No more Martin O’Malley to get in the way. The Union Leader joined Democrats from across New Hampshire and MSNBC in urging the candidates to meet one more time.
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In her second presidential campaign, Clinton clearly doesn’t want to win through a war of attrition.
Sanders also, though, defended his attack on Clinton because she, at a recent event, described herself as a “moderate”. Sanders attacked her as being part of a political “establishment” in the pocket of big Wall Street donors.
“I don’t think these kind of attacks by insinuation are worthy of you”, she said.
“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. “That’s what they offered”, Clinton said.
“I don’t think it was particularly progressive to vote against the Brady bill five times”, Clinton said, referring to past votes by Sanders on gun control.
Clinton 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.
The two battled over who best represented progressive ideals.
The surprisingly strong performance by Sanders in Iowa is likely to prolong a race that Clinton entered as the presumptive front-runner. The pattern repeated itself: He’d propose a liberal policy and be cheered.
“If there’s something you want to say, say it”, she demanded. For all the talk of the Republican field being out of step with Independent voters or being unable to cross over and capture members of the other party, I say the Democrats should spend sometime looking in the mirror.
Clinton and Sanders remain divided on the death penalty: Clinton supports it; Sanders does not.
She is hoping to pick up a few points in New Hampshire, and slow Sanders’ momentum nationally.
But she’s still grappling with why she gets so much money, personally in speaking fees, and politically in campaign contributions to her and to political action committees campaigning on her behalf. “Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment”, she said.
“Bernie is basically saying the same as the Republicans, repeal and replace of Obamacare”, she said. His style is to hit back by arguing his points vigorously and citing differences, so he would not send verbal darts Clinton’s way.
She accused rival Bernie Sanders of a “very artful smear” with his criticism of her ties to Wall Street and of using innuendo about her acceptance of high-dollar speaking fees.
“Instead of arguing about definitions, let’s talk about what we should do (as president)”, Sanders said. “We have a corrupt campaign finance system that separates the American people’s needs and desires from what Congress is doing”, he said.
That she is now discussing the process by which information is deemed classified, and relying on references to former Secretaries Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice illustrates her unwillingness or inability to accept responsibility for making a bad decision.
“Cherry-picking a quote here and there doesn’t change my record”, Clinton said. But just like then-Illinois Sen.
Sanders held the former secretary of state to a whisper-thin margin of victory in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, and polls show he has a big lead in New Hampshire.
Sanders has swiped at Clinton’s vote to authorize the war in Iraq and said she was late to oppose the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada and the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade deal with a dozen Pacific Rim nations that critics say could lead to the loss of U.S.jobs.
It allowed Clinton to finally capitalize on a significant weakness of Sanders.
Sanders, meanwhile, will pull his punches – especially on subjects where he’s tepid. She contends that foreign policy experts have raised concerns about several comments Sanders has made, including asking Saudi Arabia and Iran to work together. It never comes up at his town hall meetings, and it’s not at the top of his supporters’ priorities.
With the MSNBC and the Democratic Party’s logos on a red background, the stage was set for a redder than red debate.
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Addressing her own readiness to be president, Clinton said: “I’ve been vetted”.
