On the night of Tuesday, October 13, the first Democratic debate kicked off what is expected to be a hotly contested nominee spot. The spot is being contested by Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State from New York, and Bernie Sanders, long-time Senator from Vermont, along with other minority candidates like David Webb. Through the debate, viewers saw both parties double down on issues that affect them the most.
Hillary Clinton: Hillary Clinton has obviously come under a lot of fire since her Benghazi email incident, which still deters her to this day. Although Clinton has given up her emails to officials and some to the public, she remains a controversial figure. This was evident when Hillary was asked to comment on her email incident and she respectfully declined and stayed on course.
Hillary’s main point throughout the debate was that increasing income equality has caused ruptures in the American economy. Hillary was quick to blame those on Wall Street, and bankers who, in her mind, caused the recession in the first place, whom she blasted for not going to jail. Hillary also talked about the gender gap income inequality that has plagued America for ages, and is still a prominent problem in America.
Bernie Sanders: Sanders ironically has been ultra popular on social media and with the young crowd, despite being one of the older participants in the presidential race. Like Hillary, Sanders stressed that income equality is one of the biggest problems facing Americans, including those who have to feed a family. Sanders also advocated for two controversial issues: climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement. Sanders argued that humans have a responsibility to not only the environment itself, but also the children who will inherit the environmental problems caused by us humans. Regarding Black Lives Matter, Sanders spoke about not how he holds black lives over the lives of others, but that he sees that black rights are at distinct disadvantage due to the what he calls “institutional racism.”
Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist, wishes to help voters understand what exactly a democratic socialist is, as many confuse the term for a traditional socialist, such as those in many European countries. Sanders believes he is a true American, but he wishes to put an emphasis on a more socialist economy, one where workers have guaranteed wages, fixed paid leave, and increased job security as a result. This has come under a lot of criticism from the conservative public, who relate this as a change of government and intruding on business' rights.
Both candidates attempted to lay down their issues while trying to distinguish themselves from the field. Hillary Clinton touched on income equality and the unaffordability of college as among her main issues. Through these main issues, she hoped to bring light to gender income inequality and harder regulations of Wall Street. Bernie Sanders also talked about income inequality, climate change, and social justice as his main issues. Both candidates hold similar opinions towards the expansion of Obamacare, going green, and higher taxes on the wealthy to help bridge the income gap.
The next Democratic debate is November 14 in Iowa.
Source of Fact Checking: presidential-candidates.insidegov.com
