Final Iowa Push for Republican, Democratic Presidential Candidates

The three candidates competing for the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nomination each got a chance to make their closing case to Iowa Caucus-goers during a “town hall” meeting tonight.

Sanders, for his part, indirectly attacked Clinton’s experience as a liability.

Wooing undecided Iowa voters, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on Monday night each cast themselves as life-long champions for tackling economic inequality, but offered differing visions for addressing the nation’s problems. Sitting down as he first came out on the stage, he quipped, “My wife told me to button my coat, but I think I’m too fat, so…” Bernie Sanders offers a similar effect on the Democratic side by calling for radical changes through a progressive lens. “I think we are touching a nerve with the American people who understand that establishment politics just aren’t good enough”. And, in terms of the campaign to come – in Iowa and elsewhere – the clip speaks to not only the difficulties people are still facing in this economy but also how they believe Sanders is speaking to their fears and anxieties.

Sanders – the first to sit down last night on the CNN set – was asked if Clinton was “better prepared” to be the next president. “No”, Sanders said aboard a charter flight en route to a rally in Duluth, Minnesota. An unknown evil genius made a decision to start the event with Sanders, end with Clinton, and stick poor, ignored Martin O’Malley in the middle, thereby ensuring that viewers wouldn’t turn it off halfway through.

Hillary was asked, “It feels like there’s a lot of young people like myself, who are very passionate supporters of [Democratic candidate Senator] Sen”. The poll, conducted between January 7 and 10, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, suggesting it could be a toss-up between the former secretary of state and the Vermont senator.

Clinton answered smoothly and smartly – as she usually does – but if she had any doubt about why her lead is slipping away (again), the lines of questioning at Drake University should erase it. These are the things on voters’ minds.

“Audience member to @HillaryClinton: “I can see why THEY gave YOU this question.” thought Qs weren’t given in advance”.

“I was really touched and gratified when I saw that”, Clinton said, relating how her relationship with her former 2008 Democratic primary rival developed into a close friendship when she served as his first-term secretary of state. It’s hard. If it were easy, hey, there wouldn’t be any contest, but it’s not easy. “When you’re in the White House you can not pick the issues you want to work on, you’ve got to be ready to take on every issue that comes your way, including those you can not predict”, Clinton told the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines on Monday.