Sanders verbally attacked in S.C. debate
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Bernie Sanders is the front-runner in the Democratic race for president. His rivals finally acted like it.
The Vermont senator’s foes came after him early and often Tuesday night at the Democratic debate in South Carolina, tagging him as a rouge, unrealistic radical in the final onstage clash ahead of the state’s primary on Saturday and the Super Tuesday contests to follow in Texas and elsewhere.
Mike Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, kicked off the free-for-all, citing reports that Russia is allegedly working to get Sanders the nomination.
Former Vice President Joe Biden highlighted votes Sanders made against a major gun control bill. Tom Steyer ripped Sanders’ pricey proposals, saying “that a government takeover of large parts of the economy doesn’t make any sense for working people or for families.”
Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., said that if Sanders ends up at the top of the Democratic ticket, then it “adds up to four more years of Donald Trump.”
Even Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren took the rare step of criticizing Sanders, her friend and ally. She accused Sanders’ team of trashing her record, while also saying that Sanders lacked the necessary details on how to implement universal healthcare and other expansive ideas.
“Progressives have one shot, and we need to spend it with a leader who’s going to get something done,” she said.
The rough treatment spotlighted the intense pressure for a clear Sanders alternative to emerge – particularly among the race’s more moderate options – now that the avowed Democratic socialist scored a nearwin in Iowa and then convincing victories in New Hampshire and Nevada.
Sanders’ opponents appeared to realize that South Carolina could be one of the last opportunities to slow the Vermont senator.
“I’m hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight,” he said to laughter. “I wonder why”
While Sanders received glancing blows at earlier moments in the protracted primary campaign, none of the attacks had been sustained. More importantly, none of them stuck.
Time will tell if Tuesday night’s pummeling will have any different impact. Sanders, at the very least, prepared for the barrage. He didn’t flinch one bit, counterattacking with gusto at a group of challengers who’ve so far been unable to replicate his enthusiastic base of support.
Consider that Sanders’ very first sentence on stage was an attack against Bloomberg, the ascendant billionaire.
“The economy is doing really great for people like Mr. Bloomberg and other billionaires,” Sanders said, citing the need to get the economy working “for working people.” “But you know what? For the ordinary American, things are not so good.”
Sanders was far from the only candidate to get roughed up.
Bloomberg again received flak over his support of a stop-and-frisk policing policy that targeted minorities and over the treatment of women at his company. The former Republican also took new heat from Warren for his past support of GOP candidates.
Buttigieg was forced to explain why he continues to have underwhelming support with the African American community.
Even Steyer, who’s been treated largely as a benign billionaire, got bashed by Biden over his past investments into private prisons, perhaps reflecting the surprising gains that Steyer has made in South Carolina amid a massive spending campaign.
The repeated conflicts, which often devolved into shouting, at times threatened to derail the proceedings.