After a weekend of voting for the Democratic primaries, candidate Bernie Sanders won Kansas, Nebraska and Maine but lost to his opponent Hillary Clinton in Louisiana. The two candidates faced off again in Flint, Michigan in a confrontational debate Sunday night. Battalion news reporter Brad Canon gives five takeaways from the heated debate.
1) Handling the Flint, Michigan water issue
The candidates spent the first 25 minutes of the debate agreeing with one another on the obvious problems with the water supply in Flint, Michigan. Both had to convince the people of Flint that their care and recent publicity towards the water issue was not for political gain — but because of their deep empathy for the city.
2) Jobs, jobs, jobs
Clinton and Sanders entered into a confrontational series of questions about their policies towards creating and maintaining jobs. Sanders had difficulty overcoming his opposition to the Wall Street bailout. The bailout in the city of Flint is a sensitive topic, due to the strong connection many citizens have with the automobile industry which was a strong benefactor of the bailout. Clinton seemed to take the affection from Flint citizens on the topic of the auto industry bailout and Sanders did his best to attack Clinton by acknowledging her ties to Wall Street and the money it receives for her campaign. Each candidate walked out of that section of the debate with a few bruises.
3) Moderators
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon focused many questions on both candidates pasts and previous policies, which gave Sanders and Clinton the opportunity to expand and clarify without interruption. Cooper played a larger role in the debate than perhaps some previous moderators, but he kept the candidates on track — for the most part.
4) Raised tensions
The debate was a much more heated debate than seen in the past. Both candidates took any opportunity they had to knock their opponent on previous policy. Sanders repeatedly raised his voice at Clinton, almost seeming flustered, like he was not receiving the time to talk that he deserves. Clinton, too, saw some breaks in her usual cool demeanor, getting in some verbal punches during the debate.
5) A surprise shot: Guns
Gun policy received a surprising amount of air time due to questions from the audience regarding how the candidates would handle policy if elected. Both candidates took strong stances against accessibility to guns for citizens. Clinton attacked Sanders on his belief that gun manufacturers should not be held liable for the actions of someone who acts criminally with a weapon, which Sanders responded to in a relaxed manner standing behind what he has previously said.