Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders spar over liberal credentials

Wall Street interests may be spending a lot in support of her opponents, but of all the candidates, Clinton is the leading recipient of donations from individuals in the securities and investments industry. She at one point accused him of a smear.

The Durham debate will be the first faceoff for Clinton and Sanders since former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley dropped out of the race after a poor showing in Iowa.

In her second presidential campaign, Clinton clearly doesn’t want to win through a war of attrition.

Sanders and Clinton renewed a days-long clash over whether Clinton qualifies as a “progressive”, with the former secretary accusing the senator of appointing himself a “self-proclaimed gatekeeper”.

Saying that a president in their first year must make “choices” among many “heavy lifts”, MSNBC moderator Chuck Todd asked whether either candidate would use limited political capital on the thorny issue that has gained bipartisan support in past years. Jeanne Shaheen, who backs Obama’s trade pact, would all fail to make the cut. “And enough is enough”, Clinton said.

Clinton also dispatched some of her top aides, including Amanda Renteria, her political director, to the city.

“There is a reason why these people are putting huge amounts of money in our political system”, Sanders said, arguing the money was “undermining American democracy”. She had struggled a day earlier to explain why she accepted $675,000 for three speeches from Goldman Sachs. “I don’t know the status, but I will certainly look into it”. His litmus test for Supreme Court justices in his administration would be whether they would overturn Citizens United, he said.

Clinton, unwilling to cede the issue to Sanders, insisted her regulatory policies would be tougher on Wall Street than his.

Sanders has also focused on the Flint water issue, however he went about it differently than Clinton. “And I really don’t think that these kinds of attacks by insinuation are worthy of you”.

Clinton called Sanders’ sweeping proposals on health care and education “just not achievable”, while Sanders countered that Clinton was willing to settle for less than Americans deserve.

Clinton takes a more hawkish and interventionist approach, advocating that the USA should be aggressive in helping to resolve disputes around the globe. “I don’t think it was progressive to vote to give gun makers and sellers immunity”, referring to Sanders’ voting record. “Enough is enough. If you’ve got something to say, say it directly”.

It was Clinton who was the main aggressor, saying Sanders could never achieve his ambitious and costly proposals. “Yeah, I do”, Sanders said. Clinton took Sanders to task for suggesting during a previous debate that the USA and Iran normalize their relations. “I represent ordinary Americans”.

Clinton sought to turn Sanders’ claim that she was insufficiently liberal around, unloading a barrage of opposition research about his past votes.

“I am absolutely supportive of comprehensive immigration reform and a path towards citizenship for 11 million people today who are living in the shadows”, Sanders responded.

Hillary Clinton: “I am not making promises I can not keep”.