the two Democrats met for the final debate before the second presidential nominating contest in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
“There is this attack that he is putting forth, which really comes down to: Anybody who ever took donations or speaking fees has to be bought”.
“We can not be the policemen of the world”, Sanders said on the fight against the Islamic State group, adding that it must be “Muslim troops on the ground that destroy ISIS with support of a foreign coalition”.
Yet as Clinton stressed her secretary of state experience and Sanders said that factor is “not arguable”, the Vermont senator noted experience is not the only point.
“The secretary probably doesn’t know that there’s not a day that goes by when I am not asked to attack her on that issue, and I have refrained from doing that”, he said.
Just days before the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton finds herself in a new role – that of the underdog.
Clinton’s campaign also criticized Sanders’ camp for what it said were misleading ads that suggest the senator received the endorsement of two newspapers that have not backed his bid for the White House.
“I believe that America has the opportunity to once again live up to our values in the 21 century”, says Clinton in her opening statement.
The Durham debate is the first faceoff for Clinton and Sanders since former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley dropped out of the race after a poor showing in Iowa. Clinton was asked if she would make transcripts of her Goldman Sachs speeches public. “But if we’re going to get into labels, I don’t think it was particularly progressive to vote against the [landmark gun-control] Brady Bill five times”.
“When New Hampshire voters go on Tuesday to cast your vote, you are voting both for a president and a commander in chief”, she said. And then, I guess, she is not a progressive.
Clinton meanwhile called Sanders” sweeping proposals on health care and education “just not achievable, ‘ while Sanders countered that Clinton was willing to settle for less than Americans deserve.
Clinton directly accused Sanders of carting out a kind of passive-aggressive campaign against her, hinting that she is somehow corrupt because she accepted corporate money.
Sanders said he would not dismantle Obamacare but would expand it, pointing to the many other countries that provide universal healthcare.
Clinton, unwilling to cede the issue to Sanders, insisted her regulatory policies would be tougher on Wall Street than his. The thrust of Sanders entire campaign is that he is running against the political establishment and he has framed Clinton as a product of that establishment.
Clinton also defended her decision to use a private email server as secretary of state – an issue which has drawn large media attention and criticism from Republican candidates.
“You being the self-proclaimed gatekeeper for progressivism, I don’t know anyone else who fits that definition, but I know a lot of really hard-fighting progressives”, she said. “We have to look at the threats that we face right now”.
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It allowed Clinton to finally capitalize on a significant weakness of Sanders.
