Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Democrats discuss economy
Sanders says system ‘rigged,’ Clinton calls fixes unrealistic
MILWAUKEE — In Thursday night’s Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton embraced Bernie Sanders’ call for fixing a “rigged” economy that favors the wealthy, but said the U.S. senator’s plans to pay for it add up to promises “that cannot be kept.”
“I know a lot of Americans are angry about the economy, and for good cause,” she said in her opening statement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “There aren’t enough good-paying jobs, especially for young people. And, yes, the economy is rigged in favor of those at the top.”
Just moments earlier, Sanders railed against a corrupt campaign finance system, “a rigged economy” and a broken criminal justice system.
While Sanders has appealed to young people with his call for free tuition at public colleges and universities, and a government-run, single-payer health care system, Clinton said those proposals come with unrealistic price tags. And she accused Sanders of trying to shade the truth about what she said would be a 40 percent increase in the size of the federal government in order to implement his policies.
Sanders didn’t put a price on his policies, but neither did he shy away from the notion that he wants to expand the size of government.
“In my view, the government of a democratic society has a moral responsibility to play a vital role in making sure all our people have a decent standard of living,” Sanders said.
Sanders has focused much of his campaign on a call to break up big Wall Street banks and overhaul the current campaign finance system that he says gives wealthy Americans undue influence. He said the economy disproportionately impacts black and Hispanic communities.
The presidential race’s sixth Democratic debate was held as the two candidates work to best position themselves for the next two nominating contests: the Feb. 20 Nevada caucuses in which union members, Hispanics and cash-strapped homeowners are key constituencies; and the Feb. 27 South Carolina primary in which black voters hold considerable sway.
Clinton and Sanders split the first two contests in the Democratic battle, in states that are overwhelmingly white.
Clinton narrowly won in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, and Sanders won in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. So far, he is collecting majorities among most voter demographic groups other than wealthy Democrats and people over age 65. But his message hasn’t been tested in states that have far more diverse Democratic electorates than those two states.
Clinton has been criticized for not being able to encapsulate her reasons for running in just a sentence, but she attempted to do so Thursday. “I’m running for president to knock down all the barriers that are holding Americans back and to rebuild the ladders of opportunity that will give every American a chance to advance, especially those who have been left out and left behind,” she said.
A majority of women voting in the New Hampshire Democratic primary sided with Sanders, and Clinton told Thursday’s national audience that she would keep fighting to get their support.
“I have spent my entire adult life working toward making sure that women are empowered to make their own choices, even if that choice is not to vote for me, I believe that it’s most important that we unleash the full potential of women and girls in our society,” she said. “I have no argument with anyone making up her mind about who to support. I just hope that by the end of this campaign, there will be a lot more supporting me. That’s what I am working toward.”
Clinton also noted that the debate, moderated by PBS’ Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, was an historic moment: Out of more than 200 presidential primary debates, Thursday’s was the first in which a majority of the people — three of four — were women. “So, you know, we’ll take our progress wherever we can find it,” she said.
Sanders said he didn’t worry about thwarting what would be an even more historic moment if Clinton were to be elected the first woman president, explaining that his election also would be historically significant. “From an historical point of view somebody with my background, somebody with my views, somebody who has spent his entire life taking on the big money interests, I think a Sanders victory would be of some historical accomplishment as well,” he said.
Sanders said he, too, has a record of fighting for women and that there is no question that women’s rights are “under fierce attack,” particularly from Republicans debating abortion rights.
He said Republicans love to campaign on cutting government influence for the good of the people, but “when it comes to a woman having to make a very personal choice” on abortion, they want government to make that choice.
“If that’s not hypocrisy, I don’t know what hypocrisy is,” he said.
Clinton, meanwhile, cast herself as best prepared to address
persistent racial inequality in the United States, putting forward the outlines of a plan that she said would extend beyond addressing a criminal justice system that sees blacks incarcerated at higher rates.
“We’re going to emphasize education, jobs and housing,” she said.
Clinton ducked a question about whether her presidency would be better for blacks than Barack Obama’s, but Sanders answered more definitively. Asked if race relations would be better under a Sanders presidency, he responded: “Absolutely” and listed ways in which economic opportunities would expand if he were in the White House.
He said he would also decriminalize marijuana, and demilitarize and diversify local police departments.
Sanders pledged, “At the end of my first term, we will not have more people in jail than any other country.”
Clinton and Sanders clashed over their split voting on a 2007 immigration overhaul bill when they both were serving in the U.S. Senate.
Sanders voted against the immigration bill, saying in the debate that he did so over humanitarian concerns related to guest worker provisions that he says were akin to slavery. Clinton voted for the bill. But they both agree there needs to be comprehensive immigration change. Sanders says, “We have got to stand up to the Trumps of the world who are trying to divide us up.”
And Clinton added that she hopes “some of the Republicans will come to their senses and realize we will not deport 11 to 12 million people in this country.”