JANUARY 18, 2016
Photo: AP
As it’s just two weeks until the all-important Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton is feeling the heat from a rise in the polls from Bernie Sanders, and last night’s 4th Democratic debate, held in Charleston, SC and telecast on NBC, was all about Sanders. Earlier in the day, the Vermont senator flipped his position for granting legal immunity to gun manufacturers and, just before the debate, issued his new health-care plan, which he is calling “Medicare For All.”
In response, Clinton turned up the volume in last night’s debate which, in her case, is not always the best idea, as at times she seemed to be shouting, recalling some of her less-than-effective debate performances against Barack Obama eight years ago. But she needed to bring it against Bernie Sanders last night. Gone was the “After you….no, please, after you” deference of the first 3 debates — last night was war.
It was guns guns guns right out of the gate, and Clinton hammered Sanders on what she calls his pro-NRA votes to allow guns in public places such as Amtrak and national parks. Sanders, who comes from the very pro-gun state of Vermont, argued that his positions would allow him to bridge the divide between the pro- and anti-gun- control camps.
Sanders also had a bit of trouble from moderators Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell when they asked about his health care plan. To get “Medicare For All,” middle-class families will have their taxes increased, which appears to break Sanders’ pledge never to raise taxes on the middle class. Sanders acknowledged that those families would see a slight tax increase, but he argued that it would be more than offset by the savings that the program would provide them for their medical bills.
Clinton tried to counter Sanders’ proposal for universal single-payer health care by saying that it would, in effect, tear down the Affordable Care Act and all of the hard-won gains that the Obama health-care plan has been providing. It’s an odd argument, since Clinton herself was once in favor of universal single-payer health care, but her job last night was to slow down Sanders’ momentum, so whatever works….
For his part, Sanders hit Clinton hard on her cozy ties to Wall Street, noting that she has accepted over $600,000 in speaking fees from the investment firm Goldman Sachs. It’s one of Sanders’ strongest lines of attack, one for which Clinton has failed to come up with a satisfactory answer.
One striking thing about Clinton’s debate performance was her continuous embrace of the accomplishments of President Obama. It’s not just professional courtesy but also smart politics, particularly in South Carolina, where 60% of the voting populace is African-American. Should Clinton’s nightmare scenario — losing to Sanders first in Iowa and then New Hampshire — come to pass, South Carolina becomes her last best hope for stopping Sanders’ momentum, and African-American voters are the key to winning the state.
Somewhere in the second hour I caught a glimpse of Gov. Martin O’Malley stage right. I believe he was making sandwiches or something, but he came and went so fast I couldn’t quite tell.
The next Democratic debate is scheduled for Thursday (Thursday? A night when people are actually watching TV?) February 11 from Milwaukee WI. Be there or be square!
