Cherrypicking…spinning..On your mark, get set, GO!! So who won? Did former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton make the case that she’s the realist who can build on what the Democratic Party has already as someone who has extensive experience in two branches of government? Was this Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ big night? Was he on fire (his supporters will say) or too hot for TV (some in media and critics suggest). Was he passionate or shouting too much, was not hearing one question entirely going to be called a senior moment (it’s a mistake anyone can make)? Did former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley make any headway as the anti-Clinton and anti-Sanders — or did he come off like a Democratic version of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, turning almost every question into bragging about what he did for his state? And did anyone else find it offputting that O’Malley seemed to smile most of the time when he talked? Who looked the most Presidential — something that matters in primary Presidential debates (but that many pundits feel is not a concern in the Republican debates this year)?
Instant polls will say who won. Supporters of each side will say their side won. And then the mainstream media and/or new media will suggest a consensus of who won, which will become the conventional wisdom, unless polls show it’s wrong and then that conventional wisdom will be discarded and will be forgotten and swept under the rug. And a new conventional wisdom will emerge. Debates DO MATTER — as previous Presidential campaigns have proven. Here’s a roundup of reaction to the NBC News debate from a variety of sources and a variety of viewpoints. A full annotated transcript of the debate is HERE.
Hillary Clinton targeted Bernie Sanders’s electoral appeal with some of her strongest language yet in a debate on Sunday night, seizing on Mr. Sanders’s recent policy shifts on universal health care and gun control to try to undercut his image as an anti-political truth teller.
Mrs. Clinton also repeatedly aligned herself with a former political rival, President Obama, as she sought to portray her current one, Mr. Sanders, as a fringe candidate who did not stand with Mr. Obama on major issues like Wall Street regulation.
With Mr. Sanders gaining on her before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, Mrs. Clinton cast herself as the defender of Mr. Obama’s record and Mr. Sanders as playing into Republican hands with proposals like replacing the Affordable Care Act with a single-payer plan, which Mr. Sanders describes as “Medicare for all.”
“We’ve accomplished so much already,” she said. “I don’t want to see the Republicans repeal it.”
“That is nonsense,” said Mr. Sanders, who pushed back sharply throughout the night. “What a ‘Medicare for all’ program does is finally provide health care for every man, woman and child as a right.” He added that 29 million people still lack health insurance.
Mrs. Clinton was pointed in her critiques of Mr. Sanders but relatively restrained in tone and words as she sought to raise doubts about what many liberals see as Mr. Sanders’s greatest virtues: his integrity and consistency on policy issues.
She chose not to accuse him of “flip-flopping” on gun control bills as she had earlier on Sunday, but rather said at the debate that she was “pleased” he had “reversed” himself.
For Mrs. Clinton, it was enough to note Mr. Sanders’s changes in policy: By doing so, she raised doubts about his consistency, but stopped short of eviscerating his positions and potentially alienating a restless liberal base that largely favors Mr. Sanders.
Her tactics left Mr. Sanders appearing frustrated at times, such as when he called her “very disingenuous” on his gun record, or when he sighed audibly and rolled his eyes upward as she implicitly questioned his principles on health care.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton aggressively prosecuted Sen. Bernie Sanders on issues from gun control to health care and fealty to President Obama at a presidential debate Sunday as she sought to puncture Sanders’s insurgent appeal and regain her footing after a difficult stretch.
Clinton put Sanders on the defensive through much of the two-hour debate, but a hoarse-voiced Sanders got in numerous digs. He accused Clinton of being too cozy with Wall Street and beholden to the financial industry. He noted that Clinton has accepted millions in campaign donations and hundreds of thousands in speaking fees from the financial sector.
With raised voices, interruptions and wonky examinations of one another’s voting records and policies, Sanders and Clinton battled over who had the more progressive or more workable solutions. Their exchanges were the most combative and personal of the campaign so far, reflecting the newly potent threat Sanders poses to Clinton in her second White House run.
The debate revealed a stark contrast between a status quo vision of pragmatism represented by Clinton and the lofty aspirations of the most leftward wing of the party represented by Sanders.
While Clinton pledged to work with both parties in Washington, Sanders insisted that progressive change will come only with a dramatic shake-up in the political system. “Nothing real will happen unless we have a political revolution,” he said.
One of the sharpest exchanges came over health care, an issue that has vexed the Democratic Party for decades, and one on which Clinton has tried to seize the high ground. Two hours before the debate in a graceful hall in Charleston’s genteel historic district, Sanders released details of his health-care plan, which if enacted would raise taxes.
The plan would cost about $1.38 trillion a year, according to the “Medicare for all” document he released. Sanders proposes to pay for his plan through a combination of premiums paid by employers and households, new income tax rates and other changes to the tax code, and savings from current health-care spending that he says the plan would achieve.
With two weeks to go before Iowa’s caucuses, the former secretary of state offered several closing arguments:
*If you liked Barack Obama, stick with Clinton.
*Sanders is too risky, he’ll jack up your taxes, and what he wants to do can’t get through Congress anyway.
*Clinton is the only seriously electable Democrat in the race, regardless of polls that show otherwise at the moment.
She also went hard at Sanders, a Vermont independent senator, as too conservative on gun control and too radical on health care. With Sanders now tied with Clinton in Iowa, and leading in New Hampshire, her campaign is hoping that although Democratic primary voters may be in love with Sanders, they’ll ultimately settle down with the pragmatic choice.“We’re at least having a vigorous debate about reining in Wall Street,” she said, appealing to those Democrats who think she’s too soft on banks. “The Republicans want to give them more power and repeal Dodd-Frank. That’s what we need to stop”
Nobody thinks a Republican Congress is going to allow a system of single-payer health care. With huge majorities, a Democratic Congress in 2009 and 2010 couldn’t even push a weak public health insurance option into Obamacare.
Yet single-payer has managed to become a major issue in the Democratic primary — one that Clinton injected into it. It’s difficult terrain for Clinton. Democratic primary voters are sympathetic to single-payer, and Sanders, who’s happy to call himself a democratic socialist, eagerly embraces it.
The Clinton campaign’s messaging on the issue has been muddled: While it insists that Clinton herself supports the goal of universal health care, Clinton has attacked universal health care from a conservative direction, warning it would require major tax hikes on the middle class without mentioning the cost savings that would come with the elimination of premiums and deductibles. Chelsea Clinton went the furthest, bizarrely claiming Sanders wants to end Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, while throwing “millions and millions” off their health insurance.
By Sunday night’s debate, Clinton had honed her attack. This time, the thrust of her argument boiled down to: Obamacare is as good as we can do, and opening up the health care debate again risks losing what we have.
“Even when the Democrats were in charge of the Congress, we couldn’t get the votes for [a public option],” Clinton said. “We finally have a path to universal health care. We’ve accomplished so much already. I don’t want to see us start over again with a contentious debate.”
After a succession of Democratic presidential debates that largely avoided the acrimony and personal affronts that have defined the GOP face-offs, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders clashed sharply Sunday on guns, healthcare and President Obama’s legacy.
A tight race will do that. And Clinton now finds herself in one in the crucial early states of New Hampshire and Iowa. Sunday’s debate was the last such televised clash before the voting begins Feb. 1 in Iowa.
Clinton challenged Sanders aggressively. But even as she sought to reshape the race in the first two states, she seemed intent on bolstering her support among the minority voters whom she will depend on to get her campaign back on track if she loses those contests.
She particularly went after African American voters, who dominate the Democratic electorate here in South Carolina and many other Southern states that will vote over the next eight weeks, as she denounced “systemic racism” in the criminal justice system and accused Sanders of having disrespected President Obama.
Sanders had called Obama “weak, disappointing” and had talked up the idea of a primary challenge to him before his reelection in 2011, Clinton charged.
Sanders defended his support for Obama, stressing that he had campaigned for him in 2008 and saying that “we’ve worked together on many issues.
“We have some differences of opinion,” he conceded.
The subtext of support for Obama arose again as the two clashed over healthcare, where Sanders has pushed a “Medicare-for-all,” single-payer plan.
Asked about the issue, Clinton repeated an attack that she and her supporters have used increasingly over the last couple of weeks — that Sanders’ plan would in effect “tear up” President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
The health law was one of “the greatest accomplishments of President Obama,” Clinton said, citing the 19 million Americans who have received health insurance since the law took full effect.
“There are things we can do to improve it, but to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of contentious debate, I think is the wrong direction,” she said.
“Even when Democrats were in charge of Congress” in 2009 and 2010, “we couldn’t get the votes” for a public healthcare program, Clinton noted.
Sanders denounced Clinton’s attacks as “nonsense” and said that his plan would fulfill the long-standing Democratic goal of recognizing healthcare as a right for all Americans.
“No one is tearing this up. We’re going to go forward,” he said.
It became clear within the first ten minutes of the Democratic debate on Sunday night that Bernie Sanders had just about enough with Hillary Clinton’s attacks.
And if the two Democratic frontrunners liked each other before this race, those feelings were long gone.
It began, appropriately enough, with a gun fight. As the first votes of the 2016 Democratic primary are only weeks away, Clinton has pounded Sanders relentlessly for his past position on guns—insinuating in a recent ad that he was siding with the gun lobby over President Obama’s push for more gun regulations. (She never mentions Sanders’ name, of course, but it’s one wink short of “rhymes with Manders.”)
Asked about Clinton’s attempts to tie him to the gun lobby, Sanders came out swinging.
“Well, I think Secretary Clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous,” he said. “ I have a D-minus voting record from the NRA.”
Clinton hit back, invoking the murders of nine African Americans last year in their Charleston church by a white man with federal charges pending against him, which should have prevented him from getting a gun.
“He voted for what we call, the Charleston Loophole,” she began, sounding just a tad rehearsed. “He voted for immunity from gunmakers and sellers which the NRA said was the most important piece of gun legislation in 20 years.”
Clinton accused Sanders of turning a blind eye to gun regulations until this race. “Now, I am pleased to hear that Senator Sanders has reversed his position on immunity and I look forward to him joining with those members of congress who have already introduced legislation,” she said.
As she spoke, Sanders unsuccessfully tried to mask his grimaces with smiles, and seemed to be just waiting for the opportunity to hit back. And he did when asked why the former Secretary of State was out-polling him with minorities two to one.
“Well, let me talk about polling,” Sanders began, channeling his inner Donald Trump. “As Secretary Clinton well knows, when this campaign began she was 50 points ahead of me. We were all of three percentage points. Guess what? In Iowa, New Hampshire, the race is very, very close. Maybe we’re ahead New Hampshire.”
And it’s true. It’s a scenario made of night terrors for Clinton, who, eight years ago, lost Iowa to another insurgent progressive who her campaign drastically underestimated. (If you listen closely you can almost hear her whispering softly “one, two, three wake up.”)
That’s not to say she’ll lose the nomination if Iowa (and New Hampshire) go for Sanders—South Carolina (Clinton is ahead by 40 points in the Real Clear Politics average), Nevada and the SEC primary states should provide sturdy firewall, particularly as the electorate becomes more diverse.
The Democrats’ final debate before 2016 voting starts brought clarity to the choice ahead for Democratic primary voters, in a battle that’s pitting the party’s head against its heart.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders offered the louder and bolder vision tonight in South Carolina, channeling some of the anger that’s blossoming in both parties in 2016. His is a play for the hearts of voters, including segments of the Democratic Party that are disappointed in the Obama years.
Hillary Clinton, still the front-runner but facing a more intense challenge than she anticipated, offered aggressive lessons on political practicality. She urged a more intense examination of her rival’s record, and embraced President Obama’s legacy more fully than she has in the past.
Nowhere was her appeal to voters’ heads more evident than in arguing that Sanders’ single-payer health care plan is dangerous for Democrats to attempt to even pursue, given the battles it took to make Obamacare law.
“We’ve accomplished so much already. I do not want to see the Republicans repeal it, and I don’t want to start over again with a contentious debate,” Clinton said. “To tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate, I think is the wrong direction.”
Sanders called it a “disingenuous” attack. He made clear, as he did throughout the night, that he’s not satisfied with the status quo.
“No one is tearing this up. We’re going to go forward,” Sanders said.
In talking about big banks, Sanders offered this swipe at Clinton to make his point about corruption he views as systemic: “I don’t get personal speaking fees from Goldman Sachs.”
Clinton defended not just herself but Obama, making a broad point that governing is complicated, and much harder than campaigning.
“He’s criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street. And President Obama led out country out of the Great Recession,” Clinton said. “I’m going to defend President Obama for taking on Wall Street, taking on the financial industry, and getting results.”
Underscoring Clinton’s vulnerability on the topic, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley jumped in to point out her “cozy relationship with Wall Street.”
The liberal website The Daily Kos (intro to the open thread):
And the latest Democratic debate is in the can. Granted, not as sickeningly entertaining as a Republican debate, where red meat is thrown almost as fast as the fear-mongering and lies. Just—for the most part—a fairly respectful discussion on the various issues. There were no gotcha moments, no potential viral moments and no major—or even minor—gaffes.
Of course there was also no discussion on women’s rights or issues, climate change barely got a minute during the past two hours, no immigration reform … the list goes on. Maybe another time.
Political Wire’s Taagan Goddard feels Clinton won the debate:
She was relentless. If her objective was to raise questions about Sanders and his record, she was very successful.
Sanders does angry and indignant almost as well as Donald Trump. But his anger was too often directed towards Clinton. Democrats aren’t, for the most part, angry with Clinton. They’re angry with Republicans and with a rigged economic and campaign finance system that works against the majority of citizens.
Martin O’Malley was, once again, a non-factor in this debate. In another cycle he might make an attractive candidate. But there’s no real space for his candidacy this year. Clinton and Sanders have staked out the main battle lines and have relegated O’Malley to the sidelines.
More broadly, Clinton spent the entire night trying to convince Democrats she was the heir to President Obama’s legacy. She made clear she is running for Obama’s third term. It’s a smart strategy because it serves the double-purpose of implying that Sanders is less friendly to Obama.
Clinton was effective, presidential and the clear winner of the debate.
Politico summarized the debate’s 8 biggest moments. These are excerpts. Go to the link to read them in their entirety.
In one of the most heated debates of the 2016 Democratic primary contest, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley clashed Sunday over everything from health care and guns to Wall Street reform.
Here are the most noteworthy moments from the debate.1. Clashing on gun control
Moderators wasted no time in setting up a fight between Sanders and Clinton on gun control. Clinton has lambasted Sanders for what she says is his repeated opposition to strong gun safety measures. Sanders made clear quickly that he’s not pleased with her characterization.2. Clinton doesn’t want a “contentious” health care debate
The former secretary of state said she has no interest in re-litigating Obamacare or, in fact, any pitched health care battle with a likely divided Congress. Her main beef with Sanders on Obamacare? He’d “tear it up and start over again pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate.”
3. “My good friend Donald Trump”
….”In Iowa, New Hampshire, the race is very, very close,” he [Sanders] said. “Maybe we’re ahead in New Hampshire.”
He noted that he polls further ahead of “my good friend” Trump in general election match-ups than Clinton. “We are on the path to victory,” he said.
4. “Just 10 seconds”
O’Malley tried repeatedly to insert himself into a debate dominated by Sanders and Clinton, often seeking to rise above their confrontations but finding himself drowned out by his competitors. His earnestness led to an awkward moment heading into a commercial break.
“Just 10 seconds,” O’Malley pleaded after Clinton and Sanders had just finished another sparring session. Lester Holt, the moderator, spoke over him and went to commercial break anyway.5. Sanders’ 50-state strategy
The senator ripped the modern Democratic Party, saying it needs major reforms and a hard break from “being dependent on super PACs.” and moneyed interests.
“What we need to be is dependent on small, individual campaign contributors,” he said, calling for a “50-state strategy…6. Power vacuum
Sanders and Clinton found one area of emphatic agreement: A leadership vacuum in the Middle East helped contribute to today’s chaos — but the Obama administration isn’t to blame.7. Clinton and Putin
Clinton paused for a moment asked to assess her relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.8. Sanders lays off Bill Clinton
The senator turned a question about the ex-president’s behavior in the White House into a monologue about his refusal to be goaded into attacks.
Read the entire analysis.
Three comments from the open thread at Washington Monthly’s Political Animal:
SFBay1949 • 3 hours ago
I’m sorry no one here at PA live blogged the debate. My take so far; get O’Malley off the stage now. Bernie is sounding more strident than usual. Hillary’s answers are pretty good tonight.
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ceenik • 2 hours ago
Bernie was on fire, calling for “revolution”–a tough stance for Hillary to counter even when their ideas were close. She played it cool and collected even as he kept interrupting and interjecting. Not sure how this plays in a tea party world . . .
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Rattus Norvegicus • 2 hours ago
As usual it was pretty decent. This one was actually better at highlighting the differences between Bernie and Hillary, with Bernie clearly being the idealist and Hillary the realist. Both had good points in the various discussions, and most of it was reasonably truthful — unlike a certain other party’s debates.
TWEETS:
University of Virginia Political Scientist Larry Sabato, one of the most accurate analysts in the country, had a slew of tweets. A few of them:
Ah, the Bill Questions. Will be Bill of Fare as long as HRC is in the race.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) January 18, 2016
Ah, the Bill Questions. Will be Bill of Fare as long as HRC is in the race.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) January 18, 2016
Young Dens are usually drawn to the candidate on the cutting edge–McGovern, Gary Hart, Howard Dean, Sanders. Electability arguments fail.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) January 18, 2016
Gov. O'Malley did indeed bring his state together…to elect a Republican to succeed him.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) January 18, 2016
Feels like Hillary's Flint answer will be the sound bite of the debate. Hoe that also raise level of coverage of the actual story. A crime.
— Armando (@armandodkos) January 18, 2016
The real star of the #DemDebate? Bernie Sanders' side eye. (h/t @pang) https://t.co/wLRiQdsI6H
— Slate (@Slate) January 18, 2016
Liz Mair is leading a Republican group that wants to stop Donald Trump Make America Awesome. A few of her tweets:
Also: If you're bothered about Sanders' health care plan, Trump is also proposing single-payer. Donate to stop him. https://t.co/X97rfh2seY
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) January 18, 2016
If you're watching this #demdebate and don't want to nominate a guy who will def lose to these clowns, donate here: https://t.co/X97rfh2seY
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) January 18, 2016
Seems like @HillaryClinton is fully embracing her status as an establishment candidate, speaking about how progress is won. #DemDebate
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 18, 2016
Hillary is a lot calmer tonight than her aggressive pre-#DemDebate strategy suggested she'd be.
Less aggressive, but more presidential.
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) January 18, 2016
Why is @BernieSanders always yelling at us?! #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/AjyCqzAOEv
— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) January 18, 2016
Hillary has already touted her past experience numerous times tonight.
That's how most voters decide who to hire for the job. #DemDebate
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) January 18, 2016
Wow, #BernieSanders is tapdancing all around #MedicareForAll. The debate should be abt how we will pay for this plan? #DemDebate
— Hinterland Gazette (@hinterlandg) January 18, 2016
Only #BernieSanders talks about corruption in the system; Serious corruption in our government.
— Julia (@Stelmadesigns) January 18, 2016
I want #BernieSanders to beat #Hillary so bad it's almost unhealthy ?
— Ben Ferguson (@benfergusonshow) January 18, 2016
#Bernie sounds like #Trump ,caught in an old 1970's LP 33 & 1/13 groove. https://t.co/W8262I8g1v
— T (@southerntalker) January 18, 2016
For more blog reaction go here
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.