Sanders: Americans ‘sick’ of hearing about Clinton’s ‘damn emails’

Democratic presidential candidates are just a few hours away from squaring off for their long-awaited first debate, with the top contenders, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, bracing for a face-to-face clash after months of circling each other from a distance. It offers an important opportunity for Clinton to pivot from a challenging summer, which saw her poll numbers tumble amid the controversy over her private email server. She proved to be a polished debater, showing little rust after enduring 25 debates during the 2008 campaign. “No, I don’t”, he said. “I do look at what’s happening in the world”.

But she had to be pleased that the moment moved on to laughs – and a handshake with Sanders.

He went on to argue that his vision for politics was akin to Scandinavian nations with strong health care systems and social safety nets.

Clinton, who is trying to slow momentum from her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, directly attacked the US senator from Vermont for saying the United States should model its economy after European countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

If there is one issue where democrats are going to be torn on Sanders is gun control, an area where he is not extremely liberal, but it could be said he makes up for it with his views on military and foreign involvement.

Asked to defend himself, Sanders said he supported the expansion of background checks for people wanting to buy guns and to scrap gaps in the law that make it easier to sell and buy guns at gun shows.

“No, not at all”, Clinton said. Sanders doesn’t want to send us to war, a selling point for many democrats.

Despite the heated back-and-forth, Sanders came to Clinton’s defense on the email saga from her stint as secretary of state.

“The American people are sick and exhausted of hearing about your damn emails”, Sanders exclaimed as the crowd in Las Vegas roared with applause.

Chanting “Bernie! Bernie!” and waving signs calling for Sanders to “break the class ceiling”, Sanders’ supporters-some of whom were dressed as Robin Hood-turned his debate-watching party into a victory party. Sanders, meanwhile, is seeking to appeal to a wider audience of Democrats beyond those who have flocked in the thousands to his events in early voting states such as Iowa, where he is just behind Clinton, and in New Hampshire, where he is in the lead.

Three other hopefuls – former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Sen. Their campaigns are languishing in the single digits so they tried to use the debate to create much-needed buzz.

Sanders made sure Americans know his position on the Clinton email scandal. Clinton may have been the best choice at one point, but her views are becoming exhausted. “That’s in stark contrast to the Republicans who are now running for president”, said frontrunner Hillary Clinton in her closing statement.

Viewers didn’t hear anything new from Clinton Tuesday night. Pressed specifically on her newly announced opposition to a Pacific Rim trade deal she touted while serving in the Obama administration, Clinton said she had hoped to support it but ultimately decided it did not meet her standards.

Clinton battled back by saying Sanders was too soft on gun control and noting that O’Malley, while criticizing her now, endorsed her in 2008.

Republicans have already held two fiery debates dominated by the presence of Donald Trump.

Democratic candidates faced off Tuesday night for the first democratic debate of the season.

He started tweeting before the debate even began, bemoaning the fact that three lower-polling candidates will get so much time.

In an election that has elevated politicians seen as outsiders and non-politicians, Clinton sought to play up her own historic status. When asked how her administration would differ from President Barack Obama’s, she said with a smile, “Being the first woman president would be quite a change”.

“I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone”, Clinton said in a line that had echoes of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

There will be five debate podiums – but there could have been six.

Sanders will be joined at the debate by his wife, Jane, and two of his children, Levy and David, his campaign spokesman Michael Briggs said.

If Vice President Joe Biden was looking for an opening to join the Democratic field, the debate didn’t appear to give him one.