The Democratic Debate in 3 Minutes
Did we just witness the final Democratic presidential debate of the 2016 cycle? There’s only one way to find out: wait.
In any case, the ninth episode is in the can, and here is what happened:
- Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders came loaded for bear. Within a minute Clinton was firing on Sanders over his perceived failure in a Daily News interview this month to describe how to break up big banks. Sanders hit back at Clinton for taking money from banks.
- Neither candidate sustained a serious loss of poise, although Clinton’s evasions and prevarications in a couple places – on releasing transcripts of her Goldman Sachs speeches, on having supported a $15 federal minimum wage and on supporting raising caps on taxable social security income – seemed to leave her exposed.
- Clinton tagged Sanders for a spotty legislative record on gun control. “This is a serious difference between us,” she said.
- Sanders mocked Clinton for saying she would release her speech transcripts as soon as everyone else did. “I am going to release all of the transcripts of speeches on Wall Street I gave behind closed doors,” he said. “Not for $200,000, not for $200, not for two cents. There were no speeches!”
- Clinton challenged Sanders to point out one instance in which her behavior as a senator had been guided by banking interests and said he could not.
- Sanders accused Clinton of not being an honest broker on Israel and Palestine. “In the long run, if we are ever going to bring peace … we are going to have to treat the Palestinian people with respect and dignity,” he said.
- Clinton partially defended the 1994 crime bill but admitted the systemic bias it had propagated. “I want white people to recognize that there is systemic racism. It’s in employment, it’s in housing, but it’s in the criminal justice system also,” she said.
- Clinton smiled broadly, early on, at the crackle on the debate stage and clap-happy energy in the crowd. “I love being in Brooklyn,” she said. “This is great.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010
