The three Democratic presidential contenders made their case to voters Monday night as to why they should become the party’s nominee, spelling out their differences and defending their character and their policies, in the last national forum before the Iowa caucuses next week.
Front-runner Hillary Clinton was thrown the toughest question of the night when a young man asked her why so many people his age think she’s dishonest. The query seemed to take Mrs. Clinton aback, but then she became combative, explaining that politics is difficult, and you need a proven fighter, such as herself, as president of the United States.
“I’ve been around a long time. People have thrown all kinds of things at me. I can’t keep up with it. I keep moving forward, they fall by the wayside, they come up with these outlandish things, they make these charges, I just keep going forward because there’s nothing to it,” Mrs. Clinton said during the one-on-one forum aired on CNN and moderated by Chris Cuomo.
“I’ve been on the front lines of change and progress since I was your age,” said Mrs. Clinton, raising her voice to the young questioner, explaining why she has been the target of so many political attacks. “I’ve been fighting to give kids and women and the people who are left out and left behind the chance to make the most out of their own lives. And I’ve taken on the status quo time and time again. I’ve had many, many millions of dollars spent against me.”
Last week, reports surfaced Mrs. Clinton’s private email server, which she used officially as Secretary of State, contained classified information beyond the “Top secret” designation, despite her statement she neither sent or received such emails. Her spokesman claimed the inspector general’s report, which contained the information, was intentionally leaked to Republicans to damage her reputation.
“I had no intention of doing anything other than having a convenient way of communicating, and it turned out not to be so convenient,” Mrs. Clinton said about the email scandal, noting that it wasn’t an error in judgment. “Nothing that I did was wrong. It wasn’t in any way prohibited.”
Mrs. Clinton came off strong and authoritative, asserting that she had the experience and record needed to continue President Obama’s legacy. She noted Mr. Obama’s support of her — even after their bitter 2008 primary contest — in placing her in his Cabinet and then again recently in a Politico article in which the president came just short of an official endorsement.
However, it was Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont who kicked off the night, immediately having to defend the costs of his proposals while acknowledging taxes would have to be raised on middle-class families.
Swinging from irritable to charming, Mr. Sanders stood up from his seat to differentiate his record with Mrs. Clinton’s. He said experience doesn’t always triumph over judgment and gave his vote against the Iraq War as a clear example. He also joked that although he’s approaching 75, he will release his medical records before Monday’s caucuses. Right-leaning news organizations have called into question the health of Mrs. Clinton.
“I have been blessed with good health and good endurance,” Mr. Sanders said, asking his wife, who was in the audience, if his records were on their kitchen table. Earlier in the evening, he joked to Mr. Cuomo, “My wife told me to button my coat, but I think I’m too fat, so I won’t do it.”
Mr. Sanders, a self-described socialist, then turned serious and said he was the most progressive member in Congress. He defended his stance in calling for a political revolution to a questioner who asked if that would inhibit him from being an effective commander in chief.
“If we are serious about rebuilding the American middle class, if we are serious about providing family and medical leave to all of our people, if we are serious about ending the disgrace of having so many of our children live in poverty, the real way to do it is to have millions of Americans finally stand up and say enough is enough. To finally demand that Washington represent all of us, not just a handful of very wealthy people. That’s the way you bring about real change,” Mr. Sanders said.
Mr. Sanders defended the price of his proposed social programs, which The Wall Street Journal estimated would cost as much as $18 trillion, the largest peacetime expansion of government in modern history.
“We will raise taxes, yes we will,” Mr. Sanders said, creating a sound bite that will most likely be used against him if he wins the nomination. He said his Medicare-for-all proposal would eliminate private health insurance premiums for individuals and businesses, thus lowering the costs for most.
In terms of paying for college, Mr. Sanders said Wall Street would incur those costs through a speculation tax, and shutting down corporate offshore tax havens like those in the Cayman Islands, would bring in as much as $100 billion to help repair the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
“We are also believing after working families of this country bailed out Wall Street maybe it’s their time to help out the middle class of this country,” Mr. Sanders said of his economic plan.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has been lagging far behind Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders in Iowa polls, drew distinctions between himself and the two front-runners by singling out the issue of climate change — and by drawing attention to his relative youth. Mr. O’Malley has called for 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
“We’re all decent people, we all want to do the right thing for our planet, but there is a generational perspective here and we’re not going to get to 100 percent clean electric grid with an all-of-the-above strategy any more than we got to the moon with an all-of-the-above strategy,” Mr. O’Malley said. “Incrementalism, half steps, splitting the loaf, that’s not going to get us [there] and that’s not what your generation wants. You want us to face our challenges fearlessly and make this generation ours.”
Asked by Mr. Cuomo what O’Malley supporters should do if his caucusgoers do not meet the 15 percent voter threshold needed to be counted in their precincts, Mr. O’Malley told them to hold strong. Mr. O’Malley’s voters could be the decision-makers on whether Iowa tilts in favor for Mr. Sanders or Mrs. Clinton.
“We have put together a terrific organization across this state,” Mr. O’Malley said. “My message to the O’Malley supporters is hold strong at your caucus. Hold strong because America is looking for a new leader.”
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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