The Democratic presidential candidates agree with Elton John: Saturday night’s alright for fighting.
After a placid first debate, the second time Hillary Clinton faced primary challengers Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley, this time in Des Moines, Iowa, there were fireworks.
The early questions devoted to Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris were largely defined by Clinton’s refusal to use the phrase “radical Islam” and Sanders’ insistence that climate change was a bigger global threat than the Islamic State. “In fact,” the Vermont socialist added, “climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism.”
But it also marked the strongest attack this year on Clinton’s vote for the Iraq war, which Sanders linked to the rise of the Islamic State. O’Malley added that Libya and Syria were also “a mess,” a fact that he attributed in part to some of Clinton’s policies as secretary of state.
When Clinton noted that the Obama administration was able to accomplish regime change in Libya without “boots on the ground,” O’Malley chastised her for using the phrase. “My son is not a pair of boots on the ground,” O’Malley quoted a military service member’s mother as telling him.
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“These are American soldiers, and we fail them when we fail to take into account the day after a dictator falls,” the former Maryland governor added.
Things didn’t get much more congenial when the conversation turned to economics. Sanders described Clinton’s position on Wall Street reform “not good enough.” O’Malley listed her advisers with ties to the financial sector and centrist Democrats, specifically calling out Robert Rubin, who was treasury secretary during Bill Clinton’s administration.
Clinton seemed out of step with her opponents on the minimum wage. All three want to increase the federal minimum, but Hillary prefers $12 an hour to popular rallying cry of “fight for $15.” Clinton also invoked economist and liberal New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in defending her financial plans and suggested that reinstating the Glass-Steagall financial regulations, a popular progressive position, wouldn’t be as helpful as Sanders or O’Malley suggest.
Clinton’s riskiest line was when she appeared to suggest her Wall Street ties had something to do with showing solidarity with New Yorkers attacked on 9/11.
“I represented New York and I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked,” she said. “Where were we attacked? In downtown Manhattan, where Wall Street is.” She was criticized by the chairman of the Republican National Committee and O’Malley’s campaign spokesman afterward.
Perhaps aided by the fact there were only three candidates on the debate stage, O’Malley had some strong moments during the debate. It will remain to be seen if he gains in the polls. He is badly trailing Clinton and Sanders.
Sanders appeared to struggle somewhat as he defended his record on gun control from repeated attacks by both Clinton and O’Malley. Clinton hit Sanders both from the left and the right on healthcare reform, suggesting his single-payer plan would both repeal Obamacare and other more entrenched government health programs while also ending private health insurance.
The Vermont senator stuck to his line that he wasn’t interested in Clinton’s emails, after appearing more combative in recent interviews, but Clinton alluded to the second debate’s more combative tone in her closing remarks.
“I’ve heard a lot about me in this debate,” she said, “but ultimately I’m going to keep talking about you.”
The next Democratic debate will be held the weekend before Christmas.
