Democratic debaters and the facts

Now, under pressure from left-leaning challenger Bernie Sanders, she is embracing him and his legacy with fervor.

Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley largely faded into the background in Sunday’s debate. Day on the steps of the SC statehouse – which, for the first time, was celebrated with no Confederate flag flying overhead.

Clinton maintained a tight smile throughout that exchange, and nodded as Sanders said he preferred to concentrate on policy matters.

Sanders and Clinton came to the debate stage loaded with stinging attacks for each other – and they were ready to use them. We’re not going to tear up the Affordable Care Act.

Clinton said she is also “absolutely committed to universal health care” and respects Sanders’ intentions, but said similar legislative proposals made in the past could not get an affirmative vote even through a Democratic-controlled Congress.

PHIL MATTINGLY: I felt bad for the Clinton staffers who had so many great lines written up about his health care plan and its lack of details – that they just had to toss into the wastebasket two hours before (Michaela Pereira laughs) – very, very depressing on that end.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) disagreed.

Martin said that the USA government represents “the global interests of worldwide banking and of huge conglomerates and most importantly (of) Jewish Zionist’ interests”.

Hillary Clinton took direct aim at Bernie Sanders’ health plan in the Sunday night debate. “He even, in 2011, publicly sought someone to run in a primary against President Obama”, she said.

“Senator Sanders called him weak, disappointing”.

This was a debate targeted at Obama’s base of voters in an agenda set by Sanders. He called the former president’s behaviour “deplorable” but said he wants to focus on issues “not Bill Clinton’s personal life”. “I think is the wrong direction”, Clinton said at the debate broadcast by NBC News. For Hillary Clinton, the strategy boiled down to one word.

To which Sanders says – you have to get Democrats to vote differently by taking the money out of politics.

At another point, Sanders rejected assertions by Clinton that a Sanders presidency could imperil President Barack Obama’s signature legislative initiative.

The stand-off was the last Democratic debate before primary voting begins next month as polls showed the race tightening in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Sanders took his campaign to Alabama on Monday night, addressing a crowd of more than 5,000 at an auditorium in Birmingham. In 2008, African-Americans made up 55 percent of the Democratic primary vote in SC and whites made up 43 percent, according to exit polls.

Though clocking in at under 50 percent in polls of all voters, Obama remains extremely popular among Democrats, continuing to post approval ratings at close to 80 percent. “The Republicans just voted last week to repeal the Affordable Care Act and thank goodness President Obama vetoed it and saved Obamacare for the American people”.

Two of the top-searched questions on Google for Hillary Clinton were not about the themes her campaign hoped to highlight during the debate.

The facts: Both are singling out aspects of Sanders’ record that suit them, but that record is nuanced.