Sanders and Clinton emerged out of Monday’s Iowa caucuses in a virtual tie, as Clinton narrowly defeated Sanders by.
Advertisement
“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.
Hillary Clinton announced during Thursday’s debate with Bernie Sanders that she will be visiting Flint this Sunday to speak with the Mayor personally about the water crisis the city is facing. “I plead guilty”, she’s said before.
“What I want people to know is I went to Wall Street before the crash”, she said.
“Let’s ask why it is that we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, and your medicine can be doubled tomorrow, and there’s nothing the government can do to stop it”, Sanders said.
Sanders and Clinton sparred over campaign contributions, super PAC support and Clinton’s paid speeches. On that terrain, Clinton starts from behind, as Vice President Joe Biden has said, and seems to be constantly playing catch-up.
Clinton admitted she should have been more forthcoming about “explaining [her] record” to voters with regards to Wall Street. “A progressive is someone who makes progress; that’s what I intend to do”, she said, saying Sanders’ proposals for “Medicare for All” and free college tuition were “just not achievable”.
“Wall Street is an entity of unbelievable economic and political power; that’s a fact”, Sanders said.
And that they’re against putting American troops on the ground in Iraq or Syria.
Their duel in New Hampshire came three days after Clinton clinched the narrowest victory in Iowa caucus history against Sanders, and five days before the next round of voting in the tortuous USA presidential race. The tone of their back-and-forth has become increasingly sharp, and the candidates agreed to add four more debates to the primary season schedule, including Thursday’s faceoff in Durham.
Mrs Clinton reported that her campaign raised $15m (£10.3m) in January – $5m (£3.4m) less than Mr Sanders and the first time she has failed to raise more than her opponent.
Clinton and Sanders are battling now in New Hampshire, which holds a February 9 primary.
Clinton was in a stronger position eight years later to dispel the judgment critique than she was in her first White House bid. Looking to put the brakes on Sanders’ upstart campaign, she derided him for acting as the “self-proclaimed gatekeeper” of who qualifies as a progressive.
Despite the tensions over policies, the debate ended on a warm note, when Mrs Clinton said the first person she would call would be Mr Sanders, if she won the nomination. “A vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS”. “We have to look at the threats that we face right now”. And it led to questions about a topic that may not cast Clinton in the best light, particularly with liberal Democratic primary voters: speaking fees from Wall Street firms. She said a leader had to “be ready on Day One”. “I happen to respect the secretary very much”, he said. Sanders again renewed his call for Gov. Rick Snyder to resign due to the state’s slow response to the situation.
Their debate showdown, scheduled at the last minute, is the first without Democratic challenger Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who dropped out after a disastrous showing in Iowa.
Advertisement
On the Republican side, Trump is firmly ahead in New Hampshire, with the telegenic Rubio moving into second place ahead of Iowa victor Ted Cruz, according to the latest University of Massachusetts/Lowell poll.
