For months Clinton had largely avoided repeated opportunities to draw direct contrasts with the Vermont senator, even as Sanders surged in the polls, fueled by his call for a political revolution and unease over controversies swirling around the former secretary of State.
But as she shared a stage for the first time with Sanders and three other contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton was the aggressor, seizing first on the self-styled Democratic socialist’s economic outlook and later on his voting record on guns.
“When I think about capitalism, I think about all the small businesses that were started because we have the opportunity and the freedom in our country for people to do that, and to make a good living for themselves and their families,” Clinton said. “I think what Sen. Sanders is saying certainly makes sense in the terms of the inequality that we have. But we are not Denmark.”
Clinton defended herself against charges that she has shifted various positions out of political expediency, saying that she, like most people, adapts to changing circumstances.
“I’m a progressive. But I’m a progressive who likes to get things done,” she said.
But even after Clinton lambasted Sanders over his past positions against tough gun-control measures, the independent lawmaker stuck up for her when the former secretary of State was questioned about her use of a personal email server, an issue that has rattled the confidence of some in her party and created an opening for Sanders.
“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn email,” Sanders shouted to laughter and applause from the audience. “Enough of the emails,” he said. “Let’s talk about the real issues.”
A smiling Clinton stepped toward Sanders on the stage and shook his hand.
In her own defense, Clinton portrayed the controversy and the GOP-led congressional probe into her emails as politically motivated.
“This committee is basically an arm of the Republican National Committee,” she said. “It is a partisan vehicle as admitted by the House Republican majority leader … to drive down my poll numbers.”
After a presidential season so far dominated by Republicans, Tuesday’s debate in Las Vegas offered the nation its first side-by-side comparison of five candidates on the Democratic side aspiring to the Oval Office.
The debate wasn’t expected to draw the record audiences of two previous GOP debates, which were fueled partly by fascination with the candidacy of billionaire Donald Trump. Even President Obama was likely to surf between the Las Vegas showdown and playoff baseball, the White House said.
But what the debate lacked in personality it made up for in substance, with the candidates at times delving into the policy weeds to explain differences on issues like Wall Street reform.
The event came at a key time for a Democratic electorate that is not yet sold on whether Clinton is its best hope for retaining the presidency. Meanwhile Sanders, the 74-year-old congressional veteran, has energized the party’s progressive base, attracting large crowds across the country and nearly matching Clinton’s significant fundraising haul in the summer months. Sanders has even leaped ahead of Clinton in public polling in the key state of New Hampshire, which neighbors his home state and hosts the first presidential primary in February.
There was broad agreement among the candidates on the issue that has largely driven the primary so far: the economy. Though the nation has largely bounced back from the depths of the Great Recession that President Obama encountered as he took office in 2009, the candidates said not enough had been done to ensure the recovery wasn’t limited to the wealthiest Americans.
“The middle class of this country for the last 40 years has been disappearing,” Sanders said.
“There is a deep injustice, an economic injustice that threatens to tear our country apart, and it will not solve itself,” said former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
But the candidates quickly found opportunities to separate themselves on other major issues. Clinton highlighted Sanders’ vote against the Brady Bill that created the background check system for buying firearms, and his support for 2005 legislation that sought to protect gun manufacturers from lawsuits.
“We have to look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day from gun violence. This has gone on too long and it’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA,” she said.
O’Malley joined her in the attack, noting that as governor he signed new gun laws and highlighting the emotional toll of gun violence across the country.
“We were able to pass this and still respect the hunting traditions of people who live in our rural areas,” he said.
CNN, which broadcast Tuesday’s debate, had billed it as a showdown between Clinton and Sanders. But three other candidates — O’Malley, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb — sought to use the exposure to give lift to their underdog campaigns.
O’Malley in particular has been stifled not only by Clinton’s early dominance and Sanders’ populist appeal, but by months of speculation over the potential candidacy of Vice President Joe Biden, who remained in Washington despite an open invitation to join the stage at the last minute. A group supporting Biden’s potential candidacy launched a new television ad that aired on the cable network throughout the day.
While O’Malley joined Clinton in countering Sanders on guns, he allied with Sanders to question Clinton’s record on the use of military force, challenging her support for a no-fly zone over Syria.
Webb found it hard to get attention from the debate moderators.
“Unless somebody mentions my name, I can’t get into the discussion,” he groused at one point.
Christi Parsons contributed to this report.
Clinton, Sanders clash on gun control, but agree: Enough about the emails
The Los Angeles Times October 13, 2015
